Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know • Hacker News Board

Re: Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know

#21

Post by user3359 » Wed, Oct 17, 2018, 10:13 AM UTC

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #17

>Ontario's new PC government has been quiet on prices, but said it aims to set them at a rate that would be competitive with illicit dispensaries. Do Canadian government set prices for many goods? Would the same prices apply to giving people pot you grew at home? Several times it mentions "smoking pot", surely they should be trying to make vaping or other use normative otherwise you're inviting lots of illnesses rela…

Provinces and federal government set taxes on gasoline, cigarrettes and alcohol. The amount they can tax (as much as the consumer will bear) is likely highly researched. They want to tax as much as possible without discouraging reduced consumption, or alternative sourcing.

Re: Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know

#22

Post by jgrahamc » Wed, Oct 17, 2018, 10:15 AM UTC

denerio-a wrote: post #18

jgrahamc wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are you implying that marijuana is "not harmful" and "can improve your quality of life"?

Less harmful than alcohol, without a shadow of a doubt. Zero recorded deaths, in thousands of years of medical use - can :any: other substance say the same? And yes for many, many people it absolutely improves their quality of life dramatically. So, I have no idea why you’re taking issue with this statement (unless you work for a pharma co / drug gang, in which case I totally get why you would).

I'm taking issue with that statement because I think the rhetoric around marijuana is misguided. I think it's swung too far to the "there's nothing wrong with marijuana at all" side and that's dangerous. Like alcohol it's important to recognize that it is not harmless. That doesn't mean it should be illegal, just that it should be regulated and reported on accurately.

Re: Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know

#23

Post by IkmoIkmo » Wed, Oct 17, 2018, 10:18 AM UTC

stock_toaster wrote: post #5

fredley wrote: post #2

This will be very interesting to watch. So far the marijuana debate seems to be stifled by the lack of hard evidence of what would happen were the drug legalised in a developed Western nation. Uruguay is different enough from the US etc. to be discountable, but Canada is not. Many advocates for legalisation will show how it is expected to reduce the overall harm from the drug. It will be interesting to see if this pl…

> lack of hard evidence of what would happen were the drug legalised in a developed Western nation Does the Netherlands not count?

No, it is illegal.

Consumption and carrying small amounts is tolerated, police will not take any action and public attorneys never prosecute these cases.

But production is illegal and besides two small plants in your home, completely not tolerated. If you get caught with say 10 plants they're destroyed with few other consequences. If you get caught with a more considerable production however, you get prosecuted.

A lot of softdrug related crime isn't connected to consumption but rather production. The Netherlands isn't a good case study for studying effects on that kind of crime etc.

Same with many other drugs like xtc. Consumption is rarely criminally targetted. Production is. Virtually ever farmer in the south of the country gets approached by drug producers, there's a whole undergeound web of crime, black money, corruption etc.

Re: Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know

#24

Post by q3k » Wed, Oct 17, 2018, 10:22 AM UTC

grecy wrote: post #4

Wow, some really interesting edge cases in there that require serious thought. US border guards might deny you entry if you admit to previous cannabis use - for them "A confession is as good as a conviction". So you can do something that is perfectly legal in Canada, then a month later be denied entry to the US for doing it. If you work at a 100% legal Government-run Cannabis store and want to go to the US for a holi…

> US border guards might deny you entry if you admit to previous cannabis use - for them "A confession is as good as a conviction". So you can do something that is perfectly legal in Canada, then a month later be denied entry to the US for doing it.

That was already the (insane) case. Consider people who live in the Netherlands, or Czechia, or Portugal.

Re: Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know

#25

Post by alphadelphi » Wed, Oct 17, 2018, 10:22 AM UTC

jgrahamc wrote: post #22

denerio-a wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Less harmful than alcohol, without a shadow of a doubt. Zero recorded deaths, in thousands of years of medical use - can :any: other substance say the same? And yes for many, many people it absolutely improves their quality of life dramatically. So, I have no idea why you’re taking issue with this statement (unless you work for a pharma co / drug gang, in which case I totally get why you would).

I'm taking issue with that statement because I think the rhetoric around marijuana is misguided. I think it's swung too far to the "there's nothing wrong with marijuana at all" side and that's dangerous. Like alcohol it's important to recognize that it is not harmless. That doesn't mean it should be illegal, just that it should be regulated and reported on accurately.

There is something wrong with it, obviously. But is not deadly and way less dangerous than tobacco or alcohol.

Re: Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know

#26

Post by denerio-a » Wed, Oct 17, 2018, 10:25 AM UTC

jgrahamc wrote: post #22

denerio-a wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Less harmful than alcohol, without a shadow of a doubt. Zero recorded deaths, in thousands of years of medical use - can :any: other substance say the same? And yes for many, many people it absolutely improves their quality of life dramatically. So, I have no idea why you’re taking issue with this statement (unless you work for a pharma co / drug gang, in which case I totally get why you would).

I'm taking issue with that statement because I think the rhetoric around marijuana is misguided. I think it's swung too far to the "there's nothing wrong with marijuana at all" side and that's dangerous. Like alcohol it's important to recognize that it is not harmless. That doesn't mean it should be illegal, just that it should be regulated and reported on accurately.

I’ll agree with that, but you should know that’s not how your statement came across, especially the part where you seemed to deny that people could improve their quality of life with it.

If you want people to have reasonable awareness of the potential issues, that’s nice and all - but there will be a pendulum swing from the decades of bullshit from its demonization. If you want to lessen the effects of that, try to be more specific on potential harm without denying the positives.

Re: Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know

#27

Post by crtasm » Wed, Oct 17, 2018, 10:27 AM UTC

r3bl wrote: post #20

Don't forget: The current marijuana laws around the world can all be basically pinpointed to a single person: Harry motherfucking Anslinger[0], who was in the position of power within the US for unprecedented 32 years. He got in power 16 years before Trump was born, and ended up being in power until Trump turned 16. That guy loved to use anecdotes instead of facts, and presented marijuana as a drug that makes you kil…

His department went after Billie Holiday, even as she lay in critical condition in hospital.

https://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2015/01/drug-war-the...

(An extract from book recommended above)

Re: Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know

#28

Post by jgrahamc » Wed, Oct 17, 2018, 10:31 AM UTC

denerio-a wrote: post #26

jgrahamc wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm taking issue with that statement because I think the rhetoric around marijuana is misguided. I think it's swung too far to the "there's nothing wrong with marijuana at all" side and that's dangerous. Like alcohol it's important to recognize that it is not harmless. That doesn't mean it should be illegal, just that it should be regulated and reported on accurately.

I’ll agree with that, but you should know that’s not how your statement came across, especially the part where you seemed to deny that people could improve their quality of life with it. If you want people to have reasonable awareness of the potential issues, that’s nice and all - but there will be a pendulum swing from the decades of bullshit from its demonization. If you want to lessen the effects of that, try to b…

Yeah, that's fair criticism.

Re: Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know

#29

Post by agumonkey » Wed, Oct 17, 2018, 10:31 AM UTC

jgrahamc wrote: post #10

agumonkey wrote: post #8

Slight digression, yesterday someone told me the existence of the Kratom plant. Which seems another potent and not harmful leaf that can improve your quality of life. (the few research on it is muddy so grain of salt required, but the amount of people shouting publicly for it in the US gets one thinking).

Are you implying that marijuana is "not harmful" and "can improve your quality of life"?

No, I know it's a sensitive subject, and I'm not even pro cannabis (more CBD friendly). It does still have some medical value for a lot of people (not just immature escapism)

Re: Cannabis is legal in Canada: What you need to know

#30

Post by jbeales » Wed, Oct 17, 2018, 10:36 AM UTC

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #17

>Ontario's new PC government has been quiet on prices, but said it aims to set them at a rate that would be competitive with illicit dispensaries. Do Canadian government set prices for many goods? Would the same prices apply to giving people pot you grew at home? Several times it mentions "smoking pot", surely they should be trying to make vaping or other use normative otherwise you're inviting lots of illnesses rela…

At least until April, a government website is the only legal way to buy pot in Ontario. Since they're selling it, they set the prices.

In a lot of provinces the only legal way to get pot is through a government pot store. Alcohol works the same way; Ontario recently allowed the sales of wine & beer in some grocery stores, but everything else is at the LCBO, (government liquor stores), and the Beer Store, (which I think might be government run, but even if not it pretty much has a monopoly on beer sales).