Utah lawmaker tries marijuana for the first time on video: 'I just felt a little high'

When deciding on the potential legalization of medical or recreational legalization many legislators say they have done their research, what that means likely varies greatly from person to person. Some make decisions from what they've heard or read, some will go as far as visiting a legal state to see how the program runs and what local governing bodies have to say, but a truly dedicated public servant might just go try out the new product for themselves. Utah state senator Jim Dabakis did just that. Over this passed weekend Dabakis decided to visit the recreational legal state of Nevada where he tried a cannabis infused gummy bear for the first time to see what all the debate was about. The senator even facebook live video shared his experience with his constituents. After explaining that he had a driver for the afternoon and a plan to lounge by the pool, Dabakis goes on to explain after his experience that "It was no big deal," and "It was fine. I just felt a little high". He hopes that his experiment with cannabis will help others see that the fear behind the opposition to Utah's cannabis bill is based around propoganda and that others, including his colleagues and the "reefer madness crowd" should go try it for themselves before judging.

The state senator's trip to Nevada – where recreational marijuana use is legal – comes amid what he called one of the "fiercest" battles over a ballot initiative in Utah history.

"I want all my colleagues to get amnesty and go get a gummy bear or smoke a marijuana cigarette," he told USA TODAY. "I think everybody is afraid of what they don't know about."

In a followup video posted on Facebook, Dabakis calls on everyone to "mellow out" about the issue.