Legalise cannabis?

[Steven]

Recreational drugs market should be managed by 'governments not gangsters', says expert

 

Steve Rolles argues the war on drugs has been a ‘spectacular failure’ and has led to ‘the most rapid expansion of drug use in human history’. His solution? Licensed high street venues...

 

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/recreational-drugs-government-gangsters-war-decriminalise-legalise-transform-reform-experts-a7763546.html

[Steven]

Cannabis users are more successful and satisfied, finds new study

https://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/cannabis-users-success-satisfied-marijuana-weed-study-well-adjusted-rich-a7792991.html

[sk3since03]

Its a yes from me! I've seen the proven positive effect it had on a friends mum who had MS 

 

For that reason atleast medically, it should be legalised  

[RobHawk]

It's a better drug than alcohol, can save the government a fortune and make some taxes too!

 

its a no brainer really and will be legalised in my lifetime, I just hope it's sooner rather than later.

[Jattdogg]

Move to canada. Next summer it will be officially legal here......

 

 

 

The new law would allow adults 18 and over to possess up to 30 grams of dried cannabis or its equivalent in public, share up to 30 grams of dried marijuana with other adults and buy cannabis or cannabis oil from a provincially regulated retailer.

They would also be permitted to grow up to four plants per residence for personal use, as well as make legal cannabis-containing products at home.

The government says it intends to bring other products, including pot-infused edibles, into the legalized sphere once federal regulations for production and sale are developed and brought into force.

[lifted*fox]

why we're still dragging our heels on this in this country is beyond me.

 

proven to bring in large amounts of tax (to fund education and healthcare), proven to reduce petty / small crime rates & free up police time for more pressing issues, proven to be safer than drinking.

 

legalise it, make it available through dispensaries and allow people to keep a few plants at home for personal use. 

 

do it and reap the rewards - everyone else is!  

[lifted*fox]

Mexico have legalised medical. 

 

Forward thinking! 

[Guest]

No. Have seen too many friends move from Cannabis to hard drugs with the inevitable consequences. Medicinal use should be managed legally though. 

[LiberalFox]

2 hours ago, toddybad said:

No. Have seen too many friends move from Cannabis to hard drugs with the inevitable consequences. Medicinal use should be managed legally though. 

 

I don't really get this argument, assuming you live in the UK then these people will have done this despite prohibition. 

[lifted*fox]

yeah that argument doesn't really stand and it's been proven in many places that have legalised recently that it actually decreases the use of / dependency on harder drugs. 

 

they're also using the taxes from cannabis sales to better educate young kids on the dangers of hard drugs. 

[Guest]

Depends whether you believe that there are no dangers to cannabis use

 

http://www.rcpsych.ac.uk/healthadvice/problemsdisorders/cannabis.aspx?theme=mobile

 

Mental health problems

There is growing evidence that people with serious mental illness, including depression and psychosis, are more likely to use cannabis or have used it for long periods of time in the past.  Regular use of the drug has appeared to double the risk of developing a psychotic episode or long-term schizophrenia. However, does cannabis cause depression and schizophrenia or do people with these disorders use it as a medication?

Over the past few years, research has strongly suggested that there is a clear link between early cannabis use and later mental health problems in those with a genetic vulnerability - and that there is a particular issue with the use of cannabis by adolescents.

• Depression

A study following 1600 Australian school-children, aged 14 to 15 for seven years, found that while children who use cannabis regularly have a significantly higher risk of depression, the opposite was not the case - children who already suffered from depression were not more likely than anyone else to use cannabis. However, adolescents who used cannabis daily were five times more likely to develop depression and anxiety in later life.

 

• Psychoses - schizophrenia and bipolar disorder

There is now sufficient evidence to show that those who use cannabis particularly at a younger age, such as around the age of 15, have a higher than average risk of developing a psychotic illness, such as schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.

These studies also show that the risk is dose-related. In other words, the more cannabis someone used, the more likely they were to develop a psychotic illness. Furthermore, a study in Australia recently showed that those who used cannabis could develop the illness about 2.70 years earlier than those who did not.

Why should teenagers be particularly vulnerable to the use of cannabis? It is thought that this has something to do with brain development. The brain is still developing in the teenage years – up to the age of around 20, in fact. A massive process of ‘neural pruning’ is going on. This is rather like streamlining a tangled jumble of circuits so they can work more effectively. Any experience, or substance, that affects this process has the potential to produce long-term psychological effects.

 

It is also known that not everyone who uses cannabis, even at a young age, develops a psychotic illness. The available research shows that those who have a family history of a psychotic illness, or those who have certain characteristics such as schizotypal personality, or possibly have certain types of genes, may increase the risk of developing a psychotic illness following the regular use of strong cannabis.

 

[Buce]

10 hours ago, toddybad said:

No. Have seen too many friends move from Cannabis to hard drugs with the inevitable consequences. Medicinal use should be managed legally though. 

 

I don't buy the gateway drug argument; I'm willing to bet the first mind-altering drug they tried was alcohol.

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Buce said:

 

I don't buy the gateway drug argument; I'm willing to bet the first mind-altering drug they tried was alcohol.

Possibly but I do know that out of all the people I knew doing cannabis at 16/17 (and that number was reasonably high) I was probably the only one that didn't move on to harder substances. I think once a young person makes the break to try one drug then they've already jumped the hurdle of trying drugs making it less of a leap to try different ones. It also puts young people into contact with dealers that can push their wares. Now I suppose you would argue that legalisation would break both of these issues but I'd still suggest that the young are risk takers by nature and so their first step onto the ladder of risk would be a harder drug rather than cannabis - you'd move the problem up the scale of concern.

[Buce]

1 minute ago, toddybad said:

Possibly but I do know that out of all the people I knew doing cannabis at 16/17 (and that number was reasonably high) I was probably the only one that didn't move on to harder substances. I think once a young person makes the break to try one drug then they've already jumped the hurdle of trying drugs making it less of a leap to try different ones. It also puts young people into contact with dealers that can push their wares. Now I suppose you would argue that legalisation would break both of these issues but I'd still suggest that the young are risk takers by nature and so their first step onto the ladder of risk would be a harder drug rather than cannabis - you'd move the problem up the scale of concern.

 

Then how would legalising cannabis make this more or less likely? 'Hard' drugs will still be illegal - the only difference being that people are not going to be associating with the dealers, therefore making it even harder for them to obtain them.

[Guest]

Just now, Buce said:

 

Then how would legalising cannabis make this more or less likely? 'Hard' drugs will still be illegal - the only difference being that people are not going to be associating with the dealers, therefore making it even harder for them to obtain them.

It isn't hard to find a drug dealer though is it? You'll find their associates in every school, every college, every workplace. That's why there are so many people on here calling for legalisation - because they have been exposed through a friend of a friend or whatever. It would still be very easy to move up the scale of drugs. 

[Innovindil]

I'm getting more and more certain that toddy is a troll. 

[Guest]

49 minutes ago, Innovindil said:

I'm getting more and more certain that toddy is a troll. 

I'm finding it very hard to believe that I'm getting rep points from Webbo on this thread 

I look at each issue separately. I guess on this one I'm to the right of the argument whereas elsewhere I'm clearly to the left. I'm not sure how I would have argued this when I was younger but as a parent I'd be very concerned by legalisation. 

[Webbo]

10 minutes ago, toddybad said:

I'm finding it very hard to believe that I'm getting rep points from Webbo on this thread 

I look at each issue separately. I guess on this one I'm to the right of the argument whereas elsewhere I'm clearly to the left. I'm not sure how I would have argued this when I was younger but as a parent I'd be very concerned by legalisation. 

I've done my share against drugs in this thread, nobody's going to change their mind. 

[Guest]

2 minutes ago, Webbo said:

I've done my share against drugs in this thread, nobody's going to change their mind. 

I suppose this could be said of all the threads on here!

[Buce]

6 minutes ago, Webbo said:

I've done my share against drugs in this thread, nobody's going to change their mind. 

 

Yeah, it's been done to death. 

[Webbo]

6 minutes ago, toddybad said:

I suppose this could be said of all the threads on here!

Definitely.

[LiberalFox]

I changed my mind on this subject a few years ago so it isn't exactly true. Obviously people aren't likely to suddenly switch after a debate on a football forum. I just don't understand some of the anti arguments. There's growing evidence to suggest legalisation is in the best interests of everyone, whether they are users or very anti-drugs. 

 

I suppose it won't go to a referendum and will eventually be legalised when we get a sufficently progressive Labour government or possibly if the Lib Dems get back into a position of power.

[Nick]

Decriminalise regulate and prescribe... same with heroin - it'll cut property related and drug driven crime by 90% overnight...

[Bellend Sebastian]

Is there anybody on here that doesn't smoke cannabis but would if it were legal?

 

I ask because I suspect the proportion of the population that would like to try drugs but don't want to do anything illegal is not large

[lifted*fox]

2 hours ago, Bellend Sebastian said:

Is there anybody on here that doesn't smoke cannabis but would if it were legal?

 

I ask because I suspect the proportion of the population that would like to try drugs but don't want to do anything illegal is not large

 

I'm going to hazard a guess and say very few.

 

The law regarding cannabis is very lapse in this country and has been for years. The police themselves see policing it as a waste of time and aside from a few 'trophy' arrests and bringing down some of the bigger grow operations as a scalp for the media they'd rather not be dealing with something so insignificant. 

 

I smoked a lot of weed from about 14-18 and never had any issues getting a hold of it and I've never come across anyone else who had issues either. It's easily available and relatively safe to get a hold of if you're inclined to want to try it. 

 

Over the years I've met plenty of people who take 'harder' drugs who've never smoked weed and I've met plenty who have. Weed being a gateway drug is a myth - there is nothing in the chemical make up of the substance that causes you to physically seek out a harder drug. People that choose to try harder drugs (much like myself) do so anyway - out of curiosity, peer-pressure, right place / right time scenarios, etc.

 

I smoked weed from 14-18 and the idea of doing pills / speed / coke, etc. was always alien to me at that stage. I enjoyed getting high but couldn't understand why people would risk doing anything harder. Eventually, a friend of mine tried a pill and I decided that it sounded like good fun and with a decent amount of research, procuring from a trusted source and doing in the right environment I gave it a go. For me, it led to a period in my life where I tried a LOT of different drugs - always recreational and mostly linked to the music scene which I enjoyed at the weekends. 

 

At the age of 28 I stopped going out so often and put a lot of the harder drugs on hold. At 32, I still dabble every now and then if the situation calls for it but mostly I now like to relax with some weed in a vaporiser. I don't drink a lot and much prefer to spend my free time socialising with friends in front of the PS4. in the garden with the BBQ lit or chilling by myself. Weed is perfect for me in this scenario and it also helps me to sleep at night. 

 

Whilst there are always going to be people who suffer with drug addiction, appearing to start with weed and moving onto harder things - these people would most likely find themselves in that scenario anyway. It tends to be their mental make-up, addictive personalities, lack of will-power, escapism. Weed can't really be blamed for this BUT if that argument exists then surely alcohol has been proven to cause much more harm/injury. 

 

There are a lot of countries around the world waking up to this now. People are benefiting from marijuana legalisation:

 

1. Medical marijuana users - people in legal states / countries are slowly weening themselves off terribly addictive opiate tablets that have horrendous side effects and are treating their ailments with weed instead.

2. Recreational marijuana users - people are able to get high for recreational reasons without having to interact with dealers / criminals and therefore funding other criminal activities.

3. Both of the above are benefiting from properly grown strains that can medicate / relax in different ways. 

4. The states / countries are able to tax marijuana and are using the funds to build schools / medical facilities, improve education and also fund programs to educate against hard drug addiction. 

5. Police time is freed up to deal with more important issues / crimes of a serious nature.

 

There are so many other benefits. 

 

I just think that people need to take more time to realise the benefits and whilst there might be some people out there who can't handle it or may move onto harder things - really, the weed isn't to blame for that.

 

I've had a fairly illustrious career in drug-taking over the years and I've always known how much to take, how far to push certain drugs, when to stop taking those drugs, where to buy those drugs, etc. I've always researched and listened to experienced users / purchased from trusted sources and touch wood - never suffered any issues. I know and respect my own mind and have always had a firm grasp on the reality of the situation I find myself in. 

 

The 'war on drugs' as it currently stands - and the way we treat drugs and addiction in this country is not conducive to a better future. It doesn't work. We need legislation, taxation, control over manufacture and education instead. People will always seek out and continue to use drugs - it has been that way since the start of time and will continue that way for the rest of forever - it won't be stopped. It needs a new approach and we're currently a very long way off the mark in this country. 

Edited 21 June 2017 by daz*dsb