Episode 64: We Talk Marijuana, Pot, Mary Jane, Grass....ETC.

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Paige:  You are listening to “Coffee with Gringos.” I’m Paige Sutherland.

Ian:  And I'm Ian Kennedy.

Paige: So today we are going to talk about “pot.” I think all of us may have used it in our lives, maybe at least have friends that use it, maybe parents, who knows. So today we're going to talk a little bit about the use here and the culture around it in Chile, as well as back home where we're from in the US. Again, if you get lost, go online and follow that transcript. So, Ian you're from Missouri, tell us a little bit about the culture around marijuana there.

Ian: Yeah. So, in Missouri marijuana technically is illegal. I think in the last year, a new law was passed to make it medicinal. It can be used for people who have terminal illness or going through chemotherapy for cancer and things like this, but not for recreational use. So not for just kind of for fun or for whoever wants to use it. So, it's kind of an interesting situation in the United States, legally, because marijuana is regulated on a state law level, and not a federal level. And so, it kind of varies from state to state. So, you're from Massachusetts so I know things are a little bit different there.

Paige: Yeah, we just legalized it about two years ago, so you can go into a shop now and buy marijuana. The laws are basically you can smoke it. It's kind of like drinking, you can smoke it in your private property in your house but you can't, allegedly, you're not supposed to be walking on the street just smoking, right. Kind of like drinking. But the interesting thing I think about the marijuana question in the US is that it's taxed. Like, I was just looking up the taxes and in Massachusetts if you want to buy weed at legal store, it's taxed 37%. Which is really high because, like, a sales tax is around five to 10%. So, these states that are legalizing it are probably just doing it to make some money.

Ian: Yeah, so it's got a really big economic benefit as well. So, the sides who maybe don't like it on a social level, they're starting to see the economic benefits that come along with it. So, it's a great way to pull in more taxes, more revenue, more income for the states that you can help infrastructure, education, crime, I mean you name it. So, you know, while it's something being used because of the demand, it's also we're seeing the benefit that it can be for these states. And there's so much money involved in it, you're actually seeing companies jumping into this market and wanting to get involved because it's just a booming industry.

Paige: I know your state is actually in the minority. There's about 33 states that have legalized marijuana. But even though it isn't legal in your state, would you say the use is pretty high? A lot of people smoke marijuana?

Ian: Yeah, definitely. I would say the majority of people do, especially younger people. And I think that's because of the culture shift, which we can talk about also. Because of the “War on drugs” in the United States when we were kids and (was) still very active and had a lot of involvement in schools. For example, you had the D.A.R.E. program. So, when we were kids, it was, you know, you were told, you know, if you smoke marijuana, you're gonna be homeless, you're not gonna have a job, you're gonna ruin your life. And I think as the younger people in our generation, as we got older and maybe some people tried marijuana for the first time and realized, you know, I can still be a functioning adult, I can still be an okay person, that the cultural shift started to happen. And so, you have people who have a different idea about it now than what happened in the past.  So, I think it's become more popular in years, for that reason.

Paige: Yeah, I agree. I think especially with the laws. I think you kind of adapt your thinking around the policies around your state. So, if you have a state that's like, “it's legal”, it's kind of like, “oh, it's good, it's safe.” Like, if the government is letting me do it, right, it feels like it's not what it used to be. Which it was like kind of like a delinquent drug. It's like I feel like growing up in my high school, pot was around, but it was kind of, like, the potheads, right. Like the kind of kids who weren't that good at school, that didn't show up often that smoked weed and all the good kids just drink. But now, like, I feel like the culture is people don't drink as much and, you know, everyone smokes weed.

Ian: For a lot of people, the legalization part, the legality part is what's uncomfortable. So, if you can take away that awkwardness of the law, then it's a much better experience for everybody.

Paige: I think it's interesting, I also went also to a “weed shop”, I think I was in Colorado. And, I mean, I smoked weed, you know, like, very few times when I was, like, in high school and college. So, I would just smoke from a friend. I couldn't tell you any strands.  Like, I have no idea what I smoked. And so, I went into that store and they were like, “What strain o you want? What this…what that?” I’m like “Weed? I just want...weed.” It’s funny, like, how overwhelming you don't realize there's, like, all these options in that. It's like going into a liquor store almost and wasn't asking for, like, a beer. It's like, well what brewery do you want? What kind of beer? And that's how it felt for me, but I had no experience.

Ian: Yeah, exactly. I think that's something too. People that don't, they don't understand the complexities of it, they think the same thing. It's just “give me that what you have”, but there are so many different types. If you have body pain, if you want to sleep well, if you want to have energy during the day, if you want to be creative. And it seems like an infinite number of different strains that you can get to cater to what you want.

Paige: Did you feel like it was better from the store than it was from, like, getting it off the street or from friend? Like, the quality?

Ian: Yeah, you can tell the quality is really good and it's just reassuring knowing that it was made, it was grown, in a healthy way that pesticides weren't being used. Really, the regulation part of it actually made me feel better about it. It's just always better knowing where something is coming from and knowing that it's good quality. Because if you do buy something off the street, technically you can't really know, you know, how it's grown or where it was beforehand.

Paige: Or what’s in it.

Ian: So yeah, exactly. So, I think that's another part that makes people feel better. And really, economically and crime wise too, it's better because the more you legalize the use of marijuana, the less influence you're going to have from, like, the Mexican cartels, for example. So, it could be a way to sort of reduce that crime, reduce that kind of illegal trade that we see going on, also.

Paige: Is it more expensive in the stores or on the street? Or is it about the same?

Ian:  I think it depends on where you are, but I would say it's that now it's more expensive than it was on the streets, in the streets. It used to be very expensive but with the legalization now when you buy, it's more expensive because of the taxes. But if you take away the taxes it's still a pretty cheap price and especially for the fact that you can do it safely, legally and with good quality. I think it's definitely worth the price compared to trying to find somebody on the street who can sell to you and then you don't know, you know, where it's been. Kind of like what we talked about so, just to kind of save yourself from the headache of all that I think it ends up being worth it.

Paige: Absolutely, that makes sense. I mean, especially, even though in the US, it's legal in so many states, unlike here, the US has a very, like, strict penal code. So, in a state that isn't legal and you get caught with marijuana, you can actually face jail time. So, it is, even though it's a minor drug, our penal code is so strict that it's kind of scary in of itself to be smoking in a legal state.

Ian: Exactly. Yeah, even if you're somewhere where it's legal and you're doing everything okay, you still can sometimes get a little like paranoid thinking, “wait…am I supposed to be doing this?” Or you kind of want to look around make sure there aren’t any cops around anything like that. But yeah, I think it’s a good thing that's happening and if people can become more educated on it, and understand what it really is, and how it can be really used beneficially then, I think we can change that sort of cultural stigma that's been stuck with it for so long.

Paige: So, I think, moving away from the US, coming back here to Chile…what was your first perspective when you came here about the culture around marijuana?

Ian: Well, I could tell as soon as I got here that it was popular because I got out of the taxi on Alameda and immediately smelled it in the air. And I actually thought that maybe it was even legal here, based off of the first impressions. But then I found out that, technically, it's illegal or decriminalized, maybe.

Paige: I was reading up before you came here, I wasn't surprised by this but it said that, Chile has the highest amount of consumption in all of Latin America. And we both traveled around the region a bit and I feel like here, like you said, was I just thought it was legal. I mean, every park you go to, every street where you see kids hanging out, you just smell it in the air—it's everywhere. I think that's interesting too because in the US, even in legal states, I think because our law enforcement is so strict, people are more cautious.  It's like, yeah, it's legal but I'm not gonna push the boundaries, I'm going to smoke on my porch, or in my house, or in my car. You know, you’re not, like, just so obviously where anyone could walk by and arrest me.  

Ian: Sure, exactly. I see that kind of difference too it's maybe a little bit more discreet in the United States compared to here. And again, like you said, for that reason we both thought, “wow, you know, maybe it's legal here.” Because it was no big deal and, you know, even sometimes even sees people who are smoking near, like, a policeman or someone like that. And that would be something that would make me super nervous in any other situation.

Paige: Yeah, you said you had a friend who was drinking and smoking on the street, and a cop walked by just said “get rid of the beer.”

Ian: Yeah, I heard of two friends that were walking. One of them had a joint, and one of them had a beer, an open beer can, and the policeman didn't say anything to the friend who was smoking and only told the friend who had an open beer that they needed to throw away the beer, that they were allowed to drink in public.

Paige: It's not “on the books” legal but it seems like the cops don't care. And probably, you know, bigger fish to fry.

Ian: Exactly.

Paige: But yeah, in the US, I mean, that's one of our biggest problems is we arrest, like you said, the war on drugs, we arrest a lot of people for drugs. I mean, I don't know the exact number but I know that a high percentage of people in prisons are because of drug crimes.

Ian: Yeah, it's pretty unfortunate. And fortunately, now, when we're seeing states that are starting to legalize the use of marijuana that we're seeing some rollbacks of some people who have been put in prison for, like, small marijuana crimes in the past, they're now being released. Which, you know, they shouldn't ever have been there in the first place, but at least it's a “better late than never” kind of situation. So, we're starting to see things being corrected and that culture start to shift. So, I think we're going in the right direction but how quickly it'll all come together, I guess we'll have to see.

Paige: I will say, things are definitely changing. I was just home in the US a couple weeks ago and right where my house is there's going to be, like, two weed shops on opposite sides of the street. So, I think, you know, we're having this conversation about, “oh these states, this weed, that…” But I think it's just going to be like alcohol in the next decade of just, it's normal to just go to a weed shop and get weed just like it is going to a liquor store.

Ian: Yep, I think we'll see the same thing happened, yeah.

Paige: Maybe it'll be a little slower here in Chile, but who knows. As we both talked about, it seems like there's not a lot enforcement so it's practically legal. But don't take our advice for that. We're not in law enforcement. Well anyhow, so again, if you get lost, check that transcript and audio guide. Thanks for listening.

Ian: We’ll see ya next time.

Key Vocabulary, Phrases and Slang:

1.     pot, weed (noun, slang): marijuana, cannabis.

a.     Did you hear that pot is legalized in California?

2.     terminal (adjective): expected to die.

a.     Unfortunately, her grandmother developed a terminal form of cancer.

3.     recreational (adjective): for enjoyment.

a.     I like to play recreational basketball on the weekends.

4.     to vary (verb): to change, to make different.

a.     The number of tourists in Patagonia varies depending on the time of year.

5.     allegedly (adverb): something claimed to be true, but is not proven.

a.     She allegedly told them that she didn’t want to work with them ever again.

6.     revenue (noun): income, money earned before paying costs.

a.     The company’s revenue grew incredibly fast within two years of legalization.

7.     demand (noun): customer’s desire for a product or service.

a.     The demand for the product caused the price to increase.

8.     to jump into (phrasal verb): to join, to become a part of something.

a.     They decided to jump into the new market when they saw the opportunity.

9.     booming (adjective): quickly growing, expanding.

a.     There are so many companies wanting to join the booming industry.

10.  D.A.R.E program (noun): Drug Abuse Resistance Education: a nation-wide, anti-drug program for children in elementary schools in the US.

a.     The D.A.R.E. program used to be in every school in the US.

11.  to adapt (verb): to change, adjust to something new.

a.     She had to adapt to studying late at night when she started her new job.

12.  delinquent (adjective): something related to committing a crime.

a.     The delinquent offender was sent to jail for his crime.

13.  pothead (slang, noun): someone who smokes marijuana frequently.

a.     Man, his cousin is such a pothead. He is always smoking!

14.  awkwardness (noun): feeling of strangeness or discomfort.

a.     There is always awkwardness whenever we see each other.

15.  weed shop (noun): a store that sells marijuana and/or marijuana products.

a.     There are a lot of new weed shops being opened up downtown.

16.  strands/strains (noun): specific type of marijuana.

a.     There are so many different strands/strains to choose from!

17.  overwhelming (adjective): very big amount, very strong.

a.     The options here in this store are overwhelming. I don’t know what to choose!

18.  complexities (noun): complications, unclear part of something.

a.     They don’t understand the complexities of the problem.  

19.  to cater (verb): to provide what is specifically wanted or needed.

a.     The company does a great job catering to their customer’s needs.

20.  reassuring (adjective): removing someone’s doubts or fears.

a.     It’s reassuring to know that we will be able to leave early if we need.

21.  pesticides (noun): chemicals used to kill insects or diseases that affect growing plants.

a.     There are lots of companies that are removing pesticides from all their products.

22.  to get caught (phrasal verb): to be found doing something illegal by the police.

a.     I don’t want to get caught drinking in the street, so I’ll wait until we get home.

23.  paranoid (adjective): excessively worried or anxious.

a.     He always gets so paranoid whenever we smoke together.

24.  stigma (noun): something considered bad or disgraceful by society.

a.     There has been a stigma with marijuana in the US for decades.

25.  perspective (noun): particular point of view or attitude.

a.     She has a very interesting perspective on the subject.

26.  cautious (adjective): careful, avoiding risk.

a.     It’s important to be cautious when trying things for the first time.

27.  boundaries (noun): limits.

a.     It’s important to follow the boundaries of the new law.

28.  discreet (adjective): careful, not causing attention.

a.     He drives a very discreet, old car when he travels around the country.

29.  to get rid (phrasal verb): to remove, throw away. 

a.     You need to get rid of all the trash in the house since it is dirty.

30.  joint (noun, slang): marijuana cigarette.

a.     Do you want to smoke a joint before we watch the movie?

31.  on the books (phrase): to be included in an official list or log.

a.     The sales weren’t on the books for the last year.

32.  cops (noun, slang): police officer.

a.     Man, there sure are a lot of cops here today.

33.  bigger fish to fry (idiom): to have something more important to do.

a.     The cops don’t care about people smoking in public since there are bigger fish to fry.

34.  rollbacks (noun): removal of a criminal charge from someone’s official record.

a.     The rollbacks are happening in states that are legalizing the use of marijuana.