Another step closer to cannabis legalisation in the UK?

[ukatheist]

All for legalization.

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[Aegon]

I think so. But they also have the option of going to Portugal where drugs are decriminalized. Here's a good video about drug policy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wONAqaxgIoo

What a ridiculous title.

Is it?

Report: Aide says Nixon's war on drugs targeted blacks, hippies

"You understand what I'm saying? We knew we couldn't make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities," Ehrlichman said. "We could arrest their leaders. raid their homes, break up their meetings, and vilify them night after night on the evening news. Did we know we were lying about the drugs? Of course we did."

[LastPoet]

I think so. But they also have the option of going to Portugal where drugs are decriminalized. Here's a good video about drug policy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wONAqaxgIoo

Yeah all drug use is not a crime. You can still get a fine and its illegal to drive under the influence. But yeah, police focus on more sever cases. Its not completely legal yet.

[LastPoet]

I think so. But they also have the option of going to Portugal where drugs are decriminalized. Here's a good video about drug policy:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wONAqaxgIoo

There is other stuff the Gvt here did. They provided free clinics that at the end of rehab you had a place you could work, the clinics made contacts in the region they were at to do so. Employers would get some tax benefits of integrating the person and so on. They even provided safe places for people to shoot with access to clean needles..

The result, opiate use is at an all time minimum. Well, I had to give it up cold turkey before all that. Still, an improvement.

[Doubting Thomas]

I've spelled out what I think about marijuana elsewhere on this forum, which is that while I've never used it I think it should be legalized at least in this country (USA). The war on drugs has been a total failure, and people who want to smoke have little trouble getting it. But mainly I don't think it's as terrible a drug as the government has told us for the past 80 years or so, and it's most likely not the gateway drug we've been told all these years. Many people enjoy smoking pot but have no desire to try harder drugs.

That being said, I think that harder drugs should remain illegal because they're so much more addictive and dangerous. Those drugs are also a problem which we're no closer to eliminating with the war on drugs, but I have no easy answers.

The simple fact is that drug laws have ruined a lot of people's lives just for wanting to smoke a natural native plant which grows in the wild in a lot of places. I don't think someone should be sent to prison for simple possession of marijuana when we have hardened criminals getting lighter sentence for worse crimes.

[Pat Mustard]

I've spelled out what I think about marijuana elsewhere on this forum, which is that while I've never used it I think it should be legalized at least in this country (USA).  The war on drugs has been a total failure, and people who want to smoke have little trouble getting it.  But mainly I don't think it's as terrible a drug as the government has told us for the past 80 years or so, and it's most likely not the gateway drug we've been told all these years.  Many people enjoy smoking pot but have no desire to try harder drugs.

That being said, I think that harder drugs should remain illegal because they're so much more addictive and dangerous.  Those drugs are also a problem which we're no closer to eliminating with the war on drugs, but I have no easy answers.  

The simple fact is that drug laws have ruined a lot of people's lives just for wanting to smoke a natural native plant which grows in the wild in a lot of places.  I don't think someone should be sent to prison for simple possession of marijuana when we have hardened criminals getting lighter sentence for worse crimes.

Well considering the two most dangerous drugs are the legal alcohol and fags, I don't know why the so called hard drugs should be kept verboten (especially considering that there was no i hreoin problem in Britain until the UK tory government of the late 70s made it impossible for doctors to perscribe it to the small number of then addicts, most of whom were addicted due to its use as a pain medication in WW2), without some attempt at regulation of their manufacture.

[paulpablo]

This has to be the craziest enforced law there is.

I might be being ignorant who's still thinking it's a good law to have?

Left wing people definitely hate it, free market capitalists who are more on the right disagree with it.
I know a few people who are against smoking weed because they think it makes people lazy and so on and that's me included but I know of no one who's for the cannabis being illegal.

But just to add I don't think it should be legal to smoke weed under the age of 16, while driving and I think employers should be able to sack people for smoking it while at work but basically just the same as alcohol is treated.

[Iroscato]

I'd say...more than half my friends smoke weed on the regular (I indulge once every couple months or so) and not one of them could be considered "lazy", all of them hold down solid jobs and a few have families of their own.

I'm fucking lazy, and as I said I rarely touch the stuff

"War" suggests both sides could possibly win. There is no stopping the manufacturing, supply and usage of drugs except in the sort of totalitarian nightmare that would make Orwell wake up screaming. After so many decades, so many lives destroyed and so much money wasted, it is time to admit we got it way wrong and try a different approach.

[account_inactive]

I agree with you on this one Iro, it's time we completely legalise it. However, no doubt the government will implement outrageous taxes on it like they did with tobacco products.

[paulpablo]

I'd say...more than half my friends smoke weed on the regular (I indulge once every couple months or so) and not one of them could be considered "lazy", all of them hold down solid jobs and a few have families of their own.

I'm fucking lazy, and as I said I rarely touch the stuff

"War" suggests both sides could possibly win. There is no stopping the manufacturing, supply and usage of drugs except in the sort of totalitarian nightmare that would make Orwell wake up screaming. After so many decades, so many lives destroyed and so much money wasted, it is time to admit we got it way wrong and try a different approach.

When I say makes them lazy I don't actually mean to extreme levels where they lose their jobs and familes. Just in the same way drinking has effects on people during the time they take it, the effect I see on anyone I've known who smokes weed is that they become tired, don't want to do anything or go anywhere and generally become paranoiod.

I must have smoked it myself for around 10 years on and off.

I know lots of respectable people smoke and some people say it improves people's performance in some ways but I disagree with that.

Joe Rogan who's podcasts I LOVE to watch often talks about how good weed is.  But I've never felt any kind of enhancement or improvement in myself from smoking weed and never seen anything like it in anyone I knew who smoked it.  It's always the same.  You just get sore red eyes, laugh at stupid stuff, get a bit paranoid and then really fucking hungry. 

If it was legalized I think it would lead to a whole lot less of a romantasized view of weed and people would stop talking about these mystical improvements weed gives you and it will just occupy a slot that goes somewhere inbetween not as harmful as alcohol, but should be treated with a bit more caution than drinking a cup of tea.

I've always wanted to try and make a weed smoothie with my nutri ninja but just never risked it since I suppose I could lose my job from a random drug test and I'd just be worried about getting caught in some way.