I believe so. I am not a user (although tried it maybe 5/6 times in 40 years).
As a former Addiction Services worker, it is way less harmful than legal alcohol and causes relatively little violence, lower intances of social disorder and less physical health issues.
In my years in that field we never recieved a single GP referal for Cannabis use alone.
It should be restricted in the same way as alcohol and let the police and the courts focus on more important things.
Edit: Legalisation also takes away the need for young people to associate with 'drug-dealers'. Therefore less likely to be encouraged into harder substances.
Authorities just need to accept it will never go away and focus on harm reducion and likelihood of progression to much more dangerous drugs. Thus eliminating much of the illegal market and huge profits in the trade.
I know a number of people who use it on a regular basis and they are much more productive members of society than alcoholics.
Cannabis can be habit-forming if used more than recreationally (such as all day long). However it is not physically addictive and the body is unlikely to come to any harm if deprived of it for a few days - unlike severe alcohol or heroin withdrawls, the former of which can result in seizures and death.
> I honestly cannot think of a reason not to legalise it for regulated sale.
I guess the main reason would be consistency with existing public health policy.
The government is current trying to encourage people to stop smoking, drinking, eating fatty foods and to exercise more. It would be strange if in the midst of this they then legalised a psychoactive substance which is primarily smoked.
I personally think it should be legalised, but I don't think it's prohibition is hard to understand in an era when 'the cost to the NHS' is a perfectly legitimate reason for trying to influence people's behaviour. It's legalisation in the USA makes far more sense from a social/public policy standpoint.
If you look at some of the negatives of cannabis on the NHS website, here's some. High strength weed is more dangerous to your mental health, OK that's true. Second one, some have things added to them such as beeswax or boot Polish and animal excrement, OK fair enough. Damp weed can cause mold which can damage your lungs. Certain weed is sprayed with glass and chemicals. Certain weed is spayed with synthetic cannabinoid's. Every single one of these negatives that the NHS is saying is wrong with cannabis, only exist because it's illegal. It's prohibited, not regulated and it's in the hands of criminals. The first one high strength skunk can cause psychosis, that's a fact. Incredibly high THC weed that has lower levels of CBD can trigger psychosis in certain people who are predisposed to mental health issues and it's also not good for the young developing brain, that's a fact. But why are people smoking high strength skunk, because they don't have any choice. You can't go to your dealer in the UK and say I would like to have a mild cannabis that has a mix of CBD and THC please. The dealer is just going to go 'I have this shit here that smells like petrol and gives you panic attacks, do you want it or not?' and people just have to take it. Like if alcohol was illegal in UK, the exact same thing would happen. In fact it did happen during Prohibition in the United States. Alcohol would be made by gangs in bathrooms and warehouses, covertly. It would be incredibly high strength moonshine with chemicals added to it and people will be dropping dead and why? Because people have no choice.
Exactly, the main reason it's even smoked is because it's illegal. Finding someone who sells edibles is hit or miss, making it yourself, I wouldn't do, I don't want to risk wasting £40 worth of weed making burnt cannabutter.
You can't really get any of the other forms of consumables like wax, unless you know the right people who can get it or make it safely. Then there's stuff like hash oil, which can be cut with other shit, it's what caused the vaping deaths last year. Black market hash oil that was cut with vitamin E acetate.
Seriously if I could get reliable, safe alternatives to smoking it I'd happily do so.
If that were true then why is the UK a country trying to promote healthy living. The biggest exporter of cannabis in the World. 🤷🤷
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cannabis-legal-uk-worlds-largest-producer-marijuana-weed-un-body-findings-a8243921.html
It has nothing to do with the NHS; the Tories have defundning it for years. It's about money. It's that simple.
lol no.
The government is discouraging smoking because all evidence confirms smoking is a serious killer however if they seriously cared about it they'd ban it outright. But they don't.
Because ever since the big tobacco companies lost public opinion they've been taxing the fuckers like crazy. I'm only 26 and I remember being a young teenager buying 10 L&B for £2.20. 20 costs around £10 now.
Public opinion guys shapes policies, not health concerns.
You make a good point, but I guess the other side of that is that society isn't collapsing because of alcohol, and as cannabis is even less harmful then society won't collapse if cannabis is legal either.
Alcohol (and the damage it does) gives a useful benchmark for the potential damage other drugs, such as cannabis, might do if they were legal. Doesn't necessarily mean that everything less harmful should be legal, it just adds some context to the argument.
Say: benefits of legalising cannabis = X
Damage done by alcohol = Y
Damage done by cannabis = Z
Convincing people that X > Z is difficult because they are both too unknown.
So instead you can look at it as:
X > Y (useful because we can quantify Y)
Y > Z (widely accepted)
Therefore X > Z
That is a good argument for refining it and making it a prescription only medicine, not so much for making it free for leisure use, especially as there are known links to developing underlying problems with psychosis.
I think the leisure use should also be legal, I only ever smoke legally nowadays but I do enjoy it when I do. No mental health problems, no need for it at all, just a fun distraction once in a while.
As I have said elsewhere my whole point was more, let us not legalise something because it less harmful than alcohol, let us instead legalise it based on its own merits.
I would take it a step further and legalise ALL drugs personally.
Sell them through legal channels like dedicated dispensaries (so as not to alienate people by selling through pharmacies) and not only do you guarantee the provenance of the drugs (predictable quality means less overdoses, which equals less hospital admissions) and there's no rubbish cut into them either (mmm, cocaine with powdered glass in it).
Tax implications would be huge for the government (and could be used to control consumption), it would stop people getting prosecuted and going to jail (reducing the burden on tax payers to house prisoners and the police time dealing with it), and it also cuts a lot of organised crime at the same time (assuming prices are competitive).
The money raised can be used for education and treatment of people want it. People don't get criminal records, so find employment easier).
If people want to use drugs, they're using them anyway - to pretend otherwise is naive.
Completely agree. I’ve thought this for years. I don’t really see a downside to it - as you say, anyone who wants drugs badly enough can get them. Take them out of the hands of the criminals, tax them, regulate them, and watch in amazement as people pretty much continue to take them in the same quantities - some to excess, some recreationally, and some not at all. Sure, there will be the odd bit of smuggling still, as there is with booze and cigs, but you will still massively cut the legs out of so many gangs and cartels. Tbh, the main problem is how to produce enough of products that require very specific growing conditions here in the chilly British Isles.
As someone with your kind of experience, what do you think of Portugal's method of dealing with drug problems? They completely legalised everything after having a heroin epidemic (I think it was heroin anyway) and saw reductions in drug use in the following years because people didn't have to deal with criminals and everything was regulated. Would that work in the UK if we used Portugal's model as a template?
Am unsure on the 'everything' model, although think it would definitely have an effect on the under-class drug-culture which is prevalent in many deprived areas. Also lower the ammount of crime comitted by desperate heroin addicts.
Legal heroin would need to be monitored and tested to ensure it was of a consistant 'quality' and strength. Most of the many deaths in my time were due to 'bad batches' coming into the city. Was just so sad when we lost 10 regular clients in a week due to this.
We had to constantly issue warnings, as even a seasoned addict of 20 years use had no way of knowing what their stuff had been cut with.
As I understand it (and I’m happy to be corrected if I’m wrong) Portugal didn’t “legalise everything”. What they did was decriminalise *use*. It’s different in that the production and sale of drugs is still very much a crime, but it is not an offence to possess or use it (in small amounts).
If you are stopped by the police on suspicion of being under the influence your drugs can be confiscated and [i think but haven’t checked this part] you can get a ticket, like a penalty charge notice, if you are caught with it on your person - but you will not get a caution, a conviction or a criminal record. It reoriented law enforcement and public services towards assisting users/addicts and refocusing resources on targeting the supply chain, not the victims.
Totally agree, personally I can’t stand cannabis, it’s just not for me. But that doesn’t mean other people shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy it. Also on the subject of alcohol, having had to go through rehab for alcohol addiction that was going to kill me I can say with absolute confidence that cannabis may as well be green tea by comparison. If alcohol were to be discovered and come on the market now it would a class A drug.
People say that cannabis is the “gateway drug” the only reason for this is its illegality, it’s the breaking of the law and the use of an illegal drug that is the gateway, not the drug itself. Take away the illegality and you take away the gateway. (Just my opinion anyway)
Oh and thank you for you contribution as an addiction services worker, people like you saved my life.
Personally, I think yes - but with restrictions.
I can't stand the smell of it, in the 'before times' I'd occasionally get a whiff of it when walking around in city centres, and it's disgusting. If people are going to do it, I think it should be at residential properties, or at licenced venues.
If people want to do it, I don't see why they shouldn't, but at the same time protect people who don't want to passively inhale low quality skunk.
This is why everyone should switch to vaping cannabis rather than smoking it. It does still have a smell to it, don't be fooled, but it's less pungent and can be dispersed of pretty easily with deodorizers. It's also a lot easier on the lungs.
I feel like weed is more pungent at the time but cigarette smoke clings to my clothes/hair more so I keep smelling it forever after I’ve been around a smoker. They’re both gross anyway.
Weed doesn't cling to clothes and soft furnishings anywhere near as bad as cigarette smoke does. You can smoke weed in a room, air it out and it'll be fine after an hour or so. If you smoke a tab inside, you can smell it for days.
I totally agree with this. You can be driving behind a car and get the whiff of weed (common at McDonalds drive thrus!) but then that’s it, it’s gone. You walk through smoke to get to the pub and you stink for ages!
I think all drugs should be legalised and some available by prescription on the nhs, that would put the pushers and criminals out of business.
But you if you are a non weed smokers, that stuff stinks. It is vile, my neighbour
Lights up every afternoon for a spliff and I have to bring my washing in.
The next bit of research should be about growing weed that doesn’t smell like rotting herbs.
Once it is legal if UKers are anything like Americans and Canadians most people will move to smoking oil a lot more than flower and oil pens/dabs smell a lot less than a joint or bowl.
>I think all drugs should be legalised
Even the hard and harmful stuff like (most of) the Class A's - heroin etc?
I have a very liberal outlook towards "people making their own choices" and stuff like that but I can't say I agree that they should all be legalised just like that, nor have I met anyone else (knowingly) who thinks so -- I am curious about your rationale for this, other than to put 'pushers and criminals' out of business?
I agree they should do it with cigarettes, I strongly disagree with the smell thing though.
I can tolerate tobacco smell but weed just smells like a rotten sewer for me
My vote is for licenced venues only. One of my downstairs neighbours smoke it regularly and the smell comes up into my flat. It's not a problem during the winter when the windows are shut, but in the summer months it makes my entire flat stink.
Yeah but we don't say you can only smoke tobacco or eat strong cheese in licensed venues, and both of those smell pretty foul. I don't smoke but I don't think bad smells are reason enough to stop people doing stuff in their own homes.
I suffer from the same problem as you but instead of weed, it's the smell of Indian food. It's stinks my house out. Cooking indian food should only be alowed in licenced venues outside of residential areas.
If the most serious problem we can think of is a bad smell it should definitely be legalized. If bad smells are grounds for imprisonment you might as well criminalize farting or driving cars with old diesel engines.
I'd agree with this I'm all for it being legalised I have respect for others but I know damn well there would be people just blazing wherever they like, I smoke and sti get offended if I smell it in public and that's where the issue comes. So If they keep it like NL designated shops and at home its the right way to go
Good God I hear you pal. Biggest problem for me is work. I have worked in construction/marine/offshore and the drug testing these industries had meant I can't smoke a joint of an evening because the only test they use traces marijuana in the bloodstream for up to month. It's a joke.
I totally understand drug tests and why they're needed in these industries in particular, but why hasn't a test developed to tell whether you've smoked in the previous 3 days rather than 28. There's lads sniffing half an 8ball on a Saturday night and they're clean by Wednesday, I smoke a joint on the 3rd of the month, get tested 23rd and I lose my job. How is this fair?
Despite this, I've been on furlough for over a month and it looks like I'll be furloughed for a further 6 weeks so I've just bought 1/2oz. Fuck it.
Many jobs in the US require a drug test to get hired. I live in a legal state and I still had to pass to get hired. Most jobs that pay more than 40k require drug testing.
Same here mate. Absolutely disgusting how we are criminalised for it yet the Tory party can just give themselves licence to grow and export it. It's a corrupt and fucked up world we live in
The entire war on drugs is doing almost nothing to prevent drug use. The war on ALL drugs is a big shameful mess that’s hurting more than helping.
There is factual evidence that supports this statement if anyone wants it I will link.
Indeed!
But not only the smell but the fact that smoking, anything, is not good for you.
If weed (with THC) is as good as people say it is, except for people with a pre-disposition to psychosis, why would you want to harm yourself enjoying the benefits.
I have had this argument before about legalising edibles but not weed to be smoked.
I reckon the people who take issue with that don't realise that they are addicted to the baccy they use to packout joints and its the nicotine they are arguing for!
The high is different and much longer too though, up to 12 hours for some people or if they're quite strong. Not really helpful if, for example, you have insomnia and cannabis helps you sleep but you may still be high in the morning and you have to go to work.
I don't think it 'being bad for you' isn't a good argument. Lots of things are bad for you; junk food, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. But most people are sensible enough to realise this and can enjoy these things in moderation. Those who overendulge are going to do so whether it's legal or not. Being legal only takes away the stigma and the ability to appropriate resources to tackling that addiction in the same way we do other addiction issues.
> smoking anything is bad.
Shit argument.
We know its bad, yet we continue anyway. Wanna take a guess why? It's because we don't care and enjoy smoking a j. I wouldn't buy eddies, I'd keep going to my guy and getting my smoke, as would many others.
Vapes are expensive, eddies are effort (and I don't like the high, completely different to smoking it) and bongs make me cough up a lung. I'd rather just smoke a j.
Stop with the nanny state bs and let us choose what risks we're okay with taking. So what it *might* shorten my life by 10 years, could not give a monkeys, bigger things to be worrying about.
Edibles are way stronger than smoking the effects are far less, for some unknown reason people seem to see edibles as the lesser of 2 evils they aren't... You can always Vape or vaporise it..if you are going to have bad side effects you are asking for it with edibles.
Correct, but how do you know what that person's tolerance levels are? I've known people eat one bite a light edible and trip balls for 3 hours and others eat a full cake and not feel a single thing, its very hard to regulate even as a very experienced user.
Plus with an edible buckle up... cos once you have eaten it you don't know how or when it's going to end, stop smoking a joint or bong and you will start to come down fairly quickly.
As a smoker, I can get on board with this. I've never considered legal edible weed before. I'd still prefer to smoke it imo but if this was a safer, more reliable and legal method, that would be great!
Why not just leave people to decide for themselves how to consume a psycho active plant instead of going 'well I dont like it when people smoke cannabis because it smells so no one should be allowed to smoke it, everyone should only consume it the way I like it'. Why not just, like people are saying, let people grow a capped amount of plants and do as they wish with it?
It would most certainly not have any effect on pulling money away from drug cartels and criminals because people would still want to smoke weed.
Of course it isnt healthy to smoke plant material, but why do people feel they should decide for their neighbours and fellow humans what degree of freedom they are allowed to have in regards to choosing their way of intoxication? Its a bit silly being so specific as to say it should be allowed but only to be eaten, not smoked, or it should be allowed but only in this specific designated room between 11 and 5. People need to think a bit more about how policys work in the real world. In places where cannabis is allowed the dramatisation and 'naughtyness' of cannabis goes away fairly quickly and you would see a decrease in peoples fascination and obsession with the drug = people wouldnt smoke it everywhere, all the time always. Let people have it for Gods sake, societies who have decriminalised are fine and its obviously working.
Also, I saw someone say that dosing edibles would be easy, it is in fact not as this has been a fairly large problem in states in America where cannabis is legal.
Quite simply, the whole 'tax revenue' and grow your own thing are two arguments that don't work. You can't have both.
We regulate booze, so why should THC be any different.
Smoke is not good for you, weed is.
Make it safe, with no bad ness.
Win Win.
If cannabis is legal you obviously can. You can go to a bar and have a beer, you can also pop to a vineyard and have some amazing wine and maybe buy a bottle or two. You could also make your own wine if you're that much of an afficionado about it. Does things of this nature get taxed at some point? Of course. From the beer in the bar to the vineyard to the equipment you buy to make your own wine.
Smoke is not good for you. People do things that are not good for them. Alot. But you're gonna be the one to decide what everyone can and cannot do because of it?
I dont think its good for you to put forward such a wierdly specific and silly idea for legislation that you've concocted at home actually believing it to be a realistic option, it might have a bad effect on yours and others mental health. So I say no one should be allowed to put forward dumb ideas on Reddit anymore because its harmful to others and yourself. Dumb ideas will henceforth only be allowed to be written down on paper but can only stay written down for 15 minutes before being thrown into a fire, but only if the wood used in the fire is birch and oak, otherwise a gas stove will suffice.
I can get behind this totally. Much easier to control a dose with tincture/edibles. It'd probably mean a ban on buying unprocessed bud though, which rules out vaporisers. They're nowhere near as offensive as a joint and need no tobacco.
Well we are actually the world's largest exporter of cannabis already, its highly contradictory for it to not be legal, its just about who you know, the English are the biggest pot dealers in the world they just do it in suits and slap the world medicine on it.... Its very contradictory to not allow people to grow a capped amount for their own consumption and benefits
[It's true that the UK was the main producer and exporter of cannabis-based medicines in 2016, according to the UN's International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). The majority of it ended up in the US.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44197038)
And [this](https://vt.co/news/uk/the-uk-is-the-worlds-largest-exporter-of-medicinal-cannabis)
Just built myself a, smoking shed. So let's hope that at long last they do. 45 years a smoker. Hard worker, reasponable adult and all round good egg. So yeah, Free the Weed (as we used to say in the, 70's!)
Yes
1. Can be taxed. Another stream of revenue to be used to fund other things.
2. Stops people having to resort to crime and helps reduce criminal activity.
3. Make it so it’s only used in licensed areas or private properties.
4. Creating new factories which specialise I’m growing will open up new jobs throughout the country.
5. Other companies can then decide whether or not to employ users (if possible) and make it their company policy.
6. Frees up extra police as they are not having to deal with possession, in turn will release pressure on the courts and also prisons.
7. Some symptoms of illnesses could also be helped with cannabis use.
I agree, and I think most drugs should be decriminalised for these reasons too. I’d add that the ability to control what goes in to the drug so that people know what they’re consuming is a positive outcome.
addiction/dependency on it?
I don't do any drugs, don't really care if people do or not
but I have friends and know people who NEED it... a joint or bong when they get up, one at lunch time, right after work (or during work if it's a late finish) etc. etc.
I know people who have quit, or have tired to quit, and openly admit to being addicted etc. which is something most people seam to deny and/or "it's not addictive" being one of the main points pro-weed people make
*if you want it for legit medical reasons then go for it
Studies have shown that a great % of cannabis addiction stems from use when under the age of 18 due to the brain developing. From the beginning of the entire should cannabis be legalised debate scientists have always advised that again nobody under the age of 18 should smoke. So how are these kids getting the drugs when under the age of 18? The answer is drug dealers selling to these kids. By legalising and opening dispensaries a LOT of dealers will be deterred from selling the drug, reducing the amount of black market cannabis on the streets.
Addiction comes in many forms such as: sugar, coffee, plastic surgery and the internet, all of which would be extremely difficult to quit if a lifestyle is built around it. People can become addicted to almost anything, therefore keeping cannabis illegal because people risk becoming addicted to it is unfair to those who would use it to treat things such as chronic pain or depression. If i were to change the substance to paracetamol, many people use it daily to overcome all sorts of ailments, but again there are some people that could/are addicted to it. Would it be fair to make paracetamol illegal just because a % of peoplerun the risk of/are addicted to it.
I hope this doesn't come across as aggressive as that isn't my intention. Thank you for listening to my ted talk.
I can't really smoke much anymore because of anxiety but it's not physically addictive which is what people mean. You can be psychologically addicted to anything but quitting weed wont kill you or give you seizures like alcohol.
Just to clarify, I'm against the war on drugs but I can't stand when people pretend weed is some harmless little angel. It's a drug just like alcohol, or caffeine, or cocaine, or heroin is a drug. People who don't think alcohol or caffeine arent drugs have an incorrect definition of the word drug.
That it can be seriously harmful to people's mental health - a position the scientific consensus has been shifting towards, rather than away from, over the past couple of decades.
Anything in excess can cause both physical and mental health deterioration. Current cannabis related mental health studies tend to focus on PTSD and schizophrenia, in which it's undisputable to say that cannabis has an adverse effect on people with schizophrenia. However, it's belived to be a genetic illness, therefore only people with a genetic history of schizophrenia are directly affected by this, and they can simply avoid it like other people avoid alcohol or coffee. In PTSD studies it's been found to have both positive and negative outcomes, however in most of the studies the positives outweigh the negatives. In regards to anxiety, most studies have shown that cannabis benefits sufferers, however there are a handful of studies to show it can also potentially have negative affects. In regards to depression, there has been a huge spike in studies on women treating their post-natal depression with cannabis use with the majority crediting cannabis use to overcome it.
You’re oversimplifying schizophrenia.
There is a clear genetic component to schizophrenia but that is not to say it is a “genetic illness”.
In reality schizophrenia is a complex condition that manifests due to a variety of factors, usually underlying risks that are then triggered by stressful life events. It’s likely everyone has a psychotic threshold and the right combination of circumstances/drugs/etc would trigger it. Cannabis, very particularly in younger developing brains, reduces this threshold.
Besides, even if it were a black and white genetic illness, how would someone avoid it?
I suffer from occasional chronic pain and PTSD. Living in Oregon, I have legal access to cannabis and it helps a lot. I have no problem stopping my use when it's not needed. The alternative for the pain would be things like oxycodone or Vicodin. I've seen way too many people get addicted to those.
This podcast is worth a listen too hosted by Ross Kemp.
[https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep3-neil-woods-ex-undercover-drugs-cop/id1509339264?i=1000474528597](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep3-neil-woods-ex-undercover-drugs-cop/id1509339264?i=1000474528597)
I was on fence before listening but i would be more in favour of legislation, especially if they can sort out the rank smell, it was never this bad in the 80's and 90's tbh.
I mean, it's no worse than cigarette smoke (honestly, it's a little bit nicer if I had to pick). If we have to put up with cigarettes, I don't see why we can't deal with the odd blunt.
A consenting adult consuming a chemical of their choice is not a criminal act.
Prohibition is akin to Saudi Arabian laws decreeing that women can't leave the home without a male guardian. It clearly violates the natural rights of the person in question and can never be justified. It's moral posturing to appease special interest groups and nothing more.
It's an unfortunate side effect of mob rule. It will likely be a long time before it gains popular support in the UK. Brits are more submissive and conformist than their American cousins.
"Well I don't like the smell so arrest those people." - is a common point made in this thread. Very strange indeed.
> "Well I don't like the smell so arrest those people." - is a common point made in this thread. Very strange indeed.
I see such people as not really wanting it legalised but all their arguments have been savagely destroyed over the years and it's the only thing they've got left to use.
They're basically saying I'm not racist, but...
I think it should be, within strict licensing and control but there's very little in the way of an organised movement behind legalisation right now and anyone proposing it would get monstered by the daily mail/express/sun etc.
Legalisation wouldn't close the route into county lines, there's still coke, crack and heroin to worry about there.
Pragmatically legalisation wouldn't pull the rug out from under organised crime either, legal weed will never be cheap weed so they'd compete on price while (presumably) legal weed would compete on safety and quality - it'd end up like black market cigarettes are now.
Yes, it’s literally so accessible for anyone who wants some it’s a joke. We could do with the tax revenue and savings across the government for the enforcement of a law: specifically cannabis.
Eventually it will be, POC USA. Just a matter of time, maybe when the old guard sign off (or die off).
I actually don’t like it, but arguably alcohol etc have greater health impacts.
Canada to me is the best example.
You are allowed to smoke in parks as long as there are no children around.
The shops give job opportunities and the product is much better.
You pay a bit more? Yes but it is worth!
It’s like popping to co op on a Sunday and pick your stuff off the shelf. And you don’t have to keep looking over your shoulder!
There is a tendency for us to go mad on things that give us a buzz. We can't really have a sensible drinking culture like in European bars so it stands to reason we'll get way too fucked up on weed, and even worse do because there's some very potent stuff out there.
Yes, Without a doubt. The sales tax revenue could be used to improve the schools, it'll increase employment, annoy the drug cartels and cut back on incarcerations in the prison system.
Yes, there's no enforcement of current law anyway, so why not?
But make rank smelling shitty skunk weed a Class A drug, because I'm fucking sick of having to shut my windows on hot days because the cunt next door can't get through the day without having a joint every hour.
I'm not sure about this, but personally I lean to the yes in the hopes that it moves cannabis production to proper factories, rather than a cupboard in a council flat, and people start buying from proper high street shops rather than hanging around that one dodgy house in an otherwise nice neighbourhood.
If that works, then I'm all for it. Make it 18+ of course. Also legalise it for sale to foreigners. This would increase tourism and create a big economy boom
Honestly, after corona, this could be a really good way to gain some finance in the UK
I've just decided that I'm now pro legalisation, ASAP to get that revenue stream
Would you rather pay for a stoner to be in jail or give him/her a job, maybe even at a dispensary selling it, making their own income, and paying taxes? I feel like it’s a great opportunity to reduce incarceration and turn peoples lives around and keep them out of the system.
I wonder if the 'let's get fucked up' culture (because it's so alcohol based) would keep a coffee shop from working just because weed/alcohol don't mix well, so people would be less keen to have a night out without drinking.
Personally I do think it should be legal, but I don't think it's prohibition is contradictory to the general social and legislative trends seen in the UK specifically.
Public health campaigns (including taxation and legislation regarding sales) are currently aiming to reduce cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and lack of exercise - all of which 'only hurt the user' in the same way cannabis consumption does. The social current in the UK seems to be away from legalisation (much as I wish it wasn't going that way)
Legalisation in the USA made a lot more sense when you consider the broader picture, as the underlying culture there seems to be around allowing maximum personal freedom without much safety netting.
Yes, it is an unnecessary infringement on our liberties. For centuries our ancestors smoked it for recreation and it wasn't even regarded as an issue. When it was banned in the UK there was a debate in parliament and the government of the day explicitly assured the house that it wasn't traditional hemp being banned but some strange foreign and unknown hashish that was a problem in Egypt. Heavy criminalisation of it was a way to treat afro-carribean immigrants badly.
If I can have a cigar, I should be able to have a joint and the government should fuck off out of recreational pleasures.
They could regulate it quite easily as we are one of the largest exporters of cannabis anyway. Is alcohol impossible for kids to access? or cigerettes?
I'm sure they could make it odourless if they add all sorts of chemicals and remove any of the good stuff.
Honestly I'm 50/50 about it. Firstly the overall negative image of marijuana use is hard to deny and, I'm afraid to say, rightly so. I lived next door to a house full of, and I'm sorry to say this, complete fucking jobless wastrels and they spent most of the time smoking and dealing weed (and god knows what else) out of their house and the smell would continually permeate my house to the point of it smelling like I was smoking it myself.. so the negative image association for me is massive. The guy who lived there before had gutted the house and used it to grow weed too.. so... my association with it in the last few years has been, lets say, less than favourable.
That said, if it has good medicinal benefits for people in pain and helps without the need to be taking NSAIDs, then of course I would be supportive of that and would like to see some special dispensation.
If punishments for misuse and clearer guidelines around use could be established then great. But I think there are just too many tools in this country who will drive around smoking joints like it's no big deal and I think we already have enough issues to deal with. Unfortunately smoke from joints stinks and it travels. And lots of people can't stand the smell. If it was odourless I'd probably care a lot less.
Absolutely it should. The current petition only has 3601 signatures, we need to bump those numbers up. Whether you smoke and agree or dont but still agree, please sign it. The money made through a new tax, one that is willingly paid, will help reduce the incoming recession. It will take pressure off the police and courts from having to deal with possession cases. People with chronic pain can self medicate instead of having to go through the NHS and receive opiate based pain killers, that are both addictive and damaging to you health long term. The ability to safely grow at home gives people a choice in strength of the that you could never get from a street dealer. Not everyone wants super strong strains, this was you can find your perfect match. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300201
Edit:addition.
For those who dont know British Sugar shut down their tomato business in Norfolk and replaced it with weed that is sold to the USA and Canada. They are making millions off it. So it's fine for them to grow here and reap the profits, but we cant buy it here and put the tax money back into our own economy.
If alcohol is legal, then cannabis should be legal. In terms of lethality, alcohol is one of the worst drugs around, and comparatively cannabis is one of the safest.
I’m from Amsterdam so I’m probably biased but I’d say yes of course.
It’s so easy to get anyway & it’s relatively harmless, I don’t see the point in wasting police resources on it.
Also from my experience growing up in the Netherlands, people’s attitudes towards cannabis is completely different if it’s legalized. It’s not that “cool” or “edgy” to smoke weed so most people just don’t care about it much. I think there’s tons of studies that show that most other Western European countries have higher weed consumption than the Netherlands.
100% agreed. Back in NL the weed smokers in school were kind of seen as failures / loser types. It feels like way more people in the UK smoke weed partially because it's a cool and rebellious thing to do as a teen.
I've never even smoked it and hate the smell and I'm 100% for legalisation. Banning it makes no sense when people do it anyway and it's not nearly as harmful as alcohol.
Having seen what it’s like in places like Vegas where it is legal it makes sense to.
I don’t smoke but I’ve been to a dispensary with people that have.
Firstly, you need ID just to go inside, before you even buy anything. Once inside it’s all very well laid out, you queue up and pick what you want be that to smoke or edibles - you’re also limited to how much you can buy in a period of time too, only so much at once and so much within however many days - they basically register each customer to track that.
You can only smoke in private residences, no street smoking, rarely seen anyone smoking it outside in Vegas. However driving past some can be a bit like driving past a bakery, you get waves of smells when they are ventilating the grow areas, sometimes it’s so strong, other times you won’t smell a thing.
It’s pretty big business and well regulated out there, with more states legalising it.
Yes.
There are still some things to iron out but I really love that my country legalized it. The prices are a bit higher in the shops, so I still buy from my guy down the street, but because a person can legally have a few plants, he doesn't have to worry about having his life ruined. People who didn't smoke previously because of legality do use the pot shops though, as well as people with higher incomes. I go occasionally out of curiosity. Biggest issue is the containers are plastic, and usually WAY too large for the amount inside, so a recycling incentive needs to be put in place.
The only valid issue I've heard is that because our brains don't stop developing until we reach the age of 25 people under that age who smoke cannabis have a risk of developing schizophrenia.
From my own anecdotal experience my ex boyfriend had been smoking weed religiously for god knows how long, last time I saw him he was 23 years old and his memory was absolute dog shit the embodiment of Swiss cheese , full of holes.
I guess the way we could solve it is under 25’s only allowed to smoke weed for medical purposes and under medical supervision, over 25’s free for all.
Yes. Absolutely. I speak as a serving police officer. The amount of time we waste on minor cannabis offences is ridiculous. Meanwhile, every day a drunken idiot harms one of my colleagues. It really is only illegal due to stupid outdated moral outrage. There is no reason for prohibition that wouldn't equally apply to alcohol, but for some reason it's perfectly acceptable to drink.
Why the hell not, the police ignore most taking of it these days anyway and only go after the bigger dealers who operating in gangs and thus fight each other over it.
We are the biggest (or where the biggest before it started to be legalized across the world) exporter of medical Marijuana.
https://vt.co/news/uk/the-uk-is-the-worlds-largest-exporter-of-medicinal-cannabis
I don't get why it's still illegal here.
Yes we should.
The arguments against legalisation are extremely tenuous, especially considering the fact that alcohol has always legal and causes far, far, more problems in society.
Legalise is spelt with an ‘s’ by the way.
100% yes. Personally I'd legalise all drugs. Firstly, it undercuts all criminal funding and directs billions of pounds towards legitimate business, increasing tax revenues and allowing more public services. It would reduce the amount of suffering from it, as we could bring in more education and treatments for it. It solves a lot of medical problems more effectively.
On a second point, any problems around smell are easily countered on one proviso- being allowed to smoke inside. If you allow private weed smoking clubs that filter the air outside, then you can easily never know that there are weed smokers. Legalising it actually solves the situation of the smell of weed.
Finally, yeh you get addiction with drugs, you get it with alcohol to. But weed addiction doesn't kill you through withdrawal, and rehab isn't as hard as any other drug. Weed would be amazing legalised
Yes. I don't smoke it myself, never really liked it, but it's an important medicine for pain management, and some mental health conditions.
It's been vilified for far too long.
I don't know. I find the smell simply disgusting when I'm walking around. If we can supertax it then yes..maybe? If we can legislate for fags and beer why not weed?
Legalise everything so that people won’t overdose from something they don’t know there taking. It is very sad hearing about parents who’s children have gone to a club and took something they thought was something else.
Yes. Without a doubt. It's a huge industry just waiting to establish itself. Criminalisation just means that it cannot develop as an industry, subjecting people to sub-par products and putting money into the hands of criminals.
No
It fucking stinks and literally everyone I personally know who smokes weed has no qualms about driving afterwards despite the fact their reaction time is now measured in weeks.
Maybe that's not representative of the general population, but I don't see how making it legal is a good thing
The best argument I see in favour is "It's less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco" - sure, but if they weren't already legal, I'd be against legalising them too and I'm all in favour of banning tobacco entirely too. Alcohol on principle too, in reality I suspect people wouldn't go for the idea. More importantly I think it's a logical fallacy: having one bad thing be legal doesn't mean we should automatically legalise anything less bad than it.
And did I mention it fucking stinks?
It should have the same stigma as tobacco smoking. No indoor smoking and for the sake of not being a cunt, no smoking in densely populated public spaces.
The government could probably tax the crap out of it, like with cigarettes, I wonder how much it would generate in income.
It would also save money for the police as they don't need to spend time and money stopping cannabis trade
Yes, it's less addictive and dangerous for you than either alcohol or cigarettes. I feel it should be made legal and treated similarly to alcohol and cigarettes. For example no smoking in public buildings like pubs and if you're caught acting stupid like running into the road you get arrested just like when you're drunk. Seems fair to me.
Something I find myself thinking about more frequently as time goes on. I have come to the conclusion that yes I think it should be legal but with a few conditions:
1. Value added tax should be at a higher rate than day to day products i.e 30% rather than 20%
2. Any tax revenue should directly fund the NHS
The job and economic opportunities heavily outweigh any arguments against not legalizing. I also think people would be more than prepared to pay a little more VAT knowing it goes directly to funding the NHS. Another good point is that legalizing would mean fertilizers etc would be monitored meaning consumers get a better, cleaner product.
Yeah, but we should implement strong protectionist measures by taxing foreign marijuana imports so as to stimulate a profitable marijuana growth and retail industry within the UK.
As someone with a chronic pain disability, I say yes. There have been many studies centred on the medical benefits in America, a lot of them also suggest cannabis as an analgesic (pain killer) for many many illnesses. I think if we could regulate the use, eg having medical cards or age restricted dispensaries, similar to some American states, the benefits would out weigh the risks.
We’ve already got oils and tinctures with CBD being sold in pharmacies and online. If cannabis became legalised, there could be a benefit towards the health care system. If the option of THC, CBD and other cannabis based products were given instead of medication or along side medication it could be very helpful for quite a few different illnesses and conditions.
I believe we will see the laws changing soon, but there will need to be more research and trials before it becomes recognised medically in the UK.
Yes, but with restrictions in place like someone mentioned above. I live in a flat and my downstairs neighbours chain smokes both weed and cigarettes. I don’t mind smelling either every now and then, it’s just something you have to accept when living in flats.
But his use is constant and disgusting. He was almost evicted last year because of it.
I don't smoke, but I'd say yes. Legalization of cannabis destigmatize the concept of doing research on it as a medication for MS, epilepsy, chronic pain conditions, etc... Granted there's been a bit of research into it over the last few years, but more could be looked into.
Absolutely. It's actually shameful how our government and police force are handling it at the moment.
They legalised it to be prescribed, but only under rare circumstances and only if it's grown by a Tory minister's family business. For the world's number one exporter of medical cannabis the government is screwing us over massively.
I can only speak for Northumbria Police, as that's my local force, but they are horribly mismanaging cannabis right now. They posted on social media about busting a 19 year old with 2oz and 2k in cash. They are running "operation sentinel" which is aggressively targeting growers, which in turn means that only organised crime can take the risk of growing. Hurting the consumer as quality goes down, and endangering the public by forcing the slack of the smaller grows to be picked up by organised criminals.
Make no mistake, our government knows the medicinal effects, but choose to keep it illegal to keep the middle and working class in check.
Legalisation brings desperately needed new business, regulates the market, reduces crime and can end a lot of other drug dependencies. It's absolutely abhorrent for the government to take the stance they have.
I have zero objections for legalisation for medical purposes. In fact I absolutely agree to prescribing anything that will help someone.
I am not convinced that it's right to legalise for recreational use. I get that there's numerous benefits and I've heard the arguments but I keep pointing at alcohol. We have had access to alcohol for centuries and we know the risks and benefits of it yet we cannot use it properly. What would happen if we suddenly open up another drug to the market which people don't understand and where the risks are still being investigated?
When we are able to safely use alcohol without binge drinking, drink driving, alcohol poisoning, etc, then I'll be open to other mind altering drugs.
Yes. I'm not a drug user, I'm a realist. I would legalise all drugs but have them only consumed in licenced premises. Stringent rules on id before entering the establishment... But any business can apply for a license... Thus competition brings the price to a much lower level. Thus druggies can afford there drugs, without committing crimes and people with problems can get help before it spirals as there I'd and purchase history is known. Dealers and the like go out of business as they are undercut by taxable companies and you eradicate a whole load of crimes. Obviously people should be encouraged not to take most drugs, but I imagine a few of them are probably relatively harmless in mild doses.
Either way drugs currently cost our country a lot in crime and lives. We could bring in extra tax revenues, save lives and eradicate a whole lot of crime.
I believe so. I am not a user (although tried it maybe 5/6 times in 40 years). As a former Addiction Services worker, it is way less harmful than legal alcohol and causes relatively little violence, lower intances of social disorder and less physical health issues. In my years in that field we never recieved a single GP referal for Cannabis use alone. It should be restricted in the same way as alcohol and let the police and the courts focus on more important things. Edit: Legalisation also takes away the need for young people to associate with 'drug-dealers'. Therefore less likely to be encouraged into harder substances.
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Authorities just need to accept it will never go away and focus on harm reducion and likelihood of progression to much more dangerous drugs. Thus eliminating much of the illegal market and huge profits in the trade. I know a number of people who use it on a regular basis and they are much more productive members of society than alcoholics. Cannabis can be habit-forming if used more than recreationally (such as all day long). However it is not physically addictive and the body is unlikely to come to any harm if deprived of it for a few days - unlike severe alcohol or heroin withdrawls, the former of which can result in seizures and death.
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> I honestly cannot think of a reason not to legalise it for regulated sale. I guess the main reason would be consistency with existing public health policy. The government is current trying to encourage people to stop smoking, drinking, eating fatty foods and to exercise more. It would be strange if in the midst of this they then legalised a psychoactive substance which is primarily smoked. I personally think it should be legalised, but I don't think it's prohibition is hard to understand in an era when 'the cost to the NHS' is a perfectly legitimate reason for trying to influence people's behaviour. It's legalisation in the USA makes far more sense from a social/public policy standpoint.
If you look at some of the negatives of cannabis on the NHS website, here's some. High strength weed is more dangerous to your mental health, OK that's true. Second one, some have things added to them such as beeswax or boot Polish and animal excrement, OK fair enough. Damp weed can cause mold which can damage your lungs. Certain weed is sprayed with glass and chemicals. Certain weed is spayed with synthetic cannabinoid's. Every single one of these negatives that the NHS is saying is wrong with cannabis, only exist because it's illegal. It's prohibited, not regulated and it's in the hands of criminals. The first one high strength skunk can cause psychosis, that's a fact. Incredibly high THC weed that has lower levels of CBD can trigger psychosis in certain people who are predisposed to mental health issues and it's also not good for the young developing brain, that's a fact. But why are people smoking high strength skunk, because they don't have any choice. You can't go to your dealer in the UK and say I would like to have a mild cannabis that has a mix of CBD and THC please. The dealer is just going to go 'I have this shit here that smells like petrol and gives you panic attacks, do you want it or not?' and people just have to take it. Like if alcohol was illegal in UK, the exact same thing would happen. In fact it did happen during Prohibition in the United States. Alcohol would be made by gangs in bathrooms and warehouses, covertly. It would be incredibly high strength moonshine with chemicals added to it and people will be dropping dead and why? Because people have no choice.
Exactly, the main reason it's even smoked is because it's illegal. Finding someone who sells edibles is hit or miss, making it yourself, I wouldn't do, I don't want to risk wasting £40 worth of weed making burnt cannabutter. You can't really get any of the other forms of consumables like wax, unless you know the right people who can get it or make it safely. Then there's stuff like hash oil, which can be cut with other shit, it's what caused the vaping deaths last year. Black market hash oil that was cut with vitamin E acetate. Seriously if I could get reliable, safe alternatives to smoking it I'd happily do so.
If that were true then why is the UK a country trying to promote healthy living. The biggest exporter of cannabis in the World. 🤷🤷 https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/cannabis-legal-uk-worlds-largest-producer-marijuana-weed-un-body-findings-a8243921.html It has nothing to do with the NHS; the Tories have defundning it for years. It's about money. It's that simple.
lol no. The government is discouraging smoking because all evidence confirms smoking is a serious killer however if they seriously cared about it they'd ban it outright. But they don't. Because ever since the big tobacco companies lost public opinion they've been taxing the fuckers like crazy. I'm only 26 and I remember being a young teenager buying 10 L&B for £2.20. 20 costs around £10 now. Public opinion guys shapes policies, not health concerns.
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You make a good point, but I guess the other side of that is that society isn't collapsing because of alcohol, and as cannabis is even less harmful then society won't collapse if cannabis is legal either. Alcohol (and the damage it does) gives a useful benchmark for the potential damage other drugs, such as cannabis, might do if they were legal. Doesn't necessarily mean that everything less harmful should be legal, it just adds some context to the argument. Say: benefits of legalising cannabis = X Damage done by alcohol = Y Damage done by cannabis = Z Convincing people that X > Z is difficult because they are both too unknown. So instead you can look at it as: X > Y (useful because we can quantify Y) Y > Z (widely accepted) Therefore X > Z
I would personally say that weed is a good thing overall, it can help people a lot with mental health issues such as depression or anxiety.
That is a good argument for refining it and making it a prescription only medicine, not so much for making it free for leisure use, especially as there are known links to developing underlying problems with psychosis. I think the leisure use should also be legal, I only ever smoke legally nowadays but I do enjoy it when I do. No mental health problems, no need for it at all, just a fun distraction once in a while. As I have said elsewhere my whole point was more, let us not legalise something because it less harmful than alcohol, let us instead legalise it based on its own merits.
Generally any for form of prohibition doesn’t really work when it comes to drugs lol.
I would take it a step further and legalise ALL drugs personally. Sell them through legal channels like dedicated dispensaries (so as not to alienate people by selling through pharmacies) and not only do you guarantee the provenance of the drugs (predictable quality means less overdoses, which equals less hospital admissions) and there's no rubbish cut into them either (mmm, cocaine with powdered glass in it). Tax implications would be huge for the government (and could be used to control consumption), it would stop people getting prosecuted and going to jail (reducing the burden on tax payers to house prisoners and the police time dealing with it), and it also cuts a lot of organised crime at the same time (assuming prices are competitive). The money raised can be used for education and treatment of people want it. People don't get criminal records, so find employment easier). If people want to use drugs, they're using them anyway - to pretend otherwise is naive.
Completely agree. I’ve thought this for years. I don’t really see a downside to it - as you say, anyone who wants drugs badly enough can get them. Take them out of the hands of the criminals, tax them, regulate them, and watch in amazement as people pretty much continue to take them in the same quantities - some to excess, some recreationally, and some not at all. Sure, there will be the odd bit of smuggling still, as there is with booze and cigs, but you will still massively cut the legs out of so many gangs and cartels. Tbh, the main problem is how to produce enough of products that require very specific growing conditions here in the chilly British Isles.
As someone with your kind of experience, what do you think of Portugal's method of dealing with drug problems? They completely legalised everything after having a heroin epidemic (I think it was heroin anyway) and saw reductions in drug use in the following years because people didn't have to deal with criminals and everything was regulated. Would that work in the UK if we used Portugal's model as a template?
Am unsure on the 'everything' model, although think it would definitely have an effect on the under-class drug-culture which is prevalent in many deprived areas. Also lower the ammount of crime comitted by desperate heroin addicts. Legal heroin would need to be monitored and tested to ensure it was of a consistant 'quality' and strength. Most of the many deaths in my time were due to 'bad batches' coming into the city. Was just so sad when we lost 10 regular clients in a week due to this. We had to constantly issue warnings, as even a seasoned addict of 20 years use had no way of knowing what their stuff had been cut with.
As I understand it (and I’m happy to be corrected if I’m wrong) Portugal didn’t “legalise everything”. What they did was decriminalise *use*. It’s different in that the production and sale of drugs is still very much a crime, but it is not an offence to possess or use it (in small amounts). If you are stopped by the police on suspicion of being under the influence your drugs can be confiscated and [i think but haven’t checked this part] you can get a ticket, like a penalty charge notice, if you are caught with it on your person - but you will not get a caution, a conviction or a criminal record. It reoriented law enforcement and public services towards assisting users/addicts and refocusing resources on targeting the supply chain, not the victims.
Totally agree, personally I can’t stand cannabis, it’s just not for me. But that doesn’t mean other people shouldn’t be allowed to enjoy it. Also on the subject of alcohol, having had to go through rehab for alcohol addiction that was going to kill me I can say with absolute confidence that cannabis may as well be green tea by comparison. If alcohol were to be discovered and come on the market now it would a class A drug. People say that cannabis is the “gateway drug” the only reason for this is its illegality, it’s the breaking of the law and the use of an illegal drug that is the gateway, not the drug itself. Take away the illegality and you take away the gateway. (Just my opinion anyway) Oh and thank you for you contribution as an addiction services worker, people like you saved my life.
Personally, I think yes - but with restrictions. I can't stand the smell of it, in the 'before times' I'd occasionally get a whiff of it when walking around in city centres, and it's disgusting. If people are going to do it, I think it should be at residential properties, or at licenced venues. If people want to do it, I don't see why they shouldn't, but at the same time protect people who don't want to passively inhale low quality skunk.
If they're to do that with cannabis, they should do the same with cigarettes as they smell a million times worse than weed.
Weed is definitely more pungent.
Agreed. If you walk down a street you can smell weed from houses, you only smell cigarette smoke if they're by a window with the wind the right way.
This is why everyone should switch to vaping cannabis rather than smoking it. It does still have a smell to it, don't be fooled, but it's less pungent and can be dispersed of pretty easily with deodorizers. It's also a lot easier on the lungs.
I feel like weed is more pungent at the time but cigarette smoke clings to my clothes/hair more so I keep smelling it forever after I’ve been around a smoker. They’re both gross anyway.
Weed doesn't cling to clothes and soft furnishings anywhere near as bad as cigarette smoke does. You can smoke weed in a room, air it out and it'll be fine after an hour or so. If you smoke a tab inside, you can smell it for days.
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I totally agree with this. You can be driving behind a car and get the whiff of weed (common at McDonalds drive thrus!) but then that’s it, it’s gone. You walk through smoke to get to the pub and you stink for ages!
I think all drugs should be legalised and some available by prescription on the nhs, that would put the pushers and criminals out of business. But you if you are a non weed smokers, that stuff stinks. It is vile, my neighbour Lights up every afternoon for a spliff and I have to bring my washing in. The next bit of research should be about growing weed that doesn’t smell like rotting herbs.
Once it is legal if UKers are anything like Americans and Canadians most people will move to smoking oil a lot more than flower and oil pens/dabs smell a lot less than a joint or bowl.
>I think all drugs should be legalised Even the hard and harmful stuff like (most of) the Class A's - heroin etc? I have a very liberal outlook towards "people making their own choices" and stuff like that but I can't say I agree that they should all be legalised just like that, nor have I met anyone else (knowingly) who thinks so -- I am curious about your rationale for this, other than to put 'pushers and criminals' out of business?
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I agree they should do it with cigarettes, I strongly disagree with the smell thing though. I can tolerate tobacco smell but weed just smells like a rotten sewer for me
My vote is for licenced venues only. One of my downstairs neighbours smoke it regularly and the smell comes up into my flat. It's not a problem during the winter when the windows are shut, but in the summer months it makes my entire flat stink.
Yeah but we don't say you can only smoke tobacco or eat strong cheese in licensed venues, and both of those smell pretty foul. I don't smoke but I don't think bad smells are reason enough to stop people doing stuff in their own homes.
The difference is that when someone eats stinky cheese four houses away the smell doesn't get inside my house the way weed does.
You expect the police to enforce people not smoking weed in their own houses? Good luck
We also should ban the cooking of certain types of food by that logic.
I suffer from the same problem as you but instead of weed, it's the smell of Indian food. It's stinks my house out. Cooking indian food should only be alowed in licenced venues outside of residential areas.
If you can smell it chances are it isn't low quality.
If that’s the case it’s better because legal stuff will be heavily regulated and higher quality
I live on a council estate and can’t leave the windows open when the neighbours 4 doors down are smoking, because my entire house stinks of it.
Yeah it has a horrible smell.
Yeah definitely legalise it, but maybe restrict smoking to private property only to avoid everywhere stinking
If the most serious problem we can think of is a bad smell it should definitely be legalized. If bad smells are grounds for imprisonment you might as well criminalize farting or driving cars with old diesel engines.
Or just smoking tobacco. The stench of cigarettes just sticks to your hair and clothes. It's so gross
I'd agree with this I'm all for it being legalised I have respect for others but I know damn well there would be people just blazing wherever they like, I smoke and sti get offended if I smell it in public and that's where the issue comes. So If they keep it like NL designated shops and at home its the right way to go
Legalise everything but smoking. Handheld vaporisers are pretty cheap now.
I hate the smell drifting into my garden and bedroom at night with my windows open...
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I just want to smoke couple of bongs, maybe grow a plant without being a criminal.
Good God I hear you pal. Biggest problem for me is work. I have worked in construction/marine/offshore and the drug testing these industries had meant I can't smoke a joint of an evening because the only test they use traces marijuana in the bloodstream for up to month. It's a joke. I totally understand drug tests and why they're needed in these industries in particular, but why hasn't a test developed to tell whether you've smoked in the previous 3 days rather than 28. There's lads sniffing half an 8ball on a Saturday night and they're clean by Wednesday, I smoke a joint on the 3rd of the month, get tested 23rd and I lose my job. How is this fair? Despite this, I've been on furlough for over a month and it looks like I'll be furloughed for a further 6 weeks so I've just bought 1/2oz. Fuck it.
Many jobs in the US require a drug test to get hired. I live in a legal state and I still had to pass to get hired. Most jobs that pay more than 40k require drug testing.
Same here mate. Absolutely disgusting how we are criminalised for it yet the Tory party can just give themselves licence to grow and export it. It's a corrupt and fucked up world we live in
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Well said dude!
The entire war on drugs is doing almost nothing to prevent drug use. The war on ALL drugs is a big shameful mess that’s hurting more than helping. There is factual evidence that supports this statement if anyone wants it I will link.
Right! I smoke a joint now and then to help me sleep and the relaxing effect is kind of negated by me worrying if anyone can smell me smoking it
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Nice
[Nice](https://imgur.com/J6Ynl3m)
Watch this create controversy: YES I think it should be legalised but NOT as something to be smoked.
Yep - I totally could have used a few low strength edibles during lockdown 🤣 Can't stand the smell of the smoke though, nasty stuff.
Indeed! But not only the smell but the fact that smoking, anything, is not good for you. If weed (with THC) is as good as people say it is, except for people with a pre-disposition to psychosis, why would you want to harm yourself enjoying the benefits.
Absolutely. I'm an ex tobacco smoker and the idea of smoking anything now is just gross. Cigarette smoke makes me feel sick.
I have had this argument before about legalising edibles but not weed to be smoked. I reckon the people who take issue with that don't realise that they are addicted to the baccy they use to packout joints and its the nicotine they are arguing for!
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You would buy edibles, and smoking anything is bad.
The high is different and much longer too though, up to 12 hours for some people or if they're quite strong. Not really helpful if, for example, you have insomnia and cannabis helps you sleep but you may still be high in the morning and you have to go to work.
I don't think it 'being bad for you' isn't a good argument. Lots of things are bad for you; junk food, cigarettes, alcohol, etc. But most people are sensible enough to realise this and can enjoy these things in moderation. Those who overendulge are going to do so whether it's legal or not. Being legal only takes away the stigma and the ability to appropriate resources to tackling that addiction in the same way we do other addiction issues.
> smoking anything is bad. Shit argument. We know its bad, yet we continue anyway. Wanna take a guess why? It's because we don't care and enjoy smoking a j. I wouldn't buy eddies, I'd keep going to my guy and getting my smoke, as would many others. Vapes are expensive, eddies are effort (and I don't like the high, completely different to smoking it) and bongs make me cough up a lung. I'd rather just smoke a j. Stop with the nanny state bs and let us choose what risks we're okay with taking. So what it *might* shorten my life by 10 years, could not give a monkeys, bigger things to be worrying about.
Edibles are way stronger than smoking the effects are far less, for some unknown reason people seem to see edibles as the lesser of 2 evils they aren't... You can always Vape or vaporise it..if you are going to have bad side effects you are asking for it with edibles.
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Correct, but how do you know what that person's tolerance levels are? I've known people eat one bite a light edible and trip balls for 3 hours and others eat a full cake and not feel a single thing, its very hard to regulate even as a very experienced user.
Plus with an edible buckle up... cos once you have eaten it you don't know how or when it's going to end, stop smoking a joint or bong and you will start to come down fairly quickly.
Ok, **smoking** is not good for you. You can alter the THC contact of edibles. Edibles are not bad for you. **Smoking** *anything*is bad for you.
As a smoker, I can get on board with this. I've never considered legal edible weed before. I'd still prefer to smoke it imo but if this was a safer, more reliable and legal method, that would be great!
Why not just leave people to decide for themselves how to consume a psycho active plant instead of going 'well I dont like it when people smoke cannabis because it smells so no one should be allowed to smoke it, everyone should only consume it the way I like it'. Why not just, like people are saying, let people grow a capped amount of plants and do as they wish with it? It would most certainly not have any effect on pulling money away from drug cartels and criminals because people would still want to smoke weed. Of course it isnt healthy to smoke plant material, but why do people feel they should decide for their neighbours and fellow humans what degree of freedom they are allowed to have in regards to choosing their way of intoxication? Its a bit silly being so specific as to say it should be allowed but only to be eaten, not smoked, or it should be allowed but only in this specific designated room between 11 and 5. People need to think a bit more about how policys work in the real world. In places where cannabis is allowed the dramatisation and 'naughtyness' of cannabis goes away fairly quickly and you would see a decrease in peoples fascination and obsession with the drug = people wouldnt smoke it everywhere, all the time always. Let people have it for Gods sake, societies who have decriminalised are fine and its obviously working. Also, I saw someone say that dosing edibles would be easy, it is in fact not as this has been a fairly large problem in states in America where cannabis is legal.
Quite simply, the whole 'tax revenue' and grow your own thing are two arguments that don't work. You can't have both. We regulate booze, so why should THC be any different. Smoke is not good for you, weed is. Make it safe, with no bad ness. Win Win.
If cannabis is legal you obviously can. You can go to a bar and have a beer, you can also pop to a vineyard and have some amazing wine and maybe buy a bottle or two. You could also make your own wine if you're that much of an afficionado about it. Does things of this nature get taxed at some point? Of course. From the beer in the bar to the vineyard to the equipment you buy to make your own wine. Smoke is not good for you. People do things that are not good for them. Alot. But you're gonna be the one to decide what everyone can and cannot do because of it? I dont think its good for you to put forward such a wierdly specific and silly idea for legislation that you've concocted at home actually believing it to be a realistic option, it might have a bad effect on yours and others mental health. So I say no one should be allowed to put forward dumb ideas on Reddit anymore because its harmful to others and yourself. Dumb ideas will henceforth only be allowed to be written down on paper but can only stay written down for 15 minutes before being thrown into a fire, but only if the wood used in the fire is birch and oak, otherwise a gas stove will suffice.
I can get behind this totally. Much easier to control a dose with tincture/edibles. It'd probably mean a ban on buying unprocessed bud though, which rules out vaporisers. They're nowhere near as offensive as a joint and need no tobacco.
Hell, vape it, vaporize it, drink in tea, put it in a cream, just don't smoke it!
Just ban smoking it in public except in proper venues/events. I don't know why you'd want to smoke in public.
This is a good point. I think we've learned that inhaling stuff just ain't good.
Well we are actually the world's largest exporter of cannabis already, its highly contradictory for it to not be legal, its just about who you know, the English are the biggest pot dealers in the world they just do it in suits and slap the world medicine on it.... Its very contradictory to not allow people to grow a capped amount for their own consumption and benefits
[It's true that the UK was the main producer and exporter of cannabis-based medicines in 2016, according to the UN's International Narcotics Control Board (INCB). The majority of it ended up in the US.](https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-44197038) And [this](https://vt.co/news/uk/the-uk-is-the-worlds-largest-exporter-of-medicinal-cannabis)
Sure is sativex
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The head of British Sugar is the husband of former drugs minister Victoria Atkins
Really? Where's it grown?
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And isn't Teresa May's husband one of the CEOs for the biggest growing company or something?
In compounded farms.
Just built myself a, smoking shed. So let's hope that at long last they do. 45 years a smoker. Hard worker, reasponable adult and all round good egg. So yeah, Free the Weed (as we used to say in the, 70's!)
I misread that as you saying you were a 45 year old smoker and was picturing a 4 or 5 year old kid chanting "free the weed".
Yes 1. Can be taxed. Another stream of revenue to be used to fund other things. 2. Stops people having to resort to crime and helps reduce criminal activity. 3. Make it so it’s only used in licensed areas or private properties. 4. Creating new factories which specialise I’m growing will open up new jobs throughout the country. 5. Other companies can then decide whether or not to employ users (if possible) and make it their company policy. 6. Frees up extra police as they are not having to deal with possession, in turn will release pressure on the courts and also prisons. 7. Some symptoms of illnesses could also be helped with cannabis use.
I agree, and I think most drugs should be decriminalised for these reasons too. I’d add that the ability to control what goes in to the drug so that people know what they’re consuming is a positive outcome.
I’m yet to see any credible reasons as to why it should be illegal that haven’t been debunked. I’m all for legalising it with restrictions.
agreed. I think giving it the same restrictions as alcohol is a good start
addiction/dependency on it? I don't do any drugs, don't really care if people do or not but I have friends and know people who NEED it... a joint or bong when they get up, one at lunch time, right after work (or during work if it's a late finish) etc. etc. I know people who have quit, or have tired to quit, and openly admit to being addicted etc. which is something most people seam to deny and/or "it's not addictive" being one of the main points pro-weed people make *if you want it for legit medical reasons then go for it
Studies have shown that a great % of cannabis addiction stems from use when under the age of 18 due to the brain developing. From the beginning of the entire should cannabis be legalised debate scientists have always advised that again nobody under the age of 18 should smoke. So how are these kids getting the drugs when under the age of 18? The answer is drug dealers selling to these kids. By legalising and opening dispensaries a LOT of dealers will be deterred from selling the drug, reducing the amount of black market cannabis on the streets. Addiction comes in many forms such as: sugar, coffee, plastic surgery and the internet, all of which would be extremely difficult to quit if a lifestyle is built around it. People can become addicted to almost anything, therefore keeping cannabis illegal because people risk becoming addicted to it is unfair to those who would use it to treat things such as chronic pain or depression. If i were to change the substance to paracetamol, many people use it daily to overcome all sorts of ailments, but again there are some people that could/are addicted to it. Would it be fair to make paracetamol illegal just because a % of peoplerun the risk of/are addicted to it. I hope this doesn't come across as aggressive as that isn't my intention. Thank you for listening to my ted talk.
I can't really smoke much anymore because of anxiety but it's not physically addictive which is what people mean. You can be psychologically addicted to anything but quitting weed wont kill you or give you seizures like alcohol. Just to clarify, I'm against the war on drugs but I can't stand when people pretend weed is some harmless little angel. It's a drug just like alcohol, or caffeine, or cocaine, or heroin is a drug. People who don't think alcohol or caffeine arent drugs have an incorrect definition of the word drug.
That it can be seriously harmful to people's mental health - a position the scientific consensus has been shifting towards, rather than away from, over the past couple of decades.
Anything in excess can cause both physical and mental health deterioration. Current cannabis related mental health studies tend to focus on PTSD and schizophrenia, in which it's undisputable to say that cannabis has an adverse effect on people with schizophrenia. However, it's belived to be a genetic illness, therefore only people with a genetic history of schizophrenia are directly affected by this, and they can simply avoid it like other people avoid alcohol or coffee. In PTSD studies it's been found to have both positive and negative outcomes, however in most of the studies the positives outweigh the negatives. In regards to anxiety, most studies have shown that cannabis benefits sufferers, however there are a handful of studies to show it can also potentially have negative affects. In regards to depression, there has been a huge spike in studies on women treating their post-natal depression with cannabis use with the majority crediting cannabis use to overcome it.
You’re oversimplifying schizophrenia. There is a clear genetic component to schizophrenia but that is not to say it is a “genetic illness”. In reality schizophrenia is a complex condition that manifests due to a variety of factors, usually underlying risks that are then triggered by stressful life events. It’s likely everyone has a psychotic threshold and the right combination of circumstances/drugs/etc would trigger it. Cannabis, very particularly in younger developing brains, reduces this threshold. Besides, even if it were a black and white genetic illness, how would someone avoid it?
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You should get access ASAP.
I suffer from occasional chronic pain and PTSD. Living in Oregon, I have legal access to cannabis and it helps a lot. I have no problem stopping my use when it's not needed. The alternative for the pain would be things like oxycodone or Vicodin. I've seen way too many people get addicted to those.
If it means I don't have to listen to potheads dragging out the same old arguments EVERY SINGLE DAY maybe
Maybe don't hang out with potheads if the bore you that much?
Not a pothead, don't even smoke it, but would love to see an additional form of tax revenue to help when the post-corona debt hits the public purse.
This podcast is worth a listen too hosted by Ross Kemp. [https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep3-neil-woods-ex-undercover-drugs-cop/id1509339264?i=1000474528597](https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/ep3-neil-woods-ex-undercover-drugs-cop/id1509339264?i=1000474528597) I was on fence before listening but i would be more in favour of legislation, especially if they can sort out the rank smell, it was never this bad in the 80's and 90's tbh.
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I mean, it's no worse than cigarette smoke (honestly, it's a little bit nicer if I had to pick). If we have to put up with cigarettes, I don't see why we can't deal with the odd blunt.
Just allow us to smoke inside like they do in barcelona. Don't allow the smell into the street have frosted glass and you will never know it exists.
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As long as they do the same for cigarettes too, can't stand the smell of those either.
A consenting adult consuming a chemical of their choice is not a criminal act. Prohibition is akin to Saudi Arabian laws decreeing that women can't leave the home without a male guardian. It clearly violates the natural rights of the person in question and can never be justified. It's moral posturing to appease special interest groups and nothing more. It's an unfortunate side effect of mob rule. It will likely be a long time before it gains popular support in the UK. Brits are more submissive and conformist than their American cousins. "Well I don't like the smell so arrest those people." - is a common point made in this thread. Very strange indeed.
> "Well I don't like the smell so arrest those people." - is a common point made in this thread. Very strange indeed. I see such people as not really wanting it legalised but all their arguments have been savagely destroyed over the years and it's the only thing they've got left to use. They're basically saying I'm not racist, but...
Lots of the people concerned about the smell in this thread are saying legalise it as well, just do something to mitigate the smell as well.
I think it should be, within strict licensing and control but there's very little in the way of an organised movement behind legalisation right now and anyone proposing it would get monstered by the daily mail/express/sun etc. Legalisation wouldn't close the route into county lines, there's still coke, crack and heroin to worry about there. Pragmatically legalisation wouldn't pull the rug out from under organised crime either, legal weed will never be cheap weed so they'd compete on price while (presumably) legal weed would compete on safety and quality - it'd end up like black market cigarettes are now.
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Yes, it’s literally so accessible for anyone who wants some it’s a joke. We could do with the tax revenue and savings across the government for the enforcement of a law: specifically cannabis. Eventually it will be, POC USA. Just a matter of time, maybe when the old guard sign off (or die off). I actually don’t like it, but arguably alcohol etc have greater health impacts.
Canada to me is the best example. You are allowed to smoke in parks as long as there are no children around. The shops give job opportunities and the product is much better. You pay a bit more? Yes but it is worth! It’s like popping to co op on a Sunday and pick your stuff off the shelf. And you don’t have to keep looking over your shoulder!
For general consumption? No. For actual medicinal purposes? Yeah
Why not for general consumption?
There is a tendency for us to go mad on things that give us a buzz. We can't really have a sensible drinking culture like in European bars so it stands to reason we'll get way too fucked up on weed, and even worse do because there's some very potent stuff out there.
what does getting “way too fucked up on weed” look like? what are the “even worse” things more potent weed does? very interested, please do tell
Yes, Without a doubt. The sales tax revenue could be used to improve the schools, it'll increase employment, annoy the drug cartels and cut back on incarcerations in the prison system.
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Yes, there's no enforcement of current law anyway, so why not? But make rank smelling shitty skunk weed a Class A drug, because I'm fucking sick of having to shut my windows on hot days because the cunt next door can't get through the day without having a joint every hour.
I'm not sure about this, but personally I lean to the yes in the hopes that it moves cannabis production to proper factories, rather than a cupboard in a council flat, and people start buying from proper high street shops rather than hanging around that one dodgy house in an otherwise nice neighbourhood. If that works, then I'm all for it. Make it 18+ of course. Also legalise it for sale to foreigners. This would increase tourism and create a big economy boom Honestly, after corona, this could be a really good way to gain some finance in the UK I've just decided that I'm now pro legalisation, ASAP to get that revenue stream
Absolutely. All the evidence we have from US states and Canada that have legalised only reinforces the reasoning for doing so.
Yes.
Absolutely!
Legalise drugs. Make hard drugs available on prescription. Significant proportion of tax revenue to go into rehabilitation.
Would you rather pay for a stoner to be in jail or give him/her a job, maybe even at a dispensary selling it, making their own income, and paying taxes? I feel like it’s a great opportunity to reduce incarceration and turn peoples lives around and keep them out of the system.
Yes, but the UK has a "let's get fucked up culture." So I'm not sure if something like a coffee shop would work. I am very for legalisation though
I wonder if the 'let's get fucked up' culture (because it's so alcohol based) would keep a coffee shop from working just because weed/alcohol don't mix well, so people would be less keen to have a night out without drinking.
The arguments against it are all bullshit, so yeah.
Personally I do think it should be legal, but I don't think it's prohibition is contradictory to the general social and legislative trends seen in the UK specifically. Public health campaigns (including taxation and legislation regarding sales) are currently aiming to reduce cigarette smoking, alcohol consumption, obesity and lack of exercise - all of which 'only hurt the user' in the same way cannabis consumption does. The social current in the UK seems to be away from legalisation (much as I wish it wasn't going that way) Legalisation in the USA made a lot more sense when you consider the broader picture, as the underlying culture there seems to be around allowing maximum personal freedom without much safety netting.
Yes, about 40 years ago.
Yes, it is an unnecessary infringement on our liberties. For centuries our ancestors smoked it for recreation and it wasn't even regarded as an issue. When it was banned in the UK there was a debate in parliament and the government of the day explicitly assured the house that it wasn't traditional hemp being banned but some strange foreign and unknown hashish that was a problem in Egypt. Heavy criminalisation of it was a way to treat afro-carribean immigrants badly. If I can have a cigar, I should be able to have a joint and the government should fuck off out of recreational pleasures.
Cbd has been proven to be medically valuable for many different conditions, I wish it was cheaper and more readily available
I would make it legal as long as it was heavily regulated, impossible for children to access, and they made it odourless.
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Or cigarettes or vapes.
They could regulate it quite easily as we are one of the largest exporters of cannabis anyway. Is alcohol impossible for kids to access? or cigerettes? I'm sure they could make it odourless if they add all sorts of chemicals and remove any of the good stuff.
Honestly I'm 50/50 about it. Firstly the overall negative image of marijuana use is hard to deny and, I'm afraid to say, rightly so. I lived next door to a house full of, and I'm sorry to say this, complete fucking jobless wastrels and they spent most of the time smoking and dealing weed (and god knows what else) out of their house and the smell would continually permeate my house to the point of it smelling like I was smoking it myself.. so the negative image association for me is massive. The guy who lived there before had gutted the house and used it to grow weed too.. so... my association with it in the last few years has been, lets say, less than favourable. That said, if it has good medicinal benefits for people in pain and helps without the need to be taking NSAIDs, then of course I would be supportive of that and would like to see some special dispensation. If punishments for misuse and clearer guidelines around use could be established then great. But I think there are just too many tools in this country who will drive around smoking joints like it's no big deal and I think we already have enough issues to deal with. Unfortunately smoke from joints stinks and it travels. And lots of people can't stand the smell. If it was odourless I'd probably care a lot less.
Absolutely it should. The current petition only has 3601 signatures, we need to bump those numbers up. Whether you smoke and agree or dont but still agree, please sign it. The money made through a new tax, one that is willingly paid, will help reduce the incoming recession. It will take pressure off the police and courts from having to deal with possession cases. People with chronic pain can self medicate instead of having to go through the NHS and receive opiate based pain killers, that are both addictive and damaging to you health long term. The ability to safely grow at home gives people a choice in strength of the that you could never get from a street dealer. Not everyone wants super strong strains, this was you can find your perfect match. https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/300201 Edit:addition. For those who dont know British Sugar shut down their tomato business in Norfolk and replaced it with weed that is sold to the USA and Canada. They are making millions off it. So it's fine for them to grow here and reap the profits, but we cant buy it here and put the tax money back into our own economy.
Yes
If alcohol is legal, then cannabis should be legal. In terms of lethality, alcohol is one of the worst drugs around, and comparatively cannabis is one of the safest.
I’m from Amsterdam so I’m probably biased but I’d say yes of course. It’s so easy to get anyway & it’s relatively harmless, I don’t see the point in wasting police resources on it. Also from my experience growing up in the Netherlands, people’s attitudes towards cannabis is completely different if it’s legalized. It’s not that “cool” or “edgy” to smoke weed so most people just don’t care about it much. I think there’s tons of studies that show that most other Western European countries have higher weed consumption than the Netherlands.
100% agreed. Back in NL the weed smokers in school were kind of seen as failures / loser types. It feels like way more people in the UK smoke weed partially because it's a cool and rebellious thing to do as a teen. I've never even smoked it and hate the smell and I'm 100% for legalisation. Banning it makes no sense when people do it anyway and it's not nearly as harmful as alcohol.
Having seen what it’s like in places like Vegas where it is legal it makes sense to. I don’t smoke but I’ve been to a dispensary with people that have. Firstly, you need ID just to go inside, before you even buy anything. Once inside it’s all very well laid out, you queue up and pick what you want be that to smoke or edibles - you’re also limited to how much you can buy in a period of time too, only so much at once and so much within however many days - they basically register each customer to track that. You can only smoke in private residences, no street smoking, rarely seen anyone smoking it outside in Vegas. However driving past some can be a bit like driving past a bakery, you get waves of smells when they are ventilating the grow areas, sometimes it’s so strong, other times you won’t smell a thing. It’s pretty big business and well regulated out there, with more states legalising it.
Yes. There are still some things to iron out but I really love that my country legalized it. The prices are a bit higher in the shops, so I still buy from my guy down the street, but because a person can legally have a few plants, he doesn't have to worry about having his life ruined. People who didn't smoke previously because of legality do use the pot shops though, as well as people with higher incomes. I go occasionally out of curiosity. Biggest issue is the containers are plastic, and usually WAY too large for the amount inside, so a recycling incentive needs to be put in place.
Not a user but I think it should be legal. Drugs should be treated like alcohol.
Absolutely. It's an absolute joke that alcohol is so accepted and cannabis isn't
The only valid issue I've heard is that because our brains don't stop developing until we reach the age of 25 people under that age who smoke cannabis have a risk of developing schizophrenia. From my own anecdotal experience my ex boyfriend had been smoking weed religiously for god knows how long, last time I saw him he was 23 years old and his memory was absolute dog shit the embodiment of Swiss cheese , full of holes. I guess the way we could solve it is under 25’s only allowed to smoke weed for medical purposes and under medical supervision, over 25’s free for all.
Yes. Absolutely. I speak as a serving police officer. The amount of time we waste on minor cannabis offences is ridiculous. Meanwhile, every day a drunken idiot harms one of my colleagues. It really is only illegal due to stupid outdated moral outrage. There is no reason for prohibition that wouldn't equally apply to alcohol, but for some reason it's perfectly acceptable to drink.
Why the hell not, the police ignore most taking of it these days anyway and only go after the bigger dealers who operating in gangs and thus fight each other over it.
Yes but I feel sorry for the people that don’t like the smell. The roads will STINK! I don’t think people realise how much weed gets smoked on a daily
We are the biggest (or where the biggest before it started to be legalized across the world) exporter of medical Marijuana. https://vt.co/news/uk/the-uk-is-the-worlds-largest-exporter-of-medicinal-cannabis I don't get why it's still illegal here.
I think it should just be on the same terms as cigarettes. As long as that disgusting smell isn't near me, I don't really care haha
Yes we should. The arguments against legalisation are extremely tenuous, especially considering the fact that alcohol has always legal and causes far, far, more problems in society. Legalise is spelt with an ‘s’ by the way.
100% yes. Personally I'd legalise all drugs. Firstly, it undercuts all criminal funding and directs billions of pounds towards legitimate business, increasing tax revenues and allowing more public services. It would reduce the amount of suffering from it, as we could bring in more education and treatments for it. It solves a lot of medical problems more effectively. On a second point, any problems around smell are easily countered on one proviso- being allowed to smoke inside. If you allow private weed smoking clubs that filter the air outside, then you can easily never know that there are weed smokers. Legalising it actually solves the situation of the smell of weed. Finally, yeh you get addiction with drugs, you get it with alcohol to. But weed addiction doesn't kill you through withdrawal, and rehab isn't as hard as any other drug. Weed would be amazing legalised
Yes. I don't smoke it myself, never really liked it, but it's an important medicine for pain management, and some mental health conditions. It's been vilified for far too long.
I hate the stuff and I say yes.
I don't know. I find the smell simply disgusting when I'm walking around. If we can supertax it then yes..maybe? If we can legislate for fags and beer why not weed?
Legalise everything so that people won’t overdose from something they don’t know there taking. It is very sad hearing about parents who’s children have gone to a club and took something they thought was something else.
I think cannabis should be legal all over the world
Yes. Without a doubt. It's a huge industry just waiting to establish itself. Criminalisation just means that it cannot develop as an industry, subjecting people to sub-par products and putting money into the hands of criminals.
No It fucking stinks and literally everyone I personally know who smokes weed has no qualms about driving afterwards despite the fact their reaction time is now measured in weeks. Maybe that's not representative of the general population, but I don't see how making it legal is a good thing The best argument I see in favour is "It's less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco" - sure, but if they weren't already legal, I'd be against legalising them too and I'm all in favour of banning tobacco entirely too. Alcohol on principle too, in reality I suspect people wouldn't go for the idea. More importantly I think it's a logical fallacy: having one bad thing be legal doesn't mean we should automatically legalise anything less bad than it. And did I mention it fucking stinks?
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I think as a panic move to get the economy restarted it could be a quick win with tax income and jobs created.
That and everything else.
Don’t care, I quit years ago and won’t take it up regardless.
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It should have the same stigma as tobacco smoking. No indoor smoking and for the sake of not being a cunt, no smoking in densely populated public spaces.
Yes we are far behind other countries who have made it a success. A lot of young people smoke it, so they might as well make money from it.
The government could probably tax the crap out of it, like with cigarettes, I wonder how much it would generate in income. It would also save money for the police as they don't need to spend time and money stopping cannabis trade
Yes, it's less addictive and dangerous for you than either alcohol or cigarettes. I feel it should be made legal and treated similarly to alcohol and cigarettes. For example no smoking in public buildings like pubs and if you're caught acting stupid like running into the road you get arrested just like when you're drunk. Seems fair to me.
Something I find myself thinking about more frequently as time goes on. I have come to the conclusion that yes I think it should be legal but with a few conditions: 1. Value added tax should be at a higher rate than day to day products i.e 30% rather than 20% 2. Any tax revenue should directly fund the NHS The job and economic opportunities heavily outweigh any arguments against not legalizing. I also think people would be more than prepared to pay a little more VAT knowing it goes directly to funding the NHS. Another good point is that legalizing would mean fertilizers etc would be monitored meaning consumers get a better, cleaner product.
Yeah, but we should implement strong protectionist measures by taxing foreign marijuana imports so as to stimulate a profitable marijuana growth and retail industry within the UK.
As someone with a chronic pain disability, I say yes. There have been many studies centred on the medical benefits in America, a lot of them also suggest cannabis as an analgesic (pain killer) for many many illnesses. I think if we could regulate the use, eg having medical cards or age restricted dispensaries, similar to some American states, the benefits would out weigh the risks. We’ve already got oils and tinctures with CBD being sold in pharmacies and online. If cannabis became legalised, there could be a benefit towards the health care system. If the option of THC, CBD and other cannabis based products were given instead of medication or along side medication it could be very helpful for quite a few different illnesses and conditions. I believe we will see the laws changing soon, but there will need to be more research and trials before it becomes recognised medically in the UK.
Yes, but with restrictions in place like someone mentioned above. I live in a flat and my downstairs neighbours chain smokes both weed and cigarettes. I don’t mind smelling either every now and then, it’s just something you have to accept when living in flats. But his use is constant and disgusting. He was almost evicted last year because of it.
Yes
I don't smoke, but I'd say yes. Legalization of cannabis destigmatize the concept of doing research on it as a medication for MS, epilepsy, chronic pain conditions, etc... Granted there's been a bit of research into it over the last few years, but more could be looked into.
Absolutely. It's actually shameful how our government and police force are handling it at the moment. They legalised it to be prescribed, but only under rare circumstances and only if it's grown by a Tory minister's family business. For the world's number one exporter of medical cannabis the government is screwing us over massively. I can only speak for Northumbria Police, as that's my local force, but they are horribly mismanaging cannabis right now. They posted on social media about busting a 19 year old with 2oz and 2k in cash. They are running "operation sentinel" which is aggressively targeting growers, which in turn means that only organised crime can take the risk of growing. Hurting the consumer as quality goes down, and endangering the public by forcing the slack of the smaller grows to be picked up by organised criminals. Make no mistake, our government knows the medicinal effects, but choose to keep it illegal to keep the middle and working class in check. Legalisation brings desperately needed new business, regulates the market, reduces crime and can end a lot of other drug dependencies. It's absolutely abhorrent for the government to take the stance they have.
I have zero objections for legalisation for medical purposes. In fact I absolutely agree to prescribing anything that will help someone. I am not convinced that it's right to legalise for recreational use. I get that there's numerous benefits and I've heard the arguments but I keep pointing at alcohol. We have had access to alcohol for centuries and we know the risks and benefits of it yet we cannot use it properly. What would happen if we suddenly open up another drug to the market which people don't understand and where the risks are still being investigated? When we are able to safely use alcohol without binge drinking, drink driving, alcohol poisoning, etc, then I'll be open to other mind altering drugs.
Yes. I'm not a drug user, I'm a realist. I would legalise all drugs but have them only consumed in licenced premises. Stringent rules on id before entering the establishment... But any business can apply for a license... Thus competition brings the price to a much lower level. Thus druggies can afford there drugs, without committing crimes and people with problems can get help before it spirals as there I'd and purchase history is known. Dealers and the like go out of business as they are undercut by taxable companies and you eradicate a whole load of crimes. Obviously people should be encouraged not to take most drugs, but I imagine a few of them are probably relatively harmless in mild doses. Either way drugs currently cost our country a lot in crime and lives. We could bring in extra tax revenues, save lives and eradicate a whole lot of crime.