To ask your opinions on cannabis and legalisation

[orangeleopard]

I’m just curious about people’s opinion on cannabis. I’m aware it’s illegal, but I believe it should be treated the same way alcohol is and be legalised. As one example why, I believe it can do wonders for people with chronic illnesses and pain. I think if it was legal I would likely consume it as a way to get me off taking the strong opioids I’m prescribed daily. It would be safer and have less side effects. I’ve seen stories of it helping peoples anxiety as well as helped people with neurological disorders etc.

On the other hand I think it can be very bad as most people I know who consume it have become very lazy, and angry when they don’t ‘smoke’ aka withdrawals and it likely caused their depression. But I’ve also known a person who has adhd and smoking has helped them remain focused and on track in day to day life. I suppose it does depend on the person.

I think my overall opinion is that it should be treated like alcohol - in all honesty it’s likely safer as no one has died from an overdose from cannabis. But I do believe it should be legalised and people should be able to safely access it like they do in the Netherlands for example. I honestly believe it would decrease crime a bit.

So what are all your opinions?

YABU- it shouldn’t be legal
YANBU - it should be legal

@NotRightNowPlease You really should have included this in your link to illustrate it.
^Spokesman Greg de Hoedt said: "You'll need 20-40,000 joints to reach a lethal dose.
"It is believed that asphyxiation would actually be the cause of death were this to happen."
He also said it was "not uncommon to see real herbal cannabis sprayed with a synthetic high to increase potency".^

I've been smoking weed for over 50 years as have many of my friends. We are all productive members of society, parents, good neighbours etc.

I agree about skunk though. It's absolutely disgusting. I recoiled backwards just smelling it in a plastic bag.

MN is just rather neurotic when it comes to weed. More and more countries are decriminalising it, and rightly so.

Poster upthread talking about it leading to cocaine and heroin is talking bullshit.

@sharptoothlemonshark

Well my Dutch friends hate the effects of living in a country where it is legal, especially as all the rich, privileged people who made it legal can afford to live a long was away from where it is being sold... it has had a terrible effect on the lives of those who have to live in the vicinity of the dealers. More crime, more hard drugs, more serious mental illness, and yes, more deaths.

Did your Dutch friends not get their facts right and tell you it is NOT legal. It is tolerated. Why, there are even coffeeshops in every major town in the Netherlands where you can buy a coffee and a small bag of weed or hashish. It's a great system and means you DON'T have to live in the vicinity of the dealers.

^rich, privileged people who made it legal* LOL
You really need to brush up on your history.
It was the hippies who first started using weed and cannabis. Yes, some of whom are now rich and privileged.

I met a young guy in Amsterdam who's parents both work for the police. He told me they have 5 marijuana plants in the garden, the legal limit. Love it.

Ask your Dutch friends how they feel about living in a country that has become a narco state. Weed smokers don't go round killing people. Including a lawyer and a journalist.

Nope, I don't agree with it.
All the people I know who use weed are either lazy fucks who just smoke away and melt into their sofa, or those who get psychotic on it. I met plenty in hospital. I have never met a MH professional who would endorse using cannabis for MH.

Legalising recreational drugs would decriminalise them, which would cut crime considerably.

Alcohol and nicotine are far more dangerous to health than cannabis is.

I'm not sure, it's complicated! Maybe we need more time to see how things pan out elsewhere?

I'm a police officer and I think legislation would stop the organised crime gangs owning everything, it would stop some modern slavery, it would bring in income from taxes . It would stop an awful lot of crime. I would legalise it tomorrow. The ocgs who run the set ups use the profits for much worse crime - firearms , and really serious crime. It would cut their funding if it was legit .

So many people smoke it it's a losing battle . They're lining the criminals pockets . And the violence I've seen in cannabis taxing (when one gang finds another gangs grow and steals it ) is seriously alarming.

Legislate it . Tax it . Like alcohol and tobacco. Take it out of criminal hands. It's a win win for me .

Honestly when we do warrants and you see how the gardeners are living it would break your heart They're often trafficked and have no English, don't know what their human rights are and live in absolute squalor. Bucket for a toilet. Can't leave the house or warehouse. They really are enslaved with no way out . Paid nothing . Sleep on mattresses on the floor . Live without basic amenities.

Where I live it's legal, there are rules about where and when you can smoke it, the health conditions it has to meet as a product, and where you can legally purchase it.
There are limits to the amount you can purchase, and if a product is faulty or defective you can return through a government approved process.

On the whole, in the decade it's been legal, it has not destroyed or saved our selves.
It has stopped the average Joe from being a criminal, when they get a few gummies or some joints for the weekend

one of the most sensible posts .

Legalise it.

I don’t think it being illegal stops most people from smoking it.

at least then it could be regulated, we wouldn’t waste money on law enforcement, the govt would get a fortune in tax and it would cut out the unsavory elements related to supply.

Fully Pro Cannabis. I use it daily for my anxiety, depression, anorexia, ortho/ osteo pain. I know unfortunately some people have a bad reaction to it so it's not for everyone. There is no way that someone should be branded a criminal for having a smoke. It's about how people behave. If you are inherently a dick then weed won't stop you being that.

The thing is if it's legalised it will end up somehow being shite. Because the government will be involved and the cynic in me does not see that working well. If they just let people grow and smoke then fine, but I don't want to buy it off a bunch of Tory Ministers. They will just ruin it for everyone probably.

Decriminalise it sure. I will probably not be popular for this view, but the ills of the world are not caused by cannabis frankly.

It doesn't "lead people to heroin' as some person said. And even if it did then surely legalisation would reduce the risk of that happening? ( I'm not even pro legalisation necessarily)
Anyone who thinks things like this lacks awareness about drugs and addiction in general.

The myth is it's a gateway drug- very little evidence for that theory .

Most people who smoke cannabis don't move on to harder drugs.
Look for ted talks by Neil woods . He was an undercover narcotics police officer. He talks sense .

I hope it's never legalised to smoke it, I hate the smell. Theres a family, 4 houses down that smoke it and I can smell it if I leave the windows open during the summer. (But I hate people smoking cigarettes and ecigs as well) I can also smell it on their children at mums and tots. 🤮
But I think it should be available as eatables or some sort of tablet form for people with different illnesses.

I don't smoke.

I believe we should legalise cannabis and decriminalise every other drug. Use the tax money from cannabis to fund proper treatment and MOST IMPORTANT work on the adverse childhood events that typically cause addiction. Primarily DV and CSA. Violence is the real cause of addiction. Not a specific substance.

Watch and learn .

Oh no thank you. There are enough paranoid skunk heads walking around stinking of weed as it is. On way back from work tonight one got on the bus with a big spliff in his mouth, when driver objected he said 'calm down man, I'm not smoking it'.

Most weed smokers I know are absolute bores, always fixated on when they can buy their next bag of weed, offering info IDGAF about such as how weed is brilliant for appetite, relaxation blah blah. Be around a weed smoker who can't get their fix for 3 days and you'll see who they really are personality-wise. It won't be the chilled relaxed person they claim to be.

Skunk is the most prevalent and cheapest form of weed now, and leads to the most paranoia. It's an ignored epidemic. If weed is legalised smokers won't be sensible about things. & legalising it isn't going to stop crime. They'll find another way, no doubt perfecting a more potent form of it that won't be legal. I suppose if you live far enough away from where skunk is a problem then it's easy to say it should be legalised.

I smoked for 15 years heavily and then did have a psychosis. Would I have had it anyway? Potentially. It was quite unique circumstances. But it also could have been the weed. Or maybe a combination and weed just the final straw.

Either way I think it should be legal. Firstly these gangs are getting out of control and that’s an issue.

Second strain and strength choice could drastically reduce potential harm. I have always known high THC Sativa always made me super anxious and paranoid. I was much better suited to Indicas but you don’t get a choice with street drugs.

Thirdly I think addiction would be less likely if Netherlands style cafes sold it. When I was there the addiction information was everywhere. The staff really cared about it. And also no one gets addicted to weed from smoking a spliff. It’s from sitting at home by yourself and smoking repeatedly day in day out. Being able to buy just one joint with friends would have been less likely to lead to addiction than having to buy an eighth and take it home. Also the age limit can be regulated.

And I agree it’s not a ‘gateway’ drug. The more I think about explaining that the more I don’t even agree with the phrase/term because of course people who want to try all kinds of drugs; try all kinds of drugs.

But I get why it’s an idea. It’s makes logical sense if you don’t know a variety of people who do drugs. But in reality it just doesn’t work out like that.

Cannabis is in no way a gateway drug unless you think consuming breast milk is a conduit to eating 17 big macs a day.

Definitely don't make it legal, disgusting stuff that smells horrendous and turns many people into fools.

Some people are fools without the drugs .

My neighbours are addicted to cannabis, smoking it round the clock, going to work, driving. Extreme mental health issues, paranoia. Revolting stuff. No, I wouldn't legalise it.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1351917/

id not like it decriminalised.

prescription is fine, as are other opioids

the argument that alcohol is legal, why does it make sense to have two drugs that can taken legal rather than one?

https://d1wqtxts1xzle7.cloudfront.net/30805509/Hall___Lynskey_%282005%29_Is_cannabis_a_gateway_drug_-Testing_hypotheses_about_the_relationship_between_cannabis_use_and_the_use_of_other_i-libre.pdf?1392079802=&response-content-disposition=inline%3B+filename%3DIs_cannabis_a_gateway_drug_Testing_hypot.pdf&Expires=1706678732&Signature=Nqm7d-JK2yRSTjx3Crwt~tfVcYlBtWQqDfr1Z674rS~E4jCNBxizuXrrA-dnvXHzas01OpDiF2OWX88poC9C3j~yqr-71Cs1WCABI4DznRx7~rSu-Zvtr1FqmL6qPyYxyRFiecyIfBnA8Beqkag8Zt6P22DXmK9oAph9f9E1ZMVuJqHlzNstowViHdFNr9JVBzimV1JejWA0hSaqdk6K6rbFgRq8gU6pngK-kmpBbPh0QnB-5fi8Y2dYsx1c~XdPoHeBCjjMUDIKz0gvU6lceDmzz7lwnwn1xcodadKAaCcVnDK3ZCVvJkC3x96kvMrEa1heL3wPtPGNl5n1~b4plg_&Key-Pair-Id=APKAJLOHF5GGSLRBV4ZA

interesting read on whether cannabis is a gateway to other drugs