Asymmetrical Information

Ah, you've just got to love those Boomers.

Where is Ford Motor Company's CEO today? This might explain much.

My guess is that he's a Republican party operative whose car service is run by Rastafarians. He insists that the driver fire up some ganja so he can bask in the glow, so to speak, while retaining plausible deniability. He hasn't properly thought through the aroma in the elevator issue, obviously, but then that's a Democrat problem and we all know what they're like. (See Schmoe, Joe.)

Cheers,

Why is this weird, I hear you cry. Well, because he absolutely reeked of marijuana.

Kind of makes you wonder what was in the wheely suitcase, doesn’t it?

Seriously, maybe I’ve lived a sheltered life (only been around people who were about to use it once and I left immediately) but for the life of me, I have no idea what marijuana smells like.

You will know it when you smell it whether you have before or not.

Skiing last weekend my wife and I were on the chairlift when that odor came wafting back at us. It was the guy in the chair ahead of us - our evidence being the smoke periodically coming out of his head. Sitting next to him was a young kid (8 - 10 yrs old based on size).

We got off the lift and sure enough this guy was in his early 40's. Judging by the interaction between the two (the man adjusting the kids hat and gloves, and talking about where they were going) we guessed they were father and son.

Interesting.

Thorley,

I've never smoked it, but I saw Pink Floyd in 1994--it reminded me of the smell of burning maple leaves, only a little sweeter. Much more pleasant that cigarettes. Of course, if you've never smelled burning maple leaves, I can't help you.

Could the smell have been in the elevator before you (and the man) boarded?

On more than one occasion I've found myself walking behind a wall street type enjoying a puff. Some of the strong stuff will stink if you just have a bag in your pocket.

The only thing wierd is that the guy is in his 40s. Plenty of traders and fund managers in their 20s and 30s smoke. IT guys too.

Thorly, I've heard the good stuff smells a lot like hops.

Wow, what a weird thought that some people don't know what it smells like. I grew up in marijuana smoke-filled rooms. Guess my view is skewed, being a 70's child of hippies.

I've actually never smoked it, however. I'm sorta like Saffron in Absolutely Fabulous, I guess.

Work in a public library for a while. You'll learn the smell pretty quickly. Roughly 50% of our patrons who come in to use the Internet seem to use it as cologne.

Scientists warn of cannabis ‘timebomb’

By the end of the decade one in four new cases of schizophrenia could be triggered by smoking cannabis, scientists say.

Research has suggested that regular users of the drug are up to six times more likely to develop schizophrenia, although whether the drug is the direct cause remains disputed.

The Department of Health says it is now generally agreed among doctors that cannabis is an “important causal factor” in mental illness.....

I find nothing weird about the odor of marijuana in these United States. The weirdness is the continuing prohibition that should have been repealed over thirty years ago. That it hasn't tells me my benighted generation doesn't understand the principles of liberty at all, and that most of its political aspirations should be ignored as the tyranny they will certainly promote.

I find nothing weird about the odor of marijuana in these United States. The weirdness is the continuing prohibition that should have been repealed over thirty years ago. That it hasn't tells me my benighted generation doesn't understand the principles of liberty at all, and that most of its political aspirations should be ignored as the tyranny they will certainly promote.

"Criminally boring tie."

Jane -- I like that. Have you ever thought about writing fiction?

Methinks you are either a bit sheltered, or the people around you are very subtle. Nearly every professional I know (Ibankers, laywers, IT professionals) smoke. The good ones don't do it on the job. The really lame ones do coke.

I have no idea what marijuana smells like.

The analogies are piling up fast, but here's another: mingle a decent sweet pipe tobacco with the odor of any sort of burning tree leaves and you'll hit it pretty close.

It would be weirder if he didn't smoke pot. In NY there are marijuana delivery services that make a constant stream of deliveries to every office building downtown. Wall Street has more pot smokers per sqare foot than your average college dorm. And the guys (mostly) doing the smoking are the ones running the show.

I've never smoked it, but I saw Pink Floyd in 1994--it reminded me of the smell of burning maple leaves, only a little sweeter. Much more pleasant that cigarettes. Of course, if you've never smelled burning maple leaves, I can't help you.

Well, I go to a lot of "Canada sucks!" festivals, so I know what you're talking about. Thanks, that helps. ;-)

Aaron: Not surprising; hops and cannabis are in the same family (Cannabaceae).

And it's true about IT/financial professionals. I know several NYC computer geeks, and I'm surprised that their companies don't have marijuana deliveries as a line-item in the corporate budget.

Of course, there is a very somple remedy for reeking like marijuana. Smoke a cigarette. The smellof tobacco is much stronger and lingers longer than that of wacky-tobaccy.

Somple=simple

Jeff: Ah, but more per square foot is a silly comparison, as a dorm room isn't 100 stories tall, is it?

How about per-capita?

I suspect Peter is more likely correct, and the elevator was smoked out by a previous rider, unless you entered first and the smell came with him.

Maybe he had glaucoma?

Just curious, why is weed so popular among the Wall Street elite? The stereotype is that it makes you lazy and stupid.

FWIW, I'm another child of the 70's who has no idea what pot smells like. Nor do I know any active users among my circle of friends or co-workers, at least none who go around blabbing or reeking of anything in particular. Heck, most of my friends don't even smoke tobacco or drink on weeknights anymore. And I'm in IT.

I suspect that tokers tend to imagine that MJ use is a lot more common than it actually is. Kinda like drinkers who assume that everyone indulges in a couple beers or martinis at lunch.

The stereotype is that it makes you lazy and stupid.

...and, according to latest research, may put you at a higher risk for schizophrenia.

For smelling Marijuana the best time is on a misty evening when the air is not moving much. It is incredible how easy it is to smell on those nights. Or any time in New York City I guess.

Peter Said: Could the smell have been in the elevator before you (and the man) boarded?

To carry it further, maybe the guy thought that YOU were the stoner.

Regarding those studies; until we get prospective studies with random double-blind assignments of marijuana use, we won't know for sure. I suspect that mentally imbalanced people do more drugs, but I don't know either.

As they say, correlation is not causation.

Regarding the poster who said Nor do I know any active users among my circle of friends or co-workers, at least none who go around blabbing or reeking of anything in particular.

I suspect the number who go around blabbing or reeking is a small fraction of those who use. They don't want you to know.

I suspect that there is a tendency by people who indulge (in anything) to assume similar indulgence rates by those around them.

I'm on the Upper East Side right now, and one of those typical botoxed UES old ladies (probably 70ish), wearing too-hip clothes just walked down the street opening smoking a joint.

And a few months ago a typical Upper West Side middle aged woman acosted me on the street in the middle of the night, asking if I knew where to get some.

This is out of control. Old folks today!

Finn writes I suspect that there is a tendency by people who indulge (in anything) to assume similar indulgence rates by those around them.

I'll agree. Including those who indulge in not smoking marijunana.