Feds Paying for Sewer Analysis of Pot Usage in Washington

[antiquie]

From GD: http://www.democraticunderground.com/10141124903

SEATTLE (AP) — The federal government is chipping in money for a three-year pilot study using sewage samples to determine levels of marijuana use in two Washington cities — research that could help answer some key questions about pot legalization, the University of Puget Sound announced Monday.

more: http://news.yahoo.com/feds-paying-sewer-analysis-pot-usage-washington-013102874.html

[Scuba]

1. Because sales would be too simple?

[antiquie]

3. "It's complicated."

(see post 2)

[antiquie]

2. More...

The upcoming study is aimed at helping determine whether the opening of pot shops increase a community's marijuana use, whether data from the wastewater correlate to what people answer in surveys about their marijuana use, and whether weekday or weekend marijuana use has increased.

"We're trying to get a sense of the type of user," Burgard said. "If there's more use on the weekends, maybe that's more recreational. But if Sunday to Thursday use goes up as much, that might be a public health concern, with habitual users using a lot more."

The data could also show how much of the illicit black market for marijuana the state's legal stores are capturing, by comparing the wastewater data with the state's close tracking of marijuana sales. If sales figures continue to rise, but the wastewater levels show that overall pot use is flat, that would indicate that people are getting their marijuana at legal stores instead of on the black market.

But if sales figures rise and the sewer evidence of pot use also rises, that could indicate that people are still buying on the black market — and that legalization has increased overall use in the state without displacing much of the black market.

[jtuck004]

4. People are selling folks ounces for $75 on the street, while the Washington Tax Cabal is

trying to sell the rec pot for $160 oz,

And they want to know if there are sales taking place outside of the rather stupid box the state has put themselves in.

[RussBLib]

5. $160 oz?

In Washington State?

Is that the stuff they sweep off the floor?

Because that seems really really low. That's under $6/gram.

Now, maybe for schwag, but not for hydro?

[jtuck004]

7. Sure, that's what it is. lol. This is what happens when everyone and their sister sticks something

in the ground to grow. The supply is much too high to demand anything like the old prices. Some people are paying it, but there are thousands of folks growing their own, most illegally,

Most states have been absolutely awash in the stuff for years, but since opening it up the supply is astounding.

[RussBLib]

6. that's a little creepy

filtering sewage water to measure cannabinoid levels?

Hmm...what else can we measure?

Anti-depressants?

Alcohol?

conservatism?

[jtuck004]

8. What they want is for everyone to bow down and pay them their tribute for every gram sold.

Ain't gonna happen, even if they did buy off NORML up here. (Met that rep at a show this week - sounds like a big pharma creep. Too bad, used to respect them).


So the state wants to see if they can prove that people are doing it illegally (What we tell them they can grow subtracted from the amount we measure in the State Pee) so they can pass more thuggish laws to hurt people.

They like to laugh at people who want to drug test people on food stamps. They don't realize they are acting PRECISELY the same way. Bullies and thugs.

Incredibly stupid and slow people these pols, didn't learn a damn thing from prohibition years ago. They think they can legislate this, even though the reason we are having this conversation is because they can't.

They should just bugger off.