To be a bit dubious about cannabis being legalised

[LeahJack]

William Hague called for legalisation today. And there is the discussion about legalisation for medical reasons, which is obviously great for people like Billy Caldwell, but has been used in the US as a back door for recreational legalisation as certificates are given out like confetti for everything.

I worry about this as DH used to smoke it. And like most users thought it was harmless but it made him absent minded and empty headed even when he wasn’t smoking it to the point where I was frightened to leave the children with him because he wouldn’t be able to react quickly if they did things like run into the road. Plus he was grumpy, irritable and short tempered when he wasn’t smoking it.

Another friend of mine who is a bit vulnerable had a complete breakdown into psychosis smoking it and lost her marriage and wasn’t allowed her children unsupervised for a long time as a result of cannabis smoking.

I also know someone who is currently smoking it claiming it is curing his depression, but it is quite obviously making his already poor mental health worse and tipping him into paranoia.

I know some people say it should be treated like alcohol, but if alcohol was discovered now, it would probably be banned too.

I think smoking it is a selfish act, and the price for recreational users legally getting stoned will be paid by their partners and children and vulnerable people who are made ill by it.

I hate that it’s effectively been decriminalised anyway and my children have to walk through clouds of stinking smoke on our high street.

So does smoking and alcohol.
But they're legal.

I would happily legalise the medical stuff.
As someone who has a child that suffers daily because of neighbours smoking it I don't want that legalised.

Unless you're also arguing for an identical ban of alcohol YABU. There's no difference - except alcohol is arguably more dangerous.

I don't think full legalisation for recreational use will happen for a long time yet, we are ridiculously backwards as a nation on this issue, but hopefully it will happen some day.

I really resent being made a criminal just for smoking a spliff/vaping in my own home in the evening after a stressful day at work. It's less harmful (without tobacco) than a glass of wine of an evening.

Alcohol causes far more social, financial and health issues than cannabis does, that cannot be disputed. I work in mental health and cannabis DOES NOT cause mental illness, it may be a factor in SOME cases but it is not a cause and effect relationship.

This proposal seems to be around legalising it for medical use, which is just an absolute no brainer.

The medical issue faced by parents of epileptics is without any kind of doubt something that the government should have dealt with before now. It is a travesty that that boy had to have seizure after seizure for lack of a drug that is freely available in many countries. The Home Office looked like a bunch of arses until Sajid intervened to stop the nonsense

As for wider de-criminalisation - I tend to think that the better way is to decriminalise and tax it to death. But that's not relevant to the medicinal cannabis-related-drugs debate

The level of ignorance within the government is frightening. They just sack advisors they don't agree with.

But what stoners tend to fail to understand, is that if you are getting stoned fairly regularly, it tends to affect your personality all the time

So does everything else in life, if you dont like your husband then leave him, dont punish everyone else.

FYI not everyone who smokes cannabis is a 'stoner'. Anymore than someone who eats sugar is a 'fattie'. Or somone who drinks alcohol is an 'alcoholic'.

Out of interest does cannabis stink less if its vaped?
I wouldn't actually care if people like you PsychedelicSheep smoked it to relax in an evening after work if it was not so potent and horrible to those who don't want to smoke or smell it.

FYI not everyone who smokes cannabis is a 'stoner'. Anymore than someone who eats sugar is a 'fattie'. Or somone who drinks alcohol is an 'alcoholic’

The whole point of smoking cannabis is to get stoned. It’s not like alcohol where you can drink it without getting drunk. The whole point of it is that you get stoned.

He doesn’t smoke it anymore because he lost a job because he tested positive for it. Because you can’t operate heavy machinery even if you’re not actively stoned because it does dull your reactions all the time.

And please spare me the ‘I smoke it and it doesn’t have any negative effects on me’. I’ve heard all that bullshit before. You won’t notice it, the people who smoke it never do. However people around you will. Your personality will turn to treacle.

Different varieties of cannabis have different smells. Vaping smells differently to smoking (think of the difference between someone smoking or vaping tobacco) and smoking a joint with tobacco and a resin smells differently compared to someone smoking say a pipe with just bud.

Where I live weed is smoked by I think at last survey about 30% of adults. Few of those adults would be 'stoners', most use marijuana in a similar way to how people use alcohol (ie a joint after work like a glass of beer/wine, more at parties, in a nice brownie or other edible etc) or course some abuse just like alcohol, and I think the concern about teenagers getting high is very valid.

LeahJack, Sounds like you have a grudge against one person for having a smoke of the mellow stuff, but you really should stop taring everyone with the same brush. Adults should be able to make choices in their own homes that have no affect on anyone else.

Most people aren't actually smoking normal and natural cannabis though. Natural is fine (as smoking goes), but skunk etc.that people smoke is full of chemicals and this is what is giving folk mental health issues.

Leah I'm sorry about your experience with your husband, but that really doesn't make sense.

People drink because they like the effect of alcohol and also the taste of their chosen alcoholic beverage. If you drink a small amount you will most likely feel less inhibited and more relaxed, if you drink a lot you will get drunk (which may include becoming violent and doing stupid things), too much and you get sick which at the extreme can be dangerous. Because alcohol is a legal controlled substance when you purchase a bottle you know what is in it and most people learn their limits fairly quickly.

People smoke/use marijuana for similar reasons, and in small amounts the effect is fairly similar. The more you take the higher / more stoned you get. Some varietals can in larger doses have negative side effects eg they can make you paranoid. Because it is a black market product there is no quality control, and contamination is an issue too. This is a good reason for legalisation and control so that you know what you are taking (ie the CBD / THC concentrations). Commercial and craft growers after legalisation have quickly begun to develop and test their varietals but because it's an illegal industry research has been limited to date (which is why I personally take some of the medical miracle claims with a pinch of salt, others are very well founded). It's also become a very politicised issue which has I think affected the quality of pubic debate, and also the advice given in things like public health campaigns, likely making them pretty ineffective.

Currently when you buy weed you don't know what you're getting, if it was legalised you can get different strengths and strains to suit.

At the same time alcohol leads to alcoholics, so let's ban alcohol.

It's about time we catch up. Regulate, tax and legalise cannabis. The tax money raised can be put to good use. In Colorado I think last year everyone got a tax rebate.

If you don't like it, don't ingest it. Like an adult you can make your own decisions.

If your dh smokes it anf you dont like it, leave. No different from leaving an alcoholic.

Anyway I have a herniated disc and nerve damage, I take a cocktail of drugs to function including a morphine equivalent. I'd much rather have a little weed.

I was a long term weed smoker for about 10 yrs. I used to fantasise about it being legalised.

I was weeds biggest advocate. I was convinced it made me a better person, more creative, easy going, fun etc.

The reality is that it robbed me of all motivation, I overate, became reclusive and I was always thinking about weed and couldn't wait to get through the day so I could smoke. I also spent a lot of money on it and put myself in some really dodgy positions when picking up.

I quit five years ago and I'm SO glad I did. I'm a completely different person now. I've also had issues with depression and anxiety and whilst I'm not sure I can blame weed for causing it, it certainly made things worse.

If it's legalised, I predict a rise in mental health issues.,

I find it bizarre there is a discussion on this, when the go to emergency drugs for uncontrolled epilepsy at the moment are benzodiazepines- clobazam, midazolam, diazepam and lorazepam! How are they any less harmful in the wrong hands?

Benzodiazepines have caused enough addiction problems for thousands of people! Even now, addicts will buy them on the streets!

Every parent knows how hard it is to wean children and young people with epilepsy off
clobazam! Why not let them try medicinal cannabis, if they want?

There’s one thing on this thread that just bloody sums up weed smokers in a nutshell: they keep telling me to leave my DH despite me saying multiple times that he’s stopped getting stoned.

Because their shrunken brains can’t retain that information for the length of time needed to post.

I think it's unfair that things like alcohol and tobacco are legal but cannabis isn't. My DH is allergic to alcohol but enjoys a spliff every now and then but he can't indulge without breaking the law so hasn't done for many years.

Some people struggle with alcohol or nicotine addiction, some struggle with cannabis. Doesn't mean those people should ruin it for those who are able to enjoy responsibly!

I hate smoking with a passion as I have seen too many people become seriously mentally ill after smoking.

However, doesn't the oil have the actives removed, so that you can't get stoned?

I have no problem with medical cannabis oil being licensed providing it goes through all,the rigorous testing first to check that’s its safe, get the correct strength etc, and the products themselves have to be licensed.

Did you see that documentary where Biggins threw up after eating too much pot in icecream.

I think it could be on prescription. There are lots of prescription drugs that are banned to Joe Bloggs because of side effects or addictiveness. But can see how this might make see it as less harmful in general when there are massive risks.

And please spare me the ‘I smoke it and it doesn’t have any negative effects on me’. I’ve heard all that bullshit before. You won’t notice it, the people who smoke it never do. However people around you will. Your personality will turn to treacle

I don’t smoke but a few people have told me they do and I’ve been surprised. They aren’t stoners, just have a recreational habit.

Canada has legalised it. It’s on the news today. Will be interesting to see what impact it has on Canadian Society.

I know numerous people who smoke it. Their personalities are just as they always have been. Intelligent, articulate, caring and fun people.

YABU. They should legalise it, regulate it and tax it. It's much less harmful than alcohol, cigarettes and numerous other pharmaceutical drugs. The reason why you see so much harm attributed to it has been caused by it being illegal. The people who grow it for sale have made the THC content extremely high to produce maximum effect whereas naturally it would not be so high. If it was legal it could be regulated and the strains would be much less potent in terms of the psychoactive element - THC.