Making a 5mw laser safe - using diffusion

[bigpcman]

I would like to use a 5mw laser as a pointer to be able to easily see the spot and to get the distance range. I've tried the 1mw lasers and they are not powerful enough for my purpose. However, I need to make the laser safe and the spot size bigger. I have noticed that if I shoot the laser light through a common magnifying glass directly at the end of the pointer the spot increases proportionately with the magnification. I have also noticed that if I shoot the laser light through an empty ziploc plastic bag ( 2 sheets of plastic ) the dot expands to about 6 inches. So I see there are easy ways to expand the dot and still maintain reasonable intensity. My question is by expanding the dot size have I made the output safe?

 

[DrSid]

Most modules can be defocused, which would can increase divergence, making the laser safer. But 5mW is mostly considered safe as it is.