Use marijuana responsibly, know Washington laws and regulations
The opening of the first recreational marijuana store in Pullman Saturday represents both a step forward and a new wave of responsibility for the Palouse. This responsibility comes in particular for many University of Idaho students and Moscow community members who might want to take advantage of the new legal drug across the border.
The opening of the new shop will bring UI, Washington State University and the Palouse under a national microscope, as the rest of the nation considers the effects, benefits and downsides of recreational marijuana use.
Students and community members should understand the new rules surrounding the now-legal substance, before traveling west to get high.
Because marijuana is illegal in Idaho, those coming back over the border can face misdemeanor possession for small amounts of marijuana.
The laws that surround recreational marijuana are similar to alcohol. It’s illegal to drive while high, and those who do risk arrest for driving under the influence of judgment-impairing substances.
In Washington, it is illegal to smoke marijuana in a public space and it is still illegal for people under 21 to smoke or purchase marijuana, similar to alcohol laws nationwide.
And like alcohol, marijuana has the possibility to resurrect a tragic history between Moscow and Pullman. In 1972, when the legal drinking age in Idaho was changed to 19 years old and Washington still had it at 21 years old, Moscow saw a huge influx of WSU students flocking to Moscow every weekend for alcohol.
The Moscow-Pullman Highway soon turned into a notorious highway known for alcohol-related car accidents. The highway attracted national attention and stained the reputation of both universities.
In all reality, there is a small chance the Moscow-Pullman Highway will turn into a notoriously dangerous highway again. Yet, a chance still exists when a new drug is legalized and enters the social ecosystem of university life.
Students should recognize the personal and legal risks of driving while under the influence of marijuana and take the proper precautions when getting high in Washington.
UI students and Moscow residents have the opportunity to set an example for the na- tion on how marijuana can be use responsibly in a community. We do not want the Palouse to produce horror stories surrounding the implementation of recreational marijuana.
The Palouse should consider the advice of Spiderman’s uncle Ben Parker in this time of change.
“With great power, comes great responsibility.”
The wise words of Uncle Ben should resonate with students, as the region becomes one of the first to embark on the new path of marijuana legalization.
–RT