Cannabis Clubs in Colorado?
A few days ago, Colorado state Rep. Jonathan Singer said to the Cannabist that he could easily see the day in which people will be allowed to open “cannabis clubs similar to bars”. This sounded like an answer to a recent poll, which has clearlyshown the people of Colorado would love to have the chance to smoke cannabis in clubs and bars – smoking pot in public places, including bars and clubs, is now illegal in Colorado, just to be clear. Asked to clarify his statement, Singer said that “as marijuana becomes more commonplace, we are going to have to find ways for people to consume it legally outside their home in cannabis clubs that would work similar to bars. People are going to create their own public consumption spots, so I believe it is safer to create some rules for that type of consumption just as we have done with alcohol.” All this is clear enough, but will it happen soon?
It is quite impossible to answer, but it certainly not impossible to claim that this kind of step would require a further, big cultural change. According to the latest studies carried out by cultural geographers and sociologists, in fact, Americans have a very clear understanding of how public spaces and places should look like. Above everything else, public spaces and places have to be clean, safe and neutral, as much as possible. But what does that mean? Quite simply, it means that, in America, a public space is not supposed to be “political”, or “controversial”. This kind of idea of “public space” is the result of a long series of historical facts: it is the expression of a society that promotes the success of the private over the public, the individual over the group, safety over choice, etc. Naturally, a society where private property comes before everything else has a lot to work on before being able to turn the “public property” into a progressive environment. And, most of all, marijuana has to become a little less “dirty”and “controversial”before being able to enter a sanitized public space.
Sure, on this I agree with Jonathan Singer, it will happen. Meanwhile, however, it’s probably a good idea to buy a good amount of pot in a cannabis shop, or online (http://greenhouseseeds.nl/), and enjoy it at home. At the end of the day, home is where our freedom resides, and that’s true in America as well as anywhere else. Right?
