Should cannabis be legalised?

It's a simple enough question I suppose but I'm curious as to how the sentiment will go. Personally I've never used cannabis or any other kind of drug but a lot of people I know do to varying degrees and levels and I do think it should be legalised.

I've never seen anybody who's stoned pick a fight (except in Hollyoaks which is typical of the media's 'Drugs are bad. End of discussion' stance) or vomit all over themselves. I don't really see that cannabis is any worse than a cigarette except you actually get some sort of benefit from a joint.

The only possible reason I can see for not legalising it is a fear that it would lead to an embrace of other drugs but I think that's just more scaremongering.

yes, absolutely. If cigarettes and alcohol are legal, it should be too. The question I always pose is, if you were walking down the street would you prefer to run into someone who was stoned, or someone who was drunk? The drunk would be far more likely to attack you. Same goes for people driving, I'd rather a stoned driver than a drink driver anyday.

I'd say no, but then again I'd make smoking illegal if I could:D

Cant stand the smell of the stuff either. Never done it and dont plan to. It has been linked to causing sever depression in later life and is every bit as bad for you (and even worse the people around you) as smoking.

Also I'd be worried about where people get the drugs from. Even in Holland the café owners still had to get their supplies from dodgy dealers and organisied crime sources

Plus it annoys Éanna that its illegal

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Originally Posted by SÓC

Also I'd be worried about where people get the drugs from. Even in Holland the café owners still had to get their supplies from dodgy dealers and organisied crime sources

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Here's something that shouldmappeal to you as an FFer. Legalise it, and allow it to be grown here in Ireland. The the govt can put a tax on it.

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Originally Posted by Éanna

Here's something that shouldmappeal to you as an FFer. Legalise it, and allow it to be grown here in Ireland. The the govt can put a tax on it.

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Give me a "donation" to ensure safe passage through the Oireachtas and we have a deal....

...jokes aside...doesnt it have to be grown in very warm climates?

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Originally Posted by SÓC

Give me a "donation" to ensure safe passage through the Oireachtas and we have a deal....

...jokes aside...doesnt it have to be grown in very warm climates?

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(allegedly) it can be grown indoors too

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Originally Posted by SÓC

...doesnt it have to be grown in very warm climates?

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You can grow it in heated "green" houses.
Plenty of light and mist.

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Originally Posted by SÓC

doesnt it have to be grown in very warm climates?

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Somebody seems very well acquainted with the whole procedure! :p

I honestly don't know. Would generally be of the opinion that people should be allowed make their own choice, smoking in their homes.

Would agree that should be legalised for medical purposes.

All drugs should be legalised - make the "hard" drugs available to people by prescription. Take the criminality out of it for the user, put the dealers out of business, drastically reduce drug motivated crime (both petty crime for users to get their fix, and the turf wars for the scum dealers).

Hash should be available as per cigs - and taxed the same way too. That would take out the bogus gateway arguement...

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Originally Posted by Macy

All drugs should be legalised - make the "hard" drugs available to people by prescription. Take the criminality out of it for the user, put the dealers out of business

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Nice idea, Macy, but in reality it can't be that simple.
If it were, why has no western society managed to do it?

Viagra is an example of one drug which is widely available, yet the counterfeit market is huge and criminality still thrives.

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Originally Posted by Macy

All drugs should be legalised - make the "hard" drugs available to people by prescription. Take the criminality out of it for the user, put the dealers out of business, drastically reduce drug motivated crime (both petty crime for users to get their fix, and the turf wars for the scum dealers).

Hash should be available as per cigs - and taxed the same way too. That would take out the bogus gateway arguement...

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As ever, I agree with my right honourable friend. :)

SOC - Smart bloke that you are, your argument is based on ignorance and to be honest it's the kind of thinking that you'd hear on Liveline or from my 68-year-old dad. :rolleyes:

KOH

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Originally Posted by Peadar

Nice idea, Macy, but in reality it can't be that simple.
If it were, why has no western society managed to do it?

Viagra is an example of one drug which is widely available, yet the counterfeit market is huge and criminality still thrives.

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No Western Society has the bottle to do it, and be soft on law and order issues.

I'm talking about free availablity via a doctor - you go and ask, he gives you the script, rather than current prescription drugs where you have to, presumably, prove medical need (or the quack has to).

There's two sides to the arguement lads - Yes, it's no worse than Drink or Cigarettes. Stoners are harmless, easy going, if not lethargic people.

On the other hand, it does lead to people embracing other drugs. That's not scaremongering. It's a fact. I know of very very few people who just smoke joints. Most people take other drugs as well, such as speed, coke, ecstacy, acid etc. It's not just a case of smoking a joint, there's a culture that goes with it as well. For example, you have dance music\clubbing culture which embraces all drugs, hip-hop which embraces cannabis and ecstacy, you have different cultures within rock music such as Goths who again embrace cannabis and ecstacy. Unless a person is one of those true stoners who grows dreadlocks and listens to Bob Marley, it will lead them to other drugs. It's all about the sub-culture that a person belongs to really. For example, you're not going to get many straight laced people who listen to Westlife Pop music smoking it, are you?

On top of that, it makes people very lethargic and lazy. Not all people, but a lot. I've seen friends personalities change from smoking too much of the stuff, going from outgoing, bright people to house bound, lazy gits. One guy I know used to suffer from paranoia and the shakes if he didn't have any hash!

I can't stand cigarettes myself, let alone cannabis. I can't stand smoke, even the thought of inhaling it makes me sick. It should be legalised for medical purposes and for people who need it to calm their nerves and to sleep. As for youth culture, the laws should be relaxed regarding possession and personal usage, similar to the UK. The youth will always smoke it, so there's no point in having zero tolerance against it. However, I do not believe it should be completely legalised. A society of lazy stoners, no thanks! :D

In any case, if it was legalised lads, you can bet your last euro that drug-testing at work would become mandatory and a very regular occurance. While it might be legalised, employers are not going to allow workers to be under the influence.......So it could actually work out worse for stoners in the end.

yes. decriminalization seems to have worked okay in NL and parts of canada. defo for medical purposes

If you were to legalise cannabis, it won't make any difference to the criminality side of drugs. What you'll get is dealers offering more value for money than the legal vendors, bigger weights for less money. Another scenario is dealers giving up on cannabis\weed altogether, and instead concentrating on dealing more of the harder drugs mentioned above. In short, you would have to legalise all drugs in order to even try to cut out the street dealer. You'd have some society then :eek:

When a person is young, they'll champion the use of and the legalising of drugs. It's youth culture, it's always been that way. But when those same people grow up, get married, have kids of their own, start a business etc, you won't find them championing drugs or the legalising of drugs. They'll be on the other side of the fence then, with responsability and with a different perspective on life. Thats why drugs should remain illegal, the forbidden fruit of youth if you like.

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Originally Posted by 4tothefloor

On the other hand, it does lead to people embracing other drugs. That's not scaremongering. It's a fact. I know of very very few people who just smoke joints.

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couldn't disagree more. I know plenty of people like that. The reverse is true: if someone is willing to take Ecstasy, coke etc., then of course they'll take hash too.

Agree with Eanna, its the coke and ecstacy users who smoke hash to come down, People who smoke hash generally stick to it and dont really drink or do upper drugs as mentioned above.. If it was leagallised I dont think it would increase its usage in this country because its so easy to get! I used to smoke it as did nearly all of my friends, but it was a phase and we didnt enjoy it anymore but a couple of my friends didnt get in to the pub culture and are still smoking it and staying in watching vids and playing playstation, its a life they chose so I do think its should be available, take some pressure off the guards who have to deal with the smugglers and flash hash dealing idiots..

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Originally Posted by SÓC

I'd say no, but then again I'd make smoking illegal if I could:D

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Ditto

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Cant stand the smell of the stuff either.

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Would disagree there though

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It has been linked to causing sever depression in later life and is every bit as bad for you (and even worse the people around you) as smoking.

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Its actually worse for your lungs and has been linked to neurodegenerative disorders

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Also I'd be worried about where people get the drugs from. Even in Holland the café owners still had to get their supplies from dodgy dealers and organisied crime sources

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Thats fair enough IMO


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Plus it annoys Éanna that its illegal[/QUOTE] :D

A very important point!

It def affects peoples persona temperarly at least but heavy use does have have a negative affect on people. It is also a present in a high %age of road accidents negating Eannas earlier point RE drink driving (which is the scum of the earth IMO).

It would also be more widely available to minors which would affect their schooling. Most of the idiots in my school used to have a joing at lunchtime and it didnt do much for them, but then again if they're happy on minimum wage jobs for the rest of their lives, I guess thats their call!

Id decriminalise it for medical use but not for general sale.

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Originally Posted by Éanna

couldn't disagree more. I know plenty of people like that. The reverse is true: if someone is willing to take Ecstasy, coke etc., then of course they'll take hash too.

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Totally agree - I know loads of people who would only ever "smoke" and wouldn't do anything else. I also know loads of people that were tripping on mushrooms when they were teenagers, before they'd even smoked a normal cig.

I really don't buy the gateway arguement at all - you're either going to do other drugs or you're not. If you do buy the gateway drug idea, then surely by legalising hash, you're shutting the dealers gateway to kids?

Another point I would make is that I know plenty of people who've only got into pills through dance music, or would only take them when going to a decent dance club/ when there's a decent DJ on - imo more of a gateway than hash ever was.

Legalise all drugs, Class A's by prescription. Use the money saved on the no win fight against drugs to have widely available educational material on the true effects and risks, and let people make up their own minds.