Funnily enough the US seems in a slow and clumsy way starting to show how to effectively decriminalise dope.
Things that piss you off Page 1,361
Quote: Lee @ 23rd January 2014, 7:43 PM GMT
Have you suddenly become a PS whiz?
Suddenly?! 
Quote: Renegade Carpark @ 23rd January 2014, 7:46 PM GMTWeird boner time.
You can't touch that.
I'm unsure of the ever-changing laws but I wish I could have a little "herb patch" that it just for me and my friends to enjoy. I can't be arsed with dealers any more, they are surprisingly unreliable!
I haven't smoked anything in years, I prefer beer what can I say.
I think dope is something most people grow out of
Quote: danphobic @ 23rd January 2014, 7:45 PM GMTmy mate suffers from MS. Has to go to a dealer who is basically a gangster, to get weed which is pretty much the only thing that gives him any relief and doesn't leave him incapacitated. He doesn't bang on about it, but I reckon he would prob prefer to go to the local chemist than wheel himself into a drug den every week.
That's pretty harsh, there are cannabis based drugs including sprays that relieve the symptoms of MS, but the lovely people at NICE refuse to get them licensed. Presumably because they work, patients would want to use them and they cost money.
Your friend's story aside, the point I was making is that the usual anti-smoking people are suddenly being very quiet when it comes to ganja. All that piousness and complaints about the smell and ash and burnt clothing seemingly evaporates when it's their drug of choice.
And obviously, no one mentions that THC can cause serious mental problems for every 1 in 100 regular users.
F**k anyone who gets high outside their own home/houses/pubs, I don't like the idea of twats driving whilst stoned.
£123m to be found in cuts, 1400 jobs to go, front line services being slashed along with grants to voluntary groups . . . and some c**t can still find time to send a report back because the heading is in 24pt not 22pt.
Quote: Stylee TingTing @ 24th January 2014, 1:07 AM GMT..which may be a good reason for legalisation - to take it out of black market hands and make weed gangsterism redundant?
Unfortunately, some of the world's richest criminals have nothing to do with cannabis, they smuggle black market tobacco.
Due to the already illicit nature of Mary Jane, it won't be long before the same people start trading in it. Especially if the government lobs on a 50% tax like they do with tobacco.
Wouldn't it be great if you could get it down your local greengrocers? I'll have a pound of carrots, a dozen tomatoes and 1/8 of your finest ganja, ma boi.
It is totally mental watching 20+ cops carrying a load of plants out of house whilst some 20 year old guy gets stuffed into the back of a police car for taking an interest in a bit of gardening, whilst much worse crimes are happening.
Quote: Stylee TingTing @ 24th January 2014, 1:28 AM GMTWhen they legalise, in order to blow the black market out of the water, they'll have to make it cheaper somehow, probably by decreeing some sort of home-grow allowance.
According to our good friend Wikipedia (yeah I know) only 6.6% of the population of England and Wales smoke cannabis regularly -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Annual_cannabis_use_by_country
In order to make money back from legalising it, the government would either have to tax it heavily or promote it vigorously - unlikely considering the agenda for all things health related.
Then there is always the strength of the product, your government approved bifta might lose out to the illegal super skunks of this world.
Alcohol has different percentages, it would work with weed too. In Amsterdam you select from a menu in the cafes, they are graded from weak to strong.
Quote: Lee @ 24th January 2014, 1:40 AM GMTAlcohol has different percentages, it would work with weed too. In Amsterdam you select from a menu in the cafes, they are graded from weak to strong.
I'm not saying it's impossible or even impractical, I just think politically it would be very difficult to introduce.
If blim usage jumped from 6.6% to over 12% or more as a result of legalisation, then it will be met with derision. All it would take are a couple of car crashes or worse and the newspapers would be all over it with moral outrage.
THC can affect some people's mental health to quite an extent, again if the NHS has to spend more money treating these people, then the media will jump all over it.
I'm basically saying it's a tough sell in the current climate.
Again, I will refer you to the current political climate, where 'legal' highs are being banned including Chat. There's no way they are going to ban those drugs and introduce cannabis.
At least 20% of the UK population smokes tobacco, throw in those who occasionally smoke, trying to quit, on e-cigs or patches etc, and the numbers rise even higher.
It didn't stop successive UK governments from introducing draconian laws and heavy taxation.
Can you really imagine Labour or Conservative going to their increasingly elderly voter bases and asking for a relaxation on cannabis?
Quote: Stylee TingTing @ 24th January 2014, 1:57 AM GMTYou mean, could I ever imagine politicians doing a complete u-turn and coming out in favour of something that they previously condemned?
I'm having trouble remembering any U-turns in recent years concerning drink, drugs and tobacco. Oh wait, we had 24 hour drinking, which local councils subsequently banned.
I understand your arguments in favour, even though a lot of it is slightly biased and filled with hypotheticals and opinions and I know my citing of Wikipedia isn't the most accurate, but you have presented zero data except current street prices, so, you know, cut me some slack.
The fact remains that the vast majority of the UK has a 'drugs m'bad okay' view of cannabis in general. A new law regarding driving under the influence of drugs was introduced as recently as 2012. And whenever polls are carried out, the youngsters always vote overwhelmingly yes it should be legal and the older people vote overwhelmingly no. But as a lot of young people don't bother voting, the politicians will pander to those who do.
I'm not debating the rights and wrongs of smoking pot, just the economic realities and the subsequent political fall out if cannabis has a negative impact on society in the UK.