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[QUOTE=JuniperWoolf;1112159*sigh* Oh Emil, you're just so witty and elucidated. <3[/QUOTE]
:iagree:
It's always nice when the penny finally drops.Quote:
Right, I guess Stlukes, Darcy, Alexander, Pip, Mutatis, smerdyakov, YesNo, and myself should just shut our childish little mouthes and listen to the infallible wisdom of our elders (aka. you, Loka and Emil).
I'm starting to realize that some things such as relligion and politics and various other things are impossible to argue.
Some of you anti-weed guys just seem like religious fanatics, who ignore all evidence because it conflicts with their pre-concieved notions.
But I and Juniper and others probably sound like equal relligious fanatics on the other end.
Because sometimes reason and logical argument are usless, to win a debate you have to not make the other think as you do, but feel, it is the emotion which must be transfered.
I leave this conversation quietly, with a quote
"I would make any sacrifice but this; twenty times I can stake my life, even my honour, but my freedom I shall never sell. Why do I prize it so much? ... What am I aiming at? Nothing, absolutely nothing."
Stlukes should be simply flabbergasted to hear that, especially since I'm pretty sure he's older than you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
I'm sure Stluke's will know who it was meant for.Quote:
Originally Posted by JuniperWoolf
Oh no, I'm perfectly aware that your awkward aggression was directed at me (that does seem to be what gets you hard nowadays), I'm simply pointing out that your assertion of our point of view as the result of our being young (and therefor idiots, for you are to be held above all and worshiped as a god for your ability to not fall under a bus - even if you don't fully grasp how to operate the forum quote tags) falls flat once you realize that one of the pro-legalization posts on this thread was made by someone who is, in fact, older than you.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
I have read all of your posts and have replied respectfully and without hysteria. I’ve said that there are a few arguable points on the legalise side in the whole tangle which I have conceded to, but overall, as I’ve said, the perceived positives of this are far outweighed by the negatives in my opinion, to my tastes. Also as far as I am aware, no politician in this country takes the argument seriously anyway. It probably wouldn’t be the end of the world if the vile stuff were made legal, but I wouldn’t like to see it happen either. Either way I’m not going to lose sleep over it. I also don't make preconceived judgements regarding those who do smoke it or do anything that doesn't have to do with me; the truth is I don't really care, it's not my business.Quote:
Right, I guess Stlukes, Darcy, Alexander, Pip, Mutatis, smerdyakov, YesNo, and myself should just shut our childish little mouthes and listen to the infallible wisdom of our elders (aka. you, Loka and Emil) who won't even bother to read our posts.
Also, no one mentioned conspiracy, you're just being a jerk to kill my credibility (which is exactly what I knew would happen if I came out in favor of legalization and admited that I smoke on the weekends on a forum populated by conservative British men). I'm referencing real commercials that were played regularly on television. Hold on I'll look for some, they're funny.
With respect, Canada and The Netherlands are not the UK and I know what would happen if they opened the doors here with it, as I have said twice at least.Quote:
Iiiiiiits already happened in my country and The Netherlands. We're doing quite well (better than the UK in most respects) so maybe we know what we're about.
Ha, ha, I have a picture of him by my bed.Quote:
Neely, You're beginning to sound like a retired copper who voted for Cameron and reads the Daily Mail everyday...are you?
No, neither, I’m not Conservative (I’m not any party really...I don't believe that the complexities of politics and life can conform to a neat left/right dichotomy) and I don’t think I’ve ever read the Daily Mail! The Guardian online is my choice of daily news (depression).
Now that I'm home, here are some commercials:
Thaaat's right, dog's talk to you when you're high.
Also, weed is the same thing as ecstacy! (which could kill you!)
If your children see you smoking weed, glowing lights will grow on their body!
It's the same thing as putting leaches in your mouth!
Bloody classic American ad, seriously one of the funniest things I've ever seen. "When it's smoked, it produces more nightmares than opium!" My friend Rosie has this on dvd.
And this, well, that just makes people want to get high, and is probably the best thing I've ever seen (hahahaha, "and a sudden urge to wear sunglasses at night").
Wow, that is behind the times. In Canada, most of the parties are pro-legalization except for the conservatives (and those stupid on-the-fence liberals who are neither for nor against, they have NO balls) who are currently in office. They're the ones who released that commercial with the nine year olds smoking weed that pissed everyone off. Most of our commercials are nice, rational "don't smoke and drive" bits, like these:Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuc7sAcmzXY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k133B...eature=related
Okay, I'm sorry for getting defensive.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
Okay, but wouldn't that imply that people in the UK are inherently different than us?Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
~
W a r n i n g
Please do not personalise your arguments.
Off-topic or inflammatory posts will be removed and/or thread without further reminder.
~
I'm pretty certain that it is not even an topic for discussion for all major parties here, I can't even remember the last time someone mentioned the legalise debate, it just doesn't seem to be an issue.Quote:
In Canada, most of the parties are pro-legalization except for the conservatives (and those stupid on-the-fence liberals, they have NO balls) who are currently in office, they're the ones who released that commercial with the nine year olds smoking weed. Before, we used to have nice, rational, helpful, "don't smoke and drive" commercials, like these:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuc7sAcmzXY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k133B...eature=related
That's the first don't drink and smoke ad I've ever seen in my life, you just will not see one here, there has never been one as far as I am aware. The only drugs adverts I've seen here are for harder drugs and the Frank helpline like this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4LnA-xCz5U8
(Though I've actually never seen that one before.)
I don't think people are inherently many things, rather it's a matter of the culture. For example look at the way the French, Italian, Greek etc youth handle alcohol Vs the way UK youth does - the difference is massive, astronomical.Quote:
Okay, but wouldn't that imply that people in the UK are inherently different than us?
Here's just a typical programme on UK binge drinking as an example:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hw-dC...eature=related
I have a work friend who is Greek and just cannot understand this "let's get hammered" attitude that is so much part of UK life, it is just so much different on the continent where alcohol is given more respect. So anyway, I know what would happen if they did legalise drugs here and I wouldn't like it, we've enough to contend with already.
Neely, how do you know pot belong legalized would be so detrimental to the UK.
I think it's just a matter of time before it's legalized in the states. A long matter if time, but I think it'll happen eventually. All public poles I've seen on the issue are for legalization, and the people who are for it just keeps growing.
For me, it comes down to this. When we're talking about pot, a drug scientifically shown to be no more dangerous than cigarettes or alcohol, I think people should be allowed to decide for themselves whether or not they want to use it. End of story.
I think the above poster has got to the knub of it. It's about choice, pro or anti.
Ok, maybe some people binge smoke cannabis, teenagers for example and they might develop problems from it. But if the thing is regulated properly like the medicinal cannabis project in California right now (to all intents and purposes this is unreserved legalisation) I don't see a problem. And besides, all the tax money being repatriated back into the economy, isn't it better than criminals getting the money? Don't buy into the fear mongering that the world will go to hell in a hand basket if it is legalised. It won't. People will just have the choice to smoke if they want or not rather than being criminalised over it (remember 10 for 2 in the States - that guy got a bigger custodial sentence than a rapist would get - for two joints - 10 years, what an absolute insanity is that?).
And no, it won't be sold in Tesco... :D
I've met hardened criminals, one a likely murderer, who derive much of their income from marijuana. Anti-marijuana legislation is responsible for far more suffering than the drug itself. Those Mexican cartels deal not only with cocaine but with marijuana as well, and the rivers of blood they spill can in part be traced back to the laws prohibiting the free and legal cultivation and trade of a relatively harmless naturally occurring PLANT.
Oil companies annihilate the pristine natural beauty of entire regions, natural gas companies that frack pump toxic chemicals into the groundwater, tobacco companies profit from pushing a lethal poison, alcohol companies sell a substance linked to 75000 deaths each year in America alone, and the government throws people in prison for cultivating a plant that God himself sowed in the earth.
I didn't think that you believed in God.Quote:
Originally Posted by Darcy88
I don't know. You're right, I really don't. I try. Most often to no avail. Sometimes I manage to pretend, but that's not really belief. I meant its natural and if you believe in God you have to wonder why he'd spread the seed of this supposedly wicked herb. Its seeds are incredibly nutritious, full of healthy proteins and fatty acids, and you better believe our early ancestors ate the bud right off the stem.Quote:
Originally Posted by BienvenuJDC
I do believe that everything has its purpose. I also believe that it is our responsibility to use all things responsibly. You just have to be careful with using that argument consistently. Just as the old man in The Count of Monte Cristo philosophized that everything in moderation was profitable. I can't remember how exactly he said it though.Quote:
Originally Posted by Darcy88
There will definately be problems if cannabis is legalised. There is anecdotal and medical evidence that it causes the onset of serious mental illness that renders the person incapable of an unsupported life - as has been discussed. Having said that, this is happening anyway. The war on drugs cost us with no effect, and you're right; the illegality of the drug merely opens the markets to criminals, as prohibition did.Quote:
Originally Posted by smerdyakov
So how to proceed? Legalisation would put criminals out of business. Revenues could be taxed and put into support for those who be will and who are already adversely affected by the drug, and others. It might seem that this would be a rocky road to the decriminalisation of all drugs. It might, and that might be the better option for the same reasons.
I don't think you're going to end up with a society full of dope headed no hopers. There are those anyway. Most people try stuff, but then leave it. It might just be the better option of the two, but then society would have to become more responsible for those who do suffer from it.
I don't support drugs, nor do I want legalisation for my own use. It just seems that illegality leads to a market for criminals, whilst the rest of us pay for its effects. Anti drug publicity in the past has failed because it lied. More recent campaigns have been more honest. An honest description of why people take drugs - because it's fun - is a better approach than the demonisation. But then the opportunity presents itself to explain the real risks - paranoia, mental illness etc. I also think decriminalisation would remove the mystique around them - forbidden fruit and all that.
There are x factors though. New drugs are being developed all the time to circumvent the law. Legalisation might just open the door to a range of new drugs that could enhance whatever. Sport battles with this. Could it cause more problems than it solves?
I direct all attention to my prior post. It kinda got swallowed up with the debate, I think.
Careful, anecdotes aren't evidence. I have seen many impartial studies claiming that marijuana isn't as detrimental as the North American governments have been saying for the last century (there's a classic one done in the 40's which I could give a link to, after that there was really no doubt anymore - at least, no educated doubt), but I have yet to see an impartial report claiming that marijuana is even as harmful as alcohol or cigarettes.Quote:
Originally Posted by Paulclem
I smoke pot, and not to brag like a tool but simply to prove a point, I have a 3.8GPA from the U of A, I donate 10% of my paycheques to charity and I've been co-running an animal rehabilitation center for six years. My dad smokes, and he's a politician and union leader plus a prison guard. My classics prof smokes weed, and he's... well... a professor (a classics professor, but still). Also, since my highschool graduation, I've come to learn that at least six of my teachers smoke weed. Alcohol drinkers and hard drug users are often supported by the state, but marijuana really isn't that debilitating (unless you're a schizophrenic, apparently).Quote:
Originally Posted by Paulclem
But there's always a fine line between choice and government legislation. The same could be argued for seatbelts in cars, the use of crash helmets, smoking in public places and so on, it's a circular debate. It could be argued that giving people information and leaving them to decide is not always enough.Quote:
I think the above poster has got to the knub of it. It's about choice, pro or anti.
Why not if it's made legal?Quote:
And no, it won't be sold in Tesco...
Tobacco is a plant too and alcohol is as natural as they come so I don't see the argument there.Quote:
...tobacco companies profit from pushing a lethal poison, alcohol companies sell a substance linked to 75000 deaths each year in America alone, and the government throws people in prison for cultivating a plant that God himself sowed in the earth.
Those oil companies will be fined for polluting the environment. Sure, it will be a fraction of their profits and so they are probably better of polluting the environment and paying the fine, but that is the power of big corporations for you and is a different story.
Because there would be a massive boom in consumption of the vile stuff which is not something I would want to see. It would also give the green light to further drug use, with the same arguments of 'freedom of choice' then becoming applicable to other drugs like heroin and cocaine. People have a right of choice yes?Quote:
Neely, how do you know pot belong legalized would be so detrimental to the UK.
On a personal level though I just can't be doing with the stuff reeking the whole estate up and groups of people smoking it in public, at the bus stop in gangs around the shops etc - do I really want to see an increase in this? I would have to move to the middle of nowhere if it was foolishly pushed through government. That might sound dramatic or petty but I really can't stand it. What about my rights not to have to be subjected to the smell of it?
What's a "crash helmet?"Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
I'm going to assume that a Tesco is like a grocery store. You can't buy alcohol at a grocery store in North America.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
Tobacco and alcohol are legal.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
It's nice to think that they will, isn't it? I live in Alberta. This is us:Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
http://zeglarskiesq.com/wp-content/u...sands_map1.png
They were fined one time in the last decade for getting oil on ducks.
Seems like a pretty selfish reason for supporting a legislation which causes extremely high levels of gang activity, supports terroism on an international scale and costs the state billions of dollars to maintain unjust prison sentences (thereby not only ruining lives, but also soaking up funding which could be used to support public services).Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
A motorcycle helmet, it's illegal to ride one without it. Is it not so in Canada?Quote:
What's a "crash helmet?"
Yes it's a large supermarket. I'm surprised you can't buy alcohol at your version of the same, making two trips to get some wine or beer seems silly.Quote:
I'm going to assume that a Tesco is like a grocery store. You can't buy alcohol at a grocery store in North America.
Ha, ha. Those oil spaces look massive.Quote:
They were fined one time in the last decade for getting oil on ducks.
It seems to me that there is a lot of fuss over these drugs. It's not a selfish reason either in one respect because the way things stand I'm in the right, as cannabis smoking is illegal. There would be no gang activity and terrorism over this if people didn't smoke it, so I won't be held to ransom over it. It sounds like when a kid says if I can have this or that, I'll be good, the real world doesn't work like that, even if there are points for the legalisation of it.Quote:
Seems like a pretty selfish reason for supporting a legislation which causes extremely high levels of gang activity, supports terroism on an international scale and costs the state billions of dollars to maintain unjust prison sentences (thereby not only ruining lives, but also soaking up funding which could be used to support public services).
The way it stands I'm happy because there is less of the stuff clogging up the streets and to give this drug the green light is to open up the floodgates to a whole host of other problems for sure.
If you read my earlier posts, I stipulated that if it were to be legalised it could not go down the same road as alcohol. Serious regulation would be needed, and perhaps people could be assessed by their doctors as to their suitability for smoking it.
I think you are failing to see the bigger picture here from a utilitarian perspective. The greater good is achieved by legalising it: it greatly reduces crime and the adherent misery it brings to society, taxation money would be repatriated back into the country, people having a choice (the seat-belt analogy is a good one - and it was an information campaign with shocking advertisements that made people think to do it rather than the small mandatory fines - information campaigns in schools and TV on the dangers of binge smoking would have to happen). After all, people who work hard, pay taxes or are in training/education etc should not be deprived of the option of a recreational joint just because some people don't like the smell of it.
Anyway, teenagers could smoke it at home if it were legal without their parents flipping out because of the stigma it carries due to being illegal, and it could be done in a safe, controlled environment.
Weed doesn't make people aggressive like alcohol does, and it is not addictive like alcohol, and there is simply no argument for saying it's a gateway drug. Maybe people would drink less as well, which wouldn't be a bad thing.
Yes I've read your posts, I've read all the posts. I don't quite follow this point though, as it seems that most people are arguing for the drug as a recreational thing and not something to be used for medical purposes. Little Jonny wants to get high while listening to Korn is not going to pass the medical inspection. Also if it is so harmless why the need for such tight regulation? Either it is legal or it is not.Quote:
If you read my earlier posts, I stipulated that if it were to be legalised it could not go down the same road as alcohol. Serious regulation would be needed, and perhaps people could be assessed by their doctors as to their suitability for smoking it.
I can see the bigger picture and I can understand the point but my opinion remains the same.Quote:
I think you are failing to see the bigger picture here from a utilitarian perspective. The greater good is achieved by legalising it: it greatly reduces crime and the adherent misery it brings to society, taxation money would be repatriated back into the country, people having a choice (the seat-belt analogy is a good one - and it was an information campaign with shocking advertisements that made people think to do it rather than the small mandatory fines - information campaigns in schools and TV on the dangers of binge smoking would have to happen). After all, people who work hard, pay taxes or are in training/education etc should not be deprived of the option of a recreational joint just because some people don't like the smell of it.
Anyway, teenagers could smoke it at home if it were legal without their parents flipping out because of the stigma it carries due to being illegal, and it could be done in a safe, controlled environment.
It absolutely does open the door for greater drug use. What sort of message does it send out to the population from a political perspective if a government official gives the green light on a drug? Also what of the rights of cocaine users? Of heroin junkies? Don't they have rights too? Individual choice has limits and implications that impact upon everybody in society.Quote:
Weed doesn't make people aggressive like alcohol does, and it is not addictive like alcohol, and there is simply no argument for saying it's a gateway drug. Maybe people would drink less as well, which wouldn't be a bad thing.
The bottom line is: People will continue to take drugs whether they're illegal or not.
It's far more dangerous for marijuana, and other drugs, to be taken on the black market.
If the government is selling the drugs rather than shady drug dealers on the streets, they will have to be clean and not mixed, as marijuana often is on the black market.
As I have said, at least with legalization, healthcare is more approachable and no hardcore drug addicts are going to jail if they want help for their addictions.
I think turning a blind eye to the problems that society has is not the solution. We have to admit we have a problem, and that the laws aren't making the crimes go away.
If legalization is not the solution, which, of course, I'm willing to admit if another viable solution is given, then something else must supplement the law.
In any case, I would trust the scientific method. Make a trial run, see if it's better than the way things are now. If it is, implement it temporarily, until a better solution is reached.
It would seem that there's a certain lack consistency here.
Quote:
Careful, anecdotes aren't evidence.
Quote:
I smoke pot, and not to brag like a tool but simply to prove a point, I have a 3.8GPA from the U of A, I donate 10% of my paycheques to charity and I've been co-running an animal rehabilitation center for six years. My dad smokes, and he's a politician and union leader plus a prison guard. My classics prof smokes weed, and he's... well... a professor (a classics professor, but still). Also, since my highschool graduation, I've come to learn that at least six of my teachers smoke weed. Alcohol drinkers and hard drug users are often supported by the state, but marijuana really isn't that debilitating (unless you're a schizophrenic, apparently).
I'm going to assume that a Tesco is like a grocery store. You can't buy alcohol at a grocery store in North America.
Since when? I buy the majority of my alcohol at Giant Eagle... the large local grocery store chain. I can get beer and wine (and a good selection of each) in the beverage sections of the store. If I'm up for the harder stuff, there is a state operated liquor store within the Giant Eagle where I can buy whiskey, rum, vodka, vermouth, bourbon, etc...
This is full of straw men and misconceptions. You seem well-intentioned but your facts are just wrong. There's a big deal of difference between marijuana and harder drugs like cocaine and heroin. The latter two are highly addictive, marijuana is not. My co-worker who for 10 years smoked 5 joints a day just quit cold-turkey four months ago, hasn't touched the stuff since, with little to zero grief. I have a highly addictive personality but I've completely stopped marijuana use several times after long stretches of using it heavily, and quitting was a breeze.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
They add hundreds of carcinogenic chemicals to tobacco before its sold. Alcohol has to sit and ferment for weeks or months or longer. Marijuana you can pick right off the stem and enjoy. Its not a significant point, but its a point. I also can't see why you are not for the banning of alcohol and tobacco, two substances which wreak drastically more harm than cannabis.Quote:
Tobacco is a plant too and alcohol is as natural as they come so I don't see the argument there.
Also, I think the myth of marijuana being a gateway drug has been debunked, but if it still has any credence its because the person who sells marijuana also often has access to other drugs. Anti-marijuana laws keep its sale criminal and underground.
And wanting it to remain illegal mostly because you can't stand the smell is not the best motivation, especially when people are dying from organized crime and others are languishing in prison cells as a direct result of anti-marijuana legislation.
As marijuana is so readily available in the Caribbean, there is very little argument on the topic but if I were to make arguments they would be:
1. Marijuana isn't more harmful than alcohol or tobacco if used in moderation.
2. Limiting the use of the drug intrudes on personal freedom.
3. There are medical benefits such as the those for cancer patients. Just explore youtube for much content on this area.
4. Street justice related to drug disputes would be reduced.
5. Police and court resources would be freed up for more serious crimes.
6. The government drug control agencies could regulate the quality and safety of marijuana.
7. Aside from recreational drug use, Cannabis has several industrial and commercial uses, as over 25,000 products can be made from the crop.
It would probably be restricted to areas where cigarette smoking is permitted which would thankfully exclude it from most public places where I live.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
One group of people who study market conditions based on social mood believe that there is a correlation between government attitudes toward banning marijuana or legalizing it and what one can expect from the stock market. According to this speculation, if the government promotes banning marijuana it is a bullish sign for the market. If it considers legalizing it, it is a bearish sign. Of course, that speculation might be all a pipe dream of their own.
http://www.elliottwave.com/press_roo...-Drug-War.aspx
The anecdotes are from healthcare professionals. As for educated doubt, there's also the matter of common experience. How many educated scientific studies have you noticed that confirm what you thought anyway? I've met a few people who were clearly affected advsersely by their use. It's a moot point.Quote:
Originally Posted by JuniperWoolf
As for your second paragraph, I wasn't clear. I meant the point to follow on from
It might seem that this would be a rocky road to the decriminalisation of all drugs. It might, and that might be the better option for the same reasons.
Dope clearly doesn't have the negative effects that heroin and crack use has, and I didn't intend it that way.
My point was that decriminalisation of dope may lead to deciminalisation of hard drugs too. It is from these that the worst effects are felt, but I was advocating legalisation as the better of the two options. If we do that, then society has to deal with the casualties better.
Whilst being wholly in agreement with the antis on this subject, I don't think the chart shows a direct correlation between bull/bear markets and banning/legalising. Most of the bearish movements are, in any case, too small to be of great significance and those that aren't, are probably due to other factors.Quote:
Originally Posted by YesNo
You misunderstood my point. I’m not saying that the drugs are alike, I’m saying that if you legalise one you are setting a harmful precedent for the others to follow. At the very least you are sending a message out to the public that drugs are OK. No sane (or insane) politician in this country is going to do that any time soon.Quote:
This is full of straw men and misconceptions. You seem well-intentioned but your facts are just wrong. There's a big deal of difference between marijuana and harder drugs like cocaine and heroin. The latter two are highly addictive, marijuana is not.
Quote:
And wanting it to remain illegal mostly because you can't stand the smell is not the best motivation, especially when people are dying from organized crime and others are languishing in prison cells as a direct result of anti-marijuana legislation.
Well it’s not like the British government is keeping the stuff illegal just because of me. I’m sure they have their own motivations as well. I’m sorry but if people don’t want to be sat in prison cells then don’t break the law, even if some of the sentences seem harsh. People who smoke marijuana are the ones feeding organised crime, come to think of it, not the ones who don’t. It’s a bit of a ransom argument as I said earlier.
You support the continued legal status of alcohol yet resist the legalization of marijuana. One estimate attributes 1 in 25 deaths worldwide to the consumption of alcohol. I've known at least half a dozen who have died as a result of liquor. Two thirds, maybe three-quarters of people around here smoke marijuana and I have yet to hear of a single related fatality. I've also been witness to countless acts of violence coming as a result of alcoholic inebriation, not a single one as a result of marijuana.Quote:
Originally Posted by Neely
Be consistent and either support the criminalization of alcohol or the decriminalization of cannabis.
The standard by which something is legalized or not shouldn't be its status as a "drug" but rather its actual impact on the well-being of individuals and society. By that standard marijuana is less harmful than white sugar and should be legalized.
The estimation of deaths from alcohol should read 'excessive alcohol' and I would be prepared to lay money that virtually every single person who dies of heroin or other hard drug addiction started on the drug route by smoking some form of cannabis resin.Quote:
Originally Posted by Darcy88
As Neely points out, if people didn't take it there wouldn't be a problem so the blame for it's consequences both social and criminal lies squarely with the users.
Excessive alcohol or not, its still alcohol. And no, the consequences of cannabis' criminality lie in the laws that make it criminal. Here you are defending alcohol, which causes an estimated 1 in 25 deaths worldwide, and condemning marijuana, a comparatively harmless substance. Your position has its footing in sand. As I said before, if marijuana is a gateway drug its mostly because it has been criminalized and left in the hands of dealers who push other drugs. It has been classed along with heroin and ecstasy and cocaine not because of any inherent commonality with them that alcohol does not too share. Alcohol and cannabis are both drugs. One is legal, the other is not, despite the latter being less harmful, and therein lies the only difference. Something wrong there.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller
I am consistent because one is legal and the other isn't. As soon as something is legalised it becomes impossible criminalise. The bottom line is that no politician wants to be remembered for giving the green light to greater drug use.Quote:
Originally Posted by Darcy88
If marijuana is to be kept illegal based on its harmfulness then alcohol should be prohibited as well. One can't have it both ways and avoid hypocrisy.
Well it would be impossible to criminalise something that has been around for thousands of years, despite the fact that in excess it is dangerous to health, but the British Medical Association repeatedly warns of the danger. On the other hand, Cannabis Resin has been a comparatively recent arrival in developed countries and as far as I know has remained illegal since its arrival in the UK.Quote:
Originally Posted by Darcy88
The BMA also warns of it's uncontrolled use and has recently had this to say about it according to a national daily newspaper:
Doctors' leaders said they were "extremely concerned" that the imminent downgrading of cannabis would make the public believe it was a "safe" drug to use.
The substance is due to be reclassified from a class B to a class C drug on January 29, ranking it alongside bodybuilding steroids and some anti-depressants.
But the British Medical Association said it was worried how this move would affect potential drug-users who might be led to believe the drug was now safe to use.
Dr Peter Maguire, deputy chairman of the BMA's board of science, said they welcomed the Government's campaign to highlight the dangers of cannabis.
He said: "The public must be made aware of the harmful effects that we know result from smoking this drug.
I suppose then that you support legalized prostitution.Quote:
Originally Posted by Emil Miller