Unpopular Opinions You Hold

[Guest Manini]

The John Lewis Christmas advert does my head In 

[jgtuk]

9 hours ago, Milo said:

I've not researched this at all, so please feel free to let loose and fill in my educational gaps...but is weed legal in any country in Europe?

 

I've been to Amsterdam on numerous occasions, and happily spent time in coffee shops - but they are quite specific about what they do and sell, and I probably wouldn't stroll around an Amsterdam high street in the middle of the day with a spliff on the go. (or would that be ok? I don't know)

 

Were Spain doing something to legalise cannabis? But again, I'm not sure if freely and happily smoking pot in public is a thing there. 

 

I spent many years in the Caribbean, where (in Barbados anyway) cannabis was most definitely illegal and also almost compulsory! I think Canada and some US states have legalised it - but again, I'm not sure of the absolute definition/working of the law is.  

 

I'm not talking about medicinal prescriptions for weed, or indeed the benefits or otherwise of it - I'm just curious if any of our neighbours have decriminalised it to such an extent that you can sit on a park bench/wander down the street, drive a car, etc with a joint on the go. 

 

  

Cannabis was decriminalised in Portugal in 2001. Medical use of cannabis was legalized in 2018.

My friend has a place in Portugal where he spends 8 months a year. He smokes weed and says that the police don't really care if you smoke in the street or whatever as long as nobody complains or it's blatantly obvious you are doing it in their faces (so to speak).

The biggest problem is that you still have to use a 'dealer' so are reliant on a black market which can be unreliable because where there is money to be made, a scammer will appear and that has led to a lot of poor quality or even fake weed on the streets.

So although their system is better than ours, it ain't Colorado.

 

Edited 4 November 2021 by jgtuk

[ealingfox]

6 hours ago, peach0000 said:

To answer your questions, the Amsterdam one I'm pretty sure would be fine. You can certainly smoke in public.

 

You can, but there is an expectation that, as a rule of thumb, you don't do it where there might be kids. For instance parks - in the middle of a field yes, by the playground no. On the street - in a corner out of the way at night yes, in the middle of the high street during the day no. The police will ask you to stop if you're taking the piss.

[LiberalFox]

11 hours ago, String fellow said:

I realise that 'drugs' is a very broad term, but even marijuana can cause brain abnormalities, according to some experts. As far as the abuse of prescription drugs is concerned, that caused the death of a close family member and a friend of mine is now paraplegic as an indirect result of their liking for cocaine. So liberals, feel free to laugh at me if you wish. I'd expect nothing else, but I've seen for myself how the addictive nature of drugs can lead to really bad things happening.

https://www.addictioncenter.com/drugs/marijuana/kill-brain-cells/

 https://www.verywellmind.com/even-casual-marijuana-use-causes-changes-in-the-brain-67797

I tend not to really engage fully in this thread so don't take too much notice of the emojis. The Liberal position is to treat drug addiction as a medical and social problem rather than a criminal one. 

[String fellow]

39 minutes ago, LiberalFox said:

I tend not to really engage fully in this thread so don't take too much notice of the emojis. The Liberal position is to treat drug addiction as a medical and social problem rather than a criminal one. 

None of what I've said has mentioned criminality. In fact, I agree that it's a medical and social problem. As such, I don't think an FTer should be suggesting that drugs improve thinking. And as a owner of land, it's me that has to go and clear up the litter left by the folk who seem to think it's okay to smoke their joints on private land. If only they could do something more useful with their spare time like thinking of others, maybe the world would be a better place. Bottom line: this is the Unpopular Opinions You Hold thread!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/20/legalising-drugs-pro-drug-liberals-side-effects-children-experiment

[Buce]

1 hour ago, String fellow said:

None of what I've said has mentioned criminality. In fact, I agree that it's a medical and social problem. As such, I don't think an FTer should be suggesting that drugs improve thinking. And as a owner of land, it's me that has to go and clear up the litter left by the folk who seem to think it's okay to smoke their joints on private land. If only they could do something more useful with their spare time like thinking of others, maybe the world would be a better place. Bottom line: this is the Unpopular Opinions You Hold thread!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/20/legalising-drugs-pro-drug-liberals-side-effects-children-experiment

 

Get orf my land!

 

Tory landowner opposes recreational drugs.

 

Coming next, an exclusive expose on the toilet habits of Ursidae.

Edited 4 November 2021 by Buce

[LiberalFox]

39 minutes ago, String fellow said:

None of what I've said has mentioned criminality. In fact, I agree that it's a medical and social problem. As such, I don't think an FTer should be suggesting that drugs improve thinking. And as a owner of land, it's me that has to go and clear up the litter left by the folk who seem to think it's okay to smoke their joints on private land. If only they could do something more useful with their spare time like thinking of others, maybe the world would be a better place. Bottom line: this is the Unpopular Opinions You Hold thread!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/20/legalising-drugs-pro-drug-liberals-side-effects-children-experiment

I took Buce's comment as light-hearted. 

 

"Whether intentionally or not, they have aligned themselves in a culture war which pits the liberal against traditionalist, cosmopolitan against parochial and old against young. This is what drugs' legalisation is about: a war over fundamental values. It is not a battle about basic freedoms – far from it. Drugs enslave."

 

I actually agree with her. It's Liberal (a philosophy based around personal freedom) vs Social Conservative (a philosophy based around enforced conformity according to existing cultural norms). 

 

I'll also agree that too many of the pro legalisation side focus on the economic benefits when opposition is led by social concerns. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Carl the Llama]

1 hour ago, String fellow said:

None of what I've said has mentioned criminality. In fact, I agree that it's a medical and social problem. As such, I don't think an FTer should be suggesting that drugs improve thinking. And as a owner of land, it's me that has to go and clear up the litter left by the folk who seem to think it's okay to smoke their joints on private land. If only they could do something more useful with their spare time like thinking of others, maybe the world would be a better place. Bottom line: this is the Unpopular Opinions You Hold thread!

https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2014/feb/20/legalising-drugs-pro-drug-liberals-side-effects-children-experiment

Genuinely curious what kind of litter potheads leave behind, obviously people are different but when I used to smoke in parks with mates, about the only disposable items generated would be the roaches at the end of our spliffs. 

Have you thought about installing bins?

[Carl the Llama]

9 minutes ago, LiberalFox said:

I took Buce's comment as light-hearted. 

 

"Whether intentionally or not, they have aligned themselves in a culture war which pits the liberal against traditionalist, cosmopolitan against parochial and old against young. This is what drugs' legalisation is about: a war over fundamental values. It is not a battle about basic freedoms – far from it. Drugs enslave."

 

I actually agree with her. It's Liberal (a philosophy based around personal freedom) vs Social Conservative (a philosophy based around enforced conformity according to existing cultural norms). 

 

I'll also agree that too many of the pro legalisation side focus on the economic benefits when opposition is led by social concerns. 

You can't believe Tory voters are concerned about social welfare though?  That sort of thing costs tax money.

[LiberalFox]

11 minutes ago, Carl the Llama said:

You can't believe Tory voters are concerned about social welfare though?  That sort of thing costs tax money.

Depends how you define that. I'd say most Tory voters are concerned with social welfare to some extent. They just don't support higher government spending for the most part. 

[The Bear]

There are levels to how addictive a substance is though. That's why they're called Class A, etc. 

[String fellow]

Having read all the responses, all apart from one seem well-argued. For the benefit of the FTer who indulged in mockery and stereotyping, let me add that I leave the pot-smokers alone, wait until they've gone, then clear up the things they've left behind. Also, at the risk of sounding like I'm virtue-signalling, this 'Tory landowner' has bequeathed the land to the parish council, so it will eventually benefit the local community as a whole, not just those who now use for their own illicit purposes. 

Edited 4 November 2021 by String fellow

[Carl the Llama]

2 hours ago, The Bear said:

There are levels to how addictive a substance is though. That's why they're called Class A, etc. 

Explain mushrooms, the drug that ranked the lowest in personal and social harm in Nutt's research, being marked as a class A then    It's just arbitrary classifications based on politics and desired sentencing, no science involved at all.

[Daggers]

Fancy coloured bottles of gin containing daft flavours have no part to play in a gin and tonic.

 

I'm trying to warm up with a rhubarb and ginger thing - it's like drinking neat perfume.

[Daggers]

4 hours ago, Carl the Llama said:

Explain mushrooms, the drug that ranked the lowest in personal and social harm in Nutt's research, being marked as a class A then    It's just arbitrary classifications based on politics and desired sentencing, no science involved at all.

Apropos nothing

 

Everyone with a passing interest in drugs should read Suzie's book

 

 

[ajthefox]

5 hours ago, Carl the Llama said:

Explain mushrooms, the drug that ranked the lowest in personal and social harm in Nutt's research, being marked as a class A then    It's just arbitrary classifications based on politics and desired sentencing, no science involved at all.

Not to mention how addictive alcohol (withdrawal can kill you), nicotine and caffeine are.

 

Also worth noting addiction has a psychological component as well as the physiological one.

 

Give us our freedom to choose what shit we want to consume goddamnit (and take some extra tax while you're at it).

Edited 4 November 2021 by ajthefox

[The Bear]

19 hours ago, Carl the Llama said:

Explain mushrooms, the drug that ranked the lowest in personal and social harm in Nutt's research, being marked as a class A then    It's just arbitrary classifications based on politics and desired sentencing, no science involved at all.

I'd imagine it's because they're psychedelic and hallucinogenic, and you could cause harm to yourself and others even with a small dose. 

[tom27111]

21 hours ago, Daggers said:

Fancy coloured bottles of gin containing daft flavours have no part to play in a gin and tonic.

 

I'm trying to warm up with a rhubarb and ginger thing - it's like drinking neat perfume.

My Mrs loves Rhubarb gin.

 

Problem is that apparently, an allergic reaction to rhubarb is quite common and she suffers from it.

 

Took her about 3 months to figure out that the flavoured gin made her uncontrollably shit herself every time she drank it 

 

 

[HighPeakFox]

ABBA's The Day Before You Came is a masterpiece - dunno if that's an unpopular opinion, but I've never heard anyone comment on it before.

[Webbo]

9 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

ABBA's The Day Before You Came is a masterpiece - dunno if that's an unpopular opinion, but I've never heard anyone comment on it before.

You are correct, it gives me goosebumps at times. 

[Izzy]

42 minutes ago, HighPeakFox said:

ABBA's The Day Before You Came is a masterpiece - dunno if that's an unpopular opinion, but I've never heard anyone comment on it before.

I also agree. Although 'One of Us' is probably my favorite ABBA track. And I could make an argument for about five others being my favorite. ABBA's music will always be timeless.

[HighPeakFox]

13 minutes ago, Izzy said:

I also agree. Although 'One of Us' is probably my favorite ABBA track. And I could make an argument for about five others being my favorite. ABBA's music will always be timeless.

Their new songs are great too, I find Don't Shut Me Down uplifting and moving.

[Buce]

8 hours ago, HighPeakFox said:

Their new songs are great too, I find Don't Shut Me Down uplifting and moving.

 

That could be your theme tune for here, Peaky...

[HighPeakFox]

8 minutes ago, Buce said:

That could be your theme tune for here, Peaky...

Let's not go there

[Daggers]

Everyone should receive a big box of fireworks from the government to use when they see fit. I’ll be setting mine off weekly at half four on a Tuesday morning. My neighbours (who sound like they’re dynamiting disused industrial chimneys) are bound to love it.