Utah senator tries cannabis to «know what he's talking about before he votes»

Four US states to vote on whether to legalize cannabis. Some already have a medical cannabis program and are voting on recreational, and some like Utah are voting on the introduction of medical cannabis. In the run-up to the vote, one senator noted that none of the legislators who would be amending the law had ever tried cannabis.

In other words, they don't know what they're talking about, but they're legislating about it. To remedy this situation and make up his own mind, Jim Dabakis flew to Las Vegas, where cannabis is legal, and tried this mysterious plant for the first time. He decided to film his little experiment to inform the vote of Utah voters.

A senator like no other

Since he doesn't like smoking, Jim Dabakis decided to buy edibles, more specifically gummy bear, bear-shaped sweets. He already noticed that the packaging was childproof and totally opaque. He then tastes the magic candy (half first), which he doesn't recommend for its taste. He then has to wait for 1h30 and decides to return to his hotel to get into shape by the pool.

He explains to VICE that he didn't feel anything after an hour and a half, so he increased his dose. After a few hours, he starts to feel a little high but says it didn't change his life: «It wasn't a very profound experience. I didn't meet God or anything». So he quietly went off to see a Cirque Du Soleil show. Back in Utah a few days later, he published another video to explain to voters the results of his experiment. In it, he declared that he would not be an apologist for cannabis, but that he didn't understand «why some people make such a fuss about it».

He advises the prohibos - whom he calls «the crowd of the reefer madness »in reference to this film from the '30s who demonizes the plant - to try cannabis. Her concern is that conservative legislators will decide for everyone on something they know nothing about: «It's to remind my colleagues that, by the way, there's a whole world out there. Not everyone thinks cannabis is a gateway to other drugs.» «I like to be provocative, but I think there are some real underlying issues, and I hope I can promote them by clowning around a bit,» he adds.

«Let's face it, there's nothing to be afraid of, and the people who are terrified of cannabis are the ones who have never tried it.» He even goes so far as to jokingly recommend convening a special session where legislators would taste cannabis for information.

An idea that wouldn't hurt to cross the Atlantic. Perhaps Catherine Conconne would fall in love with cannabis or decide to fine people who talk without knowing (guaranteed success!).

The Utah vote

The situation in Utah is special in that voters may vote on Proposal 2 according to normal procedure, but regardless of the outcome of the vote, a special legislative session has been scheduled by the Governor to amend the law. The outcome of the vote will be decisive in terms of legitimization: if the people vote against the Proposal, the law will be more restrictive.

So far, polls show that Proposition 2 is favored by Utah residents, but Jim Dabakis insists: »Vote for Proposition 2. Because if you don't, either they won't legalize medical cannabis, or they'll make sure no one has access to it because the people voted against it.