Initiative 81

[Anonymous]

I’d be more worried to find my child an alcoholic than a pot head. Even mushrooms aren’t as bad. No one is out there tripping every day anyway! It’s not like opiates which have a physical addiction. For most people it can be a heavy experience that requires a calm environment. Anyway, I vote that all the mushroom detractors on here put your money where your mouth is and start weekend trips to local games out in the Virginia hills to stamp out the scourge of magic mushrooms that grow wild on cow patties. You can wear your favorite Nixon shirt and then go slam 12 beers at a local tavern before getting arrested for drunk driving. Mushrooms have medical value. Honestly, so does pot. You all will be sad when the next generation, who by and large are much more progressive about these things, take over the policy decisions. You talk about initiative 81 from a place of ignorance because you have never eaten mushrooms yourself.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole purpose of Initiative 81 seems to be to give police and the prosecutor's office a pass on doing their jobs which is to enforce the law. Instead of addressing the drug problem or reforming the system, DC just wants the voters to let them off the hook. Public drug use is getting worse in the city - why is the proposed solution to decriminalize drugs even more??

For many of us who live in the city with young kids, it's becoming untenable. And for those of you with babies and toddlers who are unconcerned about the impact of these decriminalization laws, come talk to me once your kids are old enough to see what's happening and ask questions. If you are truly committed to raising your kids in the city long term, you should be troubled by these initiatives.

Is 11 old enough for you? And no plans to move. We have open and honest talks about drugs. I've never taken anything more than alcohol, but I'm familiar enough with what the various did are around here.

I'm not trying to shelter my kids from drugs. They will make their own decisions. I'm just going to make sure they understand. And if they need help they'll call me.

Yeah we are not on the same page. I am simply not ok with my kids seeing open, public drug use. I’m also not ok with my kids using drugs. I don’t know any parents who are as laidback about this as you are. If not wanting to see drug use means I’m sheltering my kids, so be it.

Maybe I'm not explaining it well. Let's try sex education as a corollary. I don't think abstinence-only is a good way to teach kids. Of course I don't want to encourage my kids to have sex as teenagers, but that is something that I can't fully control. They will be in situations where they will need to make those decisions on their own. Teaching them everything good/bad/ugly about sex seems like the right approach. At 11 it's been pretty limited, but it's an ongoing conversation.

Same goes for drugs. I don't want them to take drugs. I think the best way to get there is not abstinence-only. It's teaching them about why people do drugs, what they say feels good about it, and what the downsides are. Facts, not scare tactics. That way they also know they can trust me if they have questions about it or if they made a poor choice and need help.

Educating our kids about drugs is a completely different issue than decriminalizing drug use and sales. I am all for the education part. Just not sure why that has to entail watching people smoke weed in public. To use your example, you aren’t teaching your kid about sex by exposing him to it right?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole purpose of Initiative 81 seems to be to give police and the prosecutor's office a pass on doing their jobs which is to enforce the law. Instead of addressing the drug problem or reforming the system, DC just wants the voters to let them off the hook. Public drug use is getting worse in the city - why is the proposed solution to decriminalize drugs even more??

For many of us who live in the city with young kids, it's becoming untenable. And for those of you with babies and toddlers who are unconcerned about the impact of these decriminalization laws, come talk to me once your kids are old enough to see what's happening and ask questions. If you are truly committed to raising your kids in the city long term, you should be troubled by these initiatives.

Is 11 old enough for you? And no plans to move. We have open and honest talks about drugs. I've never taken anything more than alcohol, but I'm familiar enough with what the various did are around here.

I'm not trying to shelter my kids from drugs. They will make their own decisions. I'm just going to make sure they understand. And if they need help they'll call me.

Yeah we are not on the same page. I am simply not ok with my kids seeing open, public drug use. I’m also not ok with my kids using drugs. I don’t know any parents who are as laidback about this as you are. If not wanting to see drug use means I’m sheltering my kids, so be it.

Then move to Gaithersburg. Living in a city means that your kids will see homelessness, will see poverty, will see occasional drug use. They will also see and experience many positive things that they would not be able to living in suburban sprawl.

Ah yes, the old “if you don’t like it, move to the burbs” argument. No one is clutching their pearls over seeing poverty (which no one mentioned, by the way) or occasional drug use. The point is that the public drug use is getting WORSE and DC is giving up. There’s no plan to actually address it.

[Anonymous]

I don’t mind people smoking weed in the street. Who fking cares?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole purpose of Initiative 81 seems to be to give police and the prosecutor's office a pass on doing their jobs which is to enforce the law. Instead of addressing the drug problem or reforming the system, DC just wants the voters to let them off the hook. Public drug use is getting worse in the city - why is the proposed solution to decriminalize drugs even more??

For many of us who live in the city with young kids, it's becoming untenable. And for those of you with babies and toddlers who are unconcerned about the impact of these decriminalization laws, come talk to me once your kids are old enough to see what's happening and ask questions. If you are truly committed to raising your kids in the city long term, you should be troubled by these initiatives.

Is 11 old enough for you? And no plans to move. We have open and honest talks about drugs. I've never taken anything more than alcohol, but I'm familiar enough with what the various did are around here.

I'm not trying to shelter my kids from drugs. They will make their own decisions. I'm just going to make sure they understand. And if they need help they'll call me.

Yeah we are not on the same page. I am simply not ok with my kids seeing open, public drug use. I’m also not ok with my kids using drugs. I don’t know any parents who are as laidback about this as you are. If not wanting to see drug use means I’m sheltering my kids, so be it.

Then move to Gaithersburg. Living in a city means that your kids will see homelessness, will see poverty, will see occasional drug use. They will also see and experience many positive things that they would not be able to living in suburban sprawl.

Ah yes, the old “if you don’t like it, move to the burbs” argument. No one is clutching their pearls over seeing poverty (which no one mentioned, by the way) or occasional drug use. The point is that the public drug use is getting WORSE and DC is giving up. There’s no plan to actually address it.

We have lived in DC for 22 years. I see zero evidence that the drug problem is getting worse b/c of recreational weed and I lived in East Quad and am well acquainted with the smell.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole purpose of Initiative 81 seems to be to give police and the prosecutor's office a pass on doing their jobs which is to enforce the law. Instead of addressing the drug problem or reforming the system, DC just wants the voters to let them off the hook. Public drug use is getting worse in the city - why is the proposed solution to decriminalize drugs even more??

For many of us who live in the city with young kids, it's becoming untenable. And for those of you with babies and toddlers who are unconcerned about the impact of these decriminalization laws, come talk to me once your kids are old enough to see what's happening and ask questions. If you are truly committed to raising your kids in the city long term, you should be troubled by these initiatives.

Is 11 old enough for you? And no plans to move. We have open and honest talks about drugs. I've never taken anything more than alcohol, but I'm familiar enough with what the various did are around here.

I'm not trying to shelter my kids from drugs. They will make their own decisions. I'm just going to make sure they understand. And if they need help they'll call me.

Yeah we are not on the same page. I am simply not ok with my kids seeing open, public drug use. I’m also not ok with my kids using drugs. I don’t know any parents who are as laidback about this as you are. If not wanting to see drug use means I’m sheltering my kids, so be it.

Maybe I'm not explaining it well. Let's try sex education as a corollary. I don't think abstinence-only is a good way to teach kids. Of course I don't want to encourage my kids to have sex as teenagers, but that is something that I can't fully control. They will be in situations where they will need to make those decisions on their own. Teaching them everything good/bad/ugly about sex seems like the right approach. At 11 it's been pretty limited, but it's an ongoing conversation.

Same goes for drugs. I don't want them to take drugs. I think the best way to get there is not abstinence-only. It's teaching them about why people do drugs, what they say feels good about it, and what the downsides are. Facts, not scare tactics. That way they also know they can trust me if they have questions about it or if they made a poor choice and need help.

Educating our kids about drugs is a completely different issue than decriminalizing drug use and sales. I am all for the education part. Just not sure why that has to entail watching people smoke weed in public. To use your example, you aren’t teaching your kid about sex by exposing him to it right?

There's a big difference between taking a child to a sex show and seeing someone smoke a joint. They see people smoking cigarettes already and they see me drinking alcohol. I don't think we're anywhere near the point where people are shooting heroin all over the place in public. Hell, I don't even know how people take mushrooms. Eat them? Tea? Pizza toppings??!

In fact, seeing someone drugged out is great education. I'd be happy to go gawking with my 11 year old. See that guy with the fifth of gin who shit his pants. Want to be him? No? See that stoner who's making a fool of himself? Better not be stoned in public or outside of people you really trust. Remember instagram and Twitter? or whatever the kids are doing now - tik tok and venmo. See that person being taken away in an ambulance catatonic? Might be K2/spice or fentanyl laced into something you have no control over. Want some drugs now?

I'm not seeing the problem here.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole purpose of Initiative 81 seems to be to give police and the prosecutor's office a pass on doing their jobs which is to enforce the law. Instead of addressing the drug problem or reforming the system, DC just wants the voters to let them off the hook. Public drug use is getting worse in the city - why is the proposed solution to decriminalize drugs even more??

For many of us who live in the city with young kids, it's becoming untenable. And for those of you with babies and toddlers who are unconcerned about the impact of these decriminalization laws, come talk to me once your kids are old enough to see what's happening and ask questions. If you are truly committed to raising your kids in the city long term, you should be troubled by these initiatives.

Is 11 old enough for you? And no plans to move. We have open and honest talks about drugs. I've never taken anything more than alcohol, but I'm familiar enough with what the various did are around here.

I'm not trying to shelter my kids from drugs. They will make their own decisions. I'm just going to make sure they understand. And if they need help they'll call me.

Yeah we are not on the same page. I am simply not ok with my kids seeing open, public drug use. I’m also not ok with my kids using drugs. I don’t know any parents who are as laidback about this as you are. If not wanting to see drug use means I’m sheltering my kids, so be it.

Maybe I'm not explaining it well. Let's try sex education as a corollary. I don't think abstinence-only is a good way to teach kids. Of course I don't want to encourage my kids to have sex as teenagers, but that is something that I can't fully control. They will be in situations where they will need to make those decisions on their own. Teaching them everything good/bad/ugly about sex seems like the right approach. At 11 it's been pretty limited, but it's an ongoing conversation.

Same goes for drugs. I don't want them to take drugs. I think the best way to get there is not abstinence-only. It's teaching them about why people do drugs, what they say feels good about it, and what the downsides are. Facts, not scare tactics. That way they also know they can trust me if they have questions about it or if they made a poor choice and need help.

Educating our kids about drugs is a completely different issue than decriminalizing drug use and sales. I am all for the education part. Just not sure why that has to entail watching people smoke weed in public. To use your example, you aren’t teaching your kid about sex by exposing him to it right?

There's a big difference between taking a child to a sex show and seeing someone smoke a joint. They see people smoking cigarettes already and they see me drinking alcohol. I don't think we're anywhere near the point where people are shooting heroin all over the place in public. Hell, I don't even know how people take mushrooms. Eat them? Tea? Pizza toppings??!

In fact, seeing someone drugged out is great education. I'd be happy to go gawking with my 11 year old. See that guy with the fifth of gin who shit his pants. Want to be him? No? See that stoner who's making a fool of himself? Better not be stoned in public or outside of people you really trust. Remember instagram and Twitter? or whatever the kids are doing now - tik tok and venmo. See that person being taken away in an ambulance catatonic? Might be K2/spice or fentanyl laced into something you have no control over. Want some drugs now?

I'm not seeing the problem here.

Your example only works when your child's example is the bum shitting his pants as you say. Unfortunately the strongest influence in children's lives are their peers. So when their friends are trying pot, or mushrooms, you got a way better chance that they will partake. Sex is the same way, though that is all over TV so hard to shelter them from.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole purpose of Initiative 81 seems to be to give police and the prosecutor's office a pass on doing their jobs which is to enforce the law. Instead of addressing the drug problem or reforming the system, DC just wants the voters to let them off the hook. Public drug use is getting worse in the city - why is the proposed solution to decriminalize drugs even more??

For many of us who live in the city with young kids, it's becoming untenable. And for those of you with babies and toddlers who are unconcerned about the impact of these decriminalization laws, come talk to me once your kids are old enough to see what's happening and ask questions. If you are truly committed to raising your kids in the city long term, you should be troubled by these initiatives.

Is 11 old enough for you? And no plans to move. We have open and honest talks about drugs. I've never taken anything more than alcohol, but I'm familiar enough with what the various did are around here.

I'm not trying to shelter my kids from drugs. They will make their own decisions. I'm just going to make sure they understand. And if they need help they'll call me.

Yeah we are not on the same page. I am simply not ok with my kids seeing open, public drug use. I’m also not ok with my kids using drugs. I don’t know any parents who are as laidback about this as you are. If not wanting to see drug use means I’m sheltering my kids, so be it.

Then move to Gaithersburg. Living in a city means that your kids will see homelessness, will see poverty, will see occasional drug use. They will also see and experience many positive things that they would not be able to living in suburban sprawl.

Ah yes, the old “if you don’t like it, move to the burbs” argument. No one is clutching their pearls over seeing poverty (which no one mentioned, by the way) or occasional drug use. The point is that the public drug use is getting WORSE and DC is giving up. There’s no plan to actually address it.

Well said. Mayor's solution to the drug use is to ignore her contribution to it while throwing money at drug rehabilitation. Just like the lack of affordable housing where they throw money at problem, while ignoring that the problem is actually caused by how the pro tenant laws are affecting the market; Landlords find the risk to renting to the poor not worth it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole purpose of Initiative 81 seems to be to give police and the prosecutor's office a pass on doing their jobs which is to enforce the law. Instead of addressing the drug problem or reforming the system, DC just wants the voters to let them off the hook. Public drug use is getting worse in the city - why is the proposed solution to decriminalize drugs even more??

For many of us who live in the city with young kids, it's becoming untenable. And for those of you with babies and toddlers who are unconcerned about the impact of these decriminalization laws, come talk to me once your kids are old enough to see what's happening and ask questions. If you are truly committed to raising your kids in the city long term, you should be troubled by these initiatives.

Is 11 old enough for you? And no plans to move. We have open and honest talks about drugs. I've never taken anything more than alcohol, but I'm familiar enough with what the various did are around here.

I'm not trying to shelter my kids from drugs. They will make their own decisions. I'm just going to make sure they understand. And if they need help they'll call me.

Yeah we are not on the same page. I am simply not ok with my kids seeing open, public drug use. I’m also not ok with my kids using drugs. I don’t know any parents who are as laidback about this as you are. If not wanting to see drug use means I’m sheltering my kids, so be it.

Maybe I'm not explaining it well. Let's try sex education as a corollary. I don't think abstinence-only is a good way to teach kids. Of course I don't want to encourage my kids to have sex as teenagers, but that is something that I can't fully control. They will be in situations where they will need to make those decisions on their own. Teaching them everything good/bad/ugly about sex seems like the right approach. At 11 it's been pretty limited, but it's an ongoing conversation.

Same goes for drugs. I don't want them to take drugs. I think the best way to get there is not abstinence-only. It's teaching them about why people do drugs, what they say feels good about it, and what the downsides are. Facts, not scare tactics. That way they also know they can trust me if they have questions about it or if they made a poor choice and need help.

Educating our kids about drugs is a completely different issue than decriminalizing drug use and sales. I am all for the education part. Just not sure why that has to entail watching people smoke weed in public. To use your example, you aren’t teaching your kid about sex by exposing him to it right?

There's a big difference between taking a child to a sex show and seeing someone smoke a joint. They see people smoking cigarettes already and they see me drinking alcohol. I don't think we're anywhere near the point where people are shooting heroin all over the place in public. Hell, I don't even know how people take mushrooms. Eat them? Tea? Pizza toppings??!

In fact, seeing someone drugged out is great education. I'd be happy to go gawking with my 11 year old. See that guy with the fifth of gin who shit his pants. Want to be him? No? See that stoner who's making a fool of himself? Better not be stoned in public or outside of people you really trust. Remember instagram and Twitter? or whatever the kids are doing now - tik tok and venmo. See that person being taken away in an ambulance catatonic? Might be K2/spice or fentanyl laced into something you have no control over. Want some drugs now?

I'm not seeing the problem here.

Your example only works when your child's example is the bum shitting his pants as you say. Unfortunately the strongest influence in children's lives are their peers. So when their friends are trying pot, or mushrooms, you got a way better chance that they will partake. Sex is the same way, though that is all over TV so hard to shelter them from.

Peers are a strong influence, but parents can be too if the kids trust you. If I try to tell them that weed and mushrooms are as bad as K2, then what happens when they see their peers smoking weed and nothing bad happens? They don't trust you.

I'm also teaching them the difference between helping people and criminalizing them. I see no sense in locking someone up purely for taking drugs.

[Anonymous]

Stupid initiative designed solely to line the pockets of white entrepreneurs with the money from the poor.

[Anonymous]

I really don't need the Dr. Bronner's soap people pushing initiatives in DC. Bye-eee!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I don’t mind people smoking weed in the street. Who fking cares?

I’m thinking you’ll probably begin caring a few seconds after someone stoned runs into/over you.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stupid initiative designed solely to line the pockets of white entrepreneurs with the money from the poor.

Yep. It’ll be just like the dispensary racket in Maryland- 100% owned by already-wealthy white people.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Stupid initiative designed solely to line the pockets of white entrepreneurs with the money from the poor.

yeah that makes zero sense, but sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Stupid initiative designed solely to line the pockets of white entrepreneurs with the money from the poor.

Yep. It’ll be just like the dispensary racket in Maryland- 100% owned by already-wealthy white people.

You’re racists. What are you saying? That big companies are going to companies owned by white are suddenly going to start spore farms in the district and sell scary soul crushing addictive mushrooms to poor, blacks people who will cause havoc? You’re racist and stupid. No one eats mushrooms they same way they do coke. They’re not fun like that. They’re are no shakes or dt’s or withdrawal.