Legalising Cannabis In The U.K.

[goyface]

I was originally going to post this in the 80MPH speed limit thread, But thought otherwise due to my detailed response.

I hate to be straying from the topic, But I don't particularly have an opinion on the speeding limit.

THIS, To some extent has been heavily considered by the government, and many people have petitioned for it. Of course not for things like heroin and cocaine, But class C drugs, Mainly Cannabis/Marijuana.

The most widely used illicit drug in the country, I've never taken it but I know many people that have/do take it. This may seem like a joke, but look at the facts.

There are 40Million people in the U.K that drink alcohol on a regular basis. 40,000 people die in alcohol related incidents a year in the U.K. . With 9,000 of them dying directly because of the alcohol.

There are 10Million cigarette smokers in the U.K. 114,000 people die a year in smoking related incidents/diseases.

There are an estimated 3Million people taking cannabis regularly in the U.K.

1 person dies in a cannabis related incident a year in the U.K.

[az87aris]

To be honest I fail to see why making class C drugs legal would be of benefit to anyone, apart from drug users/dealers themselves.

They should remain illegal imo, people who take drugs are just plain stupid, they don't realize what damage they are doing to themselves and it's only them who are campaigning for the use of class C drugs to be legalized.. go figure.

It's all fine and dandy saying it's only weed etc but it will only be a matter of time before you're addicted and need to move onto something stronger, and stronger and before you know it you're addicted to the likes of heroin/cocaine.

[goyface]

I did forget to put one of my main points in, With 3 million cannabis users in the U.K. and the minute amount of fatalities it causes compared to other legal drugs, Imagine how much money, resources, time and effort could be saved?

I would like to quickly point out that I don't think that it should be legalized because I want to try it, I have no such intention. The idea of being hooked on something that is inevitably damaging is not my cup of tea. But I do think that the resources and money are better spent somewhere else.

[Schism]

Originally Posted by az87aris

To be honest I fail to see why making class C drugs legal would be of benefit to anyone, apart from drug users/dealers themselves.

They should remain illegal imo, people who take drugs are just plain stupid, they don't realize what damage they are doing to themselves and it's only them who are campaigning for the use of class C drugs to be legalized.. go figure.

It's all fine and dandy saying it's only weed etc but it will only be a matter of time before you're addicted and need to move onto something stronger, and stronger and before you know it you're addicted to the likes of heroin/cocaine.

Haha, funny post.

Let's start by this:



Alcohol, Nicotine and Caffeine are all legal, but more dangerous and addictive than a lot of illegal drugs. There is no proof that cannabis is addictive/damaging (apart from the obvious intake of smoke into the lungs, but even this can be avoiding by vapourizing/eating it). The whole thing about it giving you brain damage is based on the rhesus monkey experiment.

Thing about making cannabis class B has mainly made it more dangerous for people to grow it. So therefore it becomes more expensive, more demand, and what happens when something is in demand, expensive, and illegal? More gang involvement. If it was legal to grow, no buying would be needed.

So, people that smoke cigarettes, drinking alcohol and drink coffee are stupid?

[ryan1087]

My friend had been smoking weed for over 10+ years as it was supposedly part of his religion (just an excuse if you ask me), he is pretty smart and was put forward a year when he was at school and then was at the top of every subject within the new year but he lacked any common sense what so ever and his reaction time was awful. Personally i blame the weed and that it has effected him somehow.

[Schism]

Originally Posted by ryan1087

My friend had been smoking weed for over 10+ years as it was supposedly part of his religion (just an excuse if you ask me), he is pretty smart and was put forward a year when he was at school and then was at the top of every subject within the new year but he lacked any common sense what so ever and his reaction time was awful. Personally i blame the weed and that it has effected him somehow.

Don't get me wrong, smoking weed all day when you've got **** to do can definitely inhibit things. But not as bad as if you drank legal alcohol all day. But then an addiction to Call of Duty is probably worse

[ryan1087]

Originally Posted by Schism

Don't get me wrong, smoking weed all day when you've got **** to do can definitely inhibit things. But not as bad as if you drank legal alcohol all day.

Again it comes down to being able to get hold of it, you can't ideally make your own alcohol but you can however grow weed for under £100.

[Schism]

Originally Posted by ryan1087

Again it comes down to being able to get hold of it, you can't ideally make your own alcohol but you can however grow weed for under £100.

I don't get your point mate?

[ryan1087]

Well you stated about drinking alcohol all day, once you had a few you would be in no state to do and get more, with weed it can be grown so you can grow as much as you would need.

[Schism]

Originally Posted by ryan1087

Well you stated about drinking alcohol all day, once you had a few you would be in no state to do and get more, with weed it can be grown so you can grow as much as you would need.

So you're actually saying that alcohol is harder to get than cannabis?

So waiting 3 - 4 months for a plant to grow is quicker than going to my shop 2 mins away?

What new mods do we have here?

[ryan1087]

No no, you mis-understand, if cannabis and growth of it came as popular as smoking cigarettes, you would have enough to last you or would know somebody locally that would have, to buy alcohol is both more expensive and further out of your way, some wouldn't be able to purchase it without getting in a car. I understand what you mean but sometimes it isn't local.

Let me put it this way, if you was to grow vegetables so you wouldn't need to buy them from the supermarket, you would plant enough to have a stable supply and allow for growth of the other plants.

[bmh16]

I agree with the usage of drugs (and put weed alongside my point i'm saying here) and disagree with the propaganda taught to us by the media that drugs are so bad. I'm happy with the illegality of weed. I however agree that i'm happy that drugs are illegal as it makes them harder to come across. Alcohol is the most dangerous drug in the UK as it is the most readily available. What makes most drugs so harmful (MDMA, Ketamine) is when you take them together with other drugs. Drugs are a beautiful thing, if you know limits, and i fear where society would be without any form of drugs. The whole 60s/70s music culture and the 90s rave culture epitomises why drugs have benefited society in just 1 art form. When music plays such an important part for me i will base this opinion a lot stronger than one of those who doesn't like music so much.

I'm sure this will get a mixed reaction, but just speaking as i see it (at the moment anyway), not what i'm taught to think.

[Larkino]

Originally Posted by ryan1087

No no, you mis-understand, if cannabis and growth of it came as popular as smoking cigarettes, you would have enough to last you or would know somebody locally that would have, to buy alcohol is both more expensive and further out of your way, some wouldn't be able to purchase it without getting in a car. I understand what you mean but sometimes it isn't local.

Let me put it this way, if you was to grow vegetables so you wouldn't need to buy them from the supermarket, you would plant enough to have a stable supply and allow for growth of the other plants.

Not speaking from personal experience, but cannabis is a fair bit harder to grow and cultivate than a few chili peppers in the garden.

EDIT: I'm sure we've had this debate at least 3 times before on these forums.

[ryan1087]

Originally Posted by Larkino

Not speaking from personal experience, but cannabis is a fair bit harder to grow and cultivate than a few chili peppers in the garden.

It's not as hard as you think, you can get the materials for it online for under £100, i watched a program on BBC not long ago where it explained that you can have enough to last for a few hundred quid. I am obviously not going to go into detail.

[Larkino]

I wasn't talking about price, I was talking about the difficulty in maintaining a plant which requires very specific conditions to be able to grow.

Like a lizard.

[Schism]

Originally Posted by ryan1087

No no, you mis-understand, if cannabis and growth of it came as popular as smoking cigarettes, you would have enough to last you or would know somebody locally that would have, to buy alcohol is both more expensive and further out of your way, some wouldn't be able to purchase it without getting in a car. I understand what you mean but sometimes it isn't local.

Let me put it this way, if you was to grow vegetables so you wouldn't need to buy them from the supermarket, you would plant enough to have a stable supply and allow for growth of the other plants.

I grow some vegetables, you would need a massive garden to grow enough.

You mean that more people would smoke more if it was totally legal because it could easily be in your garden/house? I don't think this would be the case if it was "legal" only more "decriminalized", because if it was legal they would have to control it, which means that you'd probably go to the shop and pay over the odds prices for it. Plus even if there was the option to buy from the shop, and grow, I still think more people would go for the convenience of buying just like it's totally legal to grow your own tobacco, brew a bit of beer, grow some feed, keep chickens etc.

We can't even be arsed to go to a butchers to get meat and grocers for vegetables etc, we just go Tesco. (I'm sure I read Marlboro have already patented Cannabis Cigarettes if it ever became legal).

[Larkino]

Marlboro? What a shame. Might as well stay on crack.

[ryan1087]

But if your addicted to it, like you would alcohol, you would go out of your way and take up rooms within your house to maintain a supply, no?

[Schism]

Originally Posted by bmh16

I agree with the usage of drugs (and put weed alongside my point i'm saying here) and disagree with the propaganda taught to us by the media that drugs are so bad. I'm happy with the illegality of weed. I however agree that i'm happy that drugs are illegal as it makes them harder to come across. Alcohol is the most dangerous drug in the UK as it is the most readily available. What makes most drugs so harmful (MDMA, Ketamine) is when you take them together with other drugs. Drugs are a beautiful thing, if you know limits, and i fear where society would be without any form of drugs. The whole 60s/70s music culture and the 90s rave culture epitomises why drugs have benefited society in just 1 art form. When music plays such an important part for me i will base this opinion a lot stronger than one of those who doesn't like music so much.

I'm sure this will get a mixed reaction, but just speaking as i see it (at the moment anyway), not what i'm taught to think.

Drugs were a lot safer back in those days when they were pure and people actually knew what they were taking. It's usually when you start putting alcohol into the equation things mess up.

Originally Posted by Larkino

Not speaking from personal experience, but cannabis is a fair bit harder to grow and cultivate than a few chili peppers in the garden.

EDIT: I'm sure we've had this debate at least 3 times before on these forums.

Yeah we have!

Originally Posted by ryan1087

It's not as hard as you think, you can get the materials for it online for under £100, i watched a program on BBC not long ago where it explained that you can have enough to last for a few hundred quid. I am obviously not going to go into detail.

Originally Posted by Larkino

I wasn't talking about price, I was talking about the difficulty in maintaining a plant which requires very specific conditions to be able to grow.

Like a lizard.

Larkino is pretty much right... at the end of the day it is actually a "weed" and will grow pretty much anywhere, but to get a good product you'd have to check them every day twice a day, water them every day, monitoring atmospheric changes including humidity and temperature, even pH of the water.

It's not as easy as chillies.

Disclaimer: Talking about this is not illegal.

[Schism]

Originally Posted by ryan1087

But if your addicted to it, like you would alcohol, you would go out of your way and take up rooms within your house to maintain a supply, no?

Addicted is the wrong word. Dependant is a better one to use... and no, cannabis is not like heroine, next you'll be saying that people turn into criminals to help their cannabis supply.

There's nothing physically addictive about it, unlike alcohol, nicotine, caffeine, heroine, crack etc