Cannabis should not be decriminalised - AIBU?

[Alwaysoneoddsock]

I hate the smell of cannabis. It’s becoming the norm to smell it. I think decriminalising this drug will make it more prolific.
It is a gateway drug.
It does not help mental health (in fact it worsens it).
People driving under the influence of cannabis is a real issue.
AIBU to say it should not be decriminalised?

You can. It’s perfectly legal in the UK for medical reasons, on private prescription

just like we can't police someone smoking etc, this is impossible to police so should be decriminalised

lots of peoples choices aren't what we'd choose but that's free will

the state, being the NHS?, has to step in for a lot of life choices tbh, made by everyone in society. that's why it was paid for by everyone in society.

You hate the smell. That doesn’t mean you can order people not to smoke it around you.

people who smoke week do so regardless of the legal aspect. It would only mean a minimally larger amount of people would smoke.
in your opinion, it is a gateway drug. You could say the same about any lesser drug. People generally make these decisions away from a gateway aspect. For example, if they are going to take drugs then they are going to take drugs. Yes they have to start somewhere but they will just start a level up if cannabis isn’t available. Legal or not doesn’t change this.
it can help and worsen mental health. Because mental health is a coverall and can affect people very differently. Your blanket statement suggests you’ve missed the point or don’t understand.
driving is a big issue but it won’t be changed if made legal.
yes you are unreasonable.

Absolutely agree that it shouldn’t be legalised for all the reasons you posted. I cannot bear the stench and it is far stronger and longer lasting than tobacco. I’ve been to American cities that I’ve had to leave as it is so widespread. It seems to have become socially acceptable during the day in a way that alcohol is not and the smell coming out of many commercial vans as they drive is seriously concerning. It really messes with some people’s brains. Also agree with PPs saying that tobacco should be illegal and, as buying cigarettes is going to become so, it seems odd to suggest moving the other way on cannabis.

Eh, drugs need to be decriminalised and dealt with appropriately.

Who cares about the smell of week when coke and ket are so prolific and normalised in pubs across the country?

Plenty of things are difficult to police. So we should give up then? Little bit worrying don't you think. Fraud? Ah never mind. Car crime ... Too tricky does matter.

The same questions can be applied to all the alcohol and shitty food consumed, as evidenced by obesity rates. The state also needs to step in to deal with the consequences of these issues and no one is criminalised for buying takeaway nightly.

no, but marijana use yes

everyones at it! even the police don't care, they've got bigger crimes to sort than someone having themselves a very very relaxed evening

Couldn't agree more ... More does need to be done for our health as a nation and it's a bit of a ticking time bomb. Legalising cannabis would make me worse not better. I worry the agrument for legalisation is driven by tax and monetary value and less about peoples health and wellbeing long term and as a society.

So would you like to post your evidence that it has never led to taking stronger drugs?

I misread the title as cannibals and did a double take

Although I hate the smell it's like any drug (to include alcohol), should be OK in moderation.

People say that it is oh so harmless and makes them feel mellow.

Ha! I remember in my teens in the end eighties, when it was less powerful than now, how they behaved when they were feeling all ""mellow" and several days after they had smoked. The correct words would be "aggressive", "confrontational", "rude". Not to mention "exceptionally stupid". Usually the effect would kind of wear of by Thursday so they were sort of ok on Thursdays and Fridays before they smoked again in the weekend.

"Harmless", my lilly white rear end: I feared for my life because I had to spend time with those ever-so-mellow people.

You can. You can get a private prescription.

Including heroin?

I never knew that.

YABU

We live next door to a pub (we rent and werent in a position to be picky). We have people screaming and shouting outside our house at well past midnight on school nights, on weekends it can be 3am. We've had vomit right outside our front door, fights, a coke dealer trying to break in to the pub after hours. A couple of weeks ago we had the drunken louts cheering and singing at the top of their lungs while banging away on the joining wall, this was at 2am in the morning, on a school night. They don't give a single fuck about anyone around them

We used to smoke, yes it smelt, but other than the smell we have not once disturbed anyone through antisocial behaviour, and once our neighbours made us aware it was an issue for them we started taking walks across local fields to smoke instead. We've never started a fight, had a screaming match with anyone, or puked and pissed on the pavement outside people's houses. Nor did we ever move onto other substances.

You know what we did do? We got stoned and binged netflix, or got stoned and did some work, or got right into a documentary, or gamed. And ate a lot of food (which is actually why we quit, I couldn't shift the weight without stopping the munchies)

Legalise it, benefit from the tax money, allow people to open shops and give consumers a good idea of the strain and the strength they are getting.

I’m also concerned when I smell it that I’m breathing it in. Second hand cannabis smoke can’t be good for anyone. There are places where I live where you’re in the fog for minutes- babies in prams are breathing it in.

No...heroin is so addictive. You can't really tell what effect drugs will have on you before you take them.

I was trying to stay neutral but overall it's best not to in the first place. People can recover from addictions however.

Bloody hell where do you live?

Where on earth do you live? I live in the local crack den building is even here you can barely smell weed (fair, maybe they’re all on crack instead, I wouldn’t know).

Given the babies are breathing it OP, are you yourself under the influence? This fog of cannabis that hangs over your local area…

Exactly, it would bring in huge amounts of money and stop county lines too.

That’s a point - it will disproportionately impact certain areas (probably poorer)!

😂 This suggestion has always made me chuckle. It’s so simplistic.

Do you think the criminals supplying it on an industrial scale are just going to wave goodbye to that income? Or register with HMRC to start paying taxes? Not forgetting wages and NI contributions for the people they’ve trafficked into the UK and imprisoned in cannabis farms to keep the crop going?

No. Of course they won’t. They’ll either start selling skunk instead of your garden variety weed, which will set off a mental health crisis that will dwarf the obesity crisis, or they’ll diversify into other drugs and get their street dealers to start encouraging their former weed customers into taking a little pill to try, or sprinkling a freebie in with their next smoke. And even if they did carry on growing normal weed, who is going to pay full price for it if Lee at Number 32 can supply it cheaper?

Please name these areas with baby choking cannabis fogs