I give this a fail on the science part, and a high score on paranoia....
But the increase in beamed energy weapons is a bit scary. See American Diplomats in Cuba, and the permanent damage done to them by an as yet un specified weapon system, ( probably Soviet, but possibly Chinese ) in long exposure situations. Sound? Microwaves?
Blinding Lasers and early version Death rays are in full research and early production modes in China and Russia.
we will probably have a mass casualty airliner crash from laser blinding in the next few years. Odds are it will be called a Lone Wolf Domestic Terrorist incident.
I'm trying to figure out how to avoid paying a carbon tax. According to a local attorney, First Amendment rights are the key. I cannot be forced to tithe to a State Religion. He has precedents going back to the early 1800's. ( the Constitution didn't deny Vermont or any State from having a State Religion, just the Federal government. So some States did. When they couldn't force tithes....... that all went away )
Of course, a Thanos solution, killing half the population, so the rest can enjoy plenty, is also popular in the Climate Cult.
More than half, usually. The fictional Thanos ignores the flaw in his plan, simply that life will fill the void, and the magical 50% killed has to be repeated, periodically, forever.
The Greenies assume a higher kill ratio, until only the few True Believers remain to rule the more numerous slaves that will grow the food, & do the actual work, but be under strict reproductive and consumer restrictions. No Lobster and Steak for the slave class, no uncontrolled sex, minimal, macrobiotic diets, ( must keep them mentally disabled by diet and drugs so they stay obedient slaves ) and no say in controlling them, for their own good.
The mass murdering comic book villain is a sweetheart of libertarianism by comparison.
I can't make this up. It in the Cult's writing all the time. ( although they weasel word the slaves part..... Can't expect Grievance Studies Majors to till the soil for the vegan lifestyle. )
What gets me on stuff like that is, the self-righteous greenies and their Teslas and other electric, "zero-carbon" vehicles.
Where do you think your electricity comes from?
And, "studies" like this one never take those into account - they gloss over the fact that "Ballot initiative 1631 would impose a fee beginning in 2020 on major emitters of carbon dioxide, including refineries, power utilities and oil and gas producers"...without mentioning that yes, it will get more expensive to run your snotty little electric car, and it will get more expensive to turn the lights on in your house, and to charge your iPhone X so you can blather on farcebook about how angelic you are because you drive an electric/hybrid vehicle and you're saving the planet.
From a danger that doesn't really exist in the first place.
But you're making sure it costs everyone more money, so you can feel better about yourself.
I see it as demanding I pay a Tithe to a religion not of my choosing.
I won't allow the State to demand I pay the Catholic Church, or the local Mosque, or Wiccans... anyone. Period. I'm not contributing to the Church Of Gore either, without a legal fight.
An individual would need real deep pockets for that!
The WA voters have enough virtue-signallers among them to shrug off the resulting higher energy prices, just like renters who don't have to write higher property tax checks.
Big corporations don't pay taxes, they collect them from customers. Tax, say, refrigerators, with a 75% tax, and the consumer costs go up, while executive salaries and stock dividends don't change. But high corporate tax hurts business because the cost of their product rises, and consumers buy foreign made goods.
Small business, mom and pop stores, don't have that flexibility. They can't charge too much more than the big stores, or they go out of business.
As always, government hurts the poor the most. After all, they didn't bribe politicians like the rich.
Second, it could just be Colorado. Low oxygen, bad drivers ed, Coors.
C. Apparently, it's really booze or prescription mood altering drugs at fault in crashes. Pot only users drive too slow to cause injuries? But mix in the fine, experimental drugs that Cause murder suicide and psychotic break intended to treat depression, anxiety, or unhappiness, and it's head on into a school bus. "Here, this should help with your feelings of doom from 24/7 fake news constant crisis politics and induced guilt for being a privilege white male. But for the love of profit, don't suddenly stop taking the pills or you're likely to slaughter your church."
And booze never caused traffic accidents before Colorado tried to pay for everything with pot taxes, right?
Fourth, driving impaired is a bad idea, and has been since the massive increase in camel collisions when those crazy kids discovered coffee.
MI has legalization of pot as a ballot issue in November. I hate to say it, but drivers in this area are already terrible. One of the few down sides of leaving IL. I hate to think about driver performance dropping further with more stoned people on the road. Saw someone just yesterday AM who managed to hit a tree about 20 feet off the road on a straight piece of road.
Disclaimer - I don't smoke, never have, and have no desire to. So you may take my opinion with a grain of salt if you wish.
I still think open use / availability of pot, especially with today's (dumber than food) youth and young adults, will simply be a gateway drug. Sure, on its own, it's relatively harmless - physically and chemically it doesn't cause a lot of distress to our bodily systems and it certainly doesn't cause aggressive behavior. But at least for now, until "legal pot" becomes "normal" like alcohol is now (as opposed to the days of, and just following, prohibition), the fascination and attraction will be there to "try something that's taboo". And that "taboo" attitude will lead/contribute to transitioning to other drugs - NOT-legal drugs.
We're going to see a lot of abuse, and a lot of problems, at least until the time comes where folks are just "used to" pot being legal and easily obtained, like a six pack is.
And the news is going to hype the hell out of it, because it's an all-new "thing" for them to focus on.
One of my biggest problems with legalizing recreational pot is that it's being done without any means of roadside testing being available for abusers on the roadways. It would be silly to think that this won't be seen as an alternative to drinking and driving. At that point, it has a negative effect on me and others who share the roads with people who will drive intoxicated.
Politicians smelled tax money, like sharks and blood in the water, and went into a frenzy without thinking it through.
Everyone of these states legalized recreational pot through the ballot initiative process (voted in by a majority of the people). Not saying that the states won't welcome the additional tax revenues. Now that Canada has legalized it, I'm just a 40 minute drive away. Which would be cool if I smoked, but I don't.
I don't know how accurate it is or if it is actually in use but apparently there's a saliva test that can detect recent THC use. I don't know how it works or if it can detect edibles or only smoked products