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Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

thehill.com

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Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#41

Post by rfd4sgmk8u »

etaioinshrdlu wrote: post #36
pstuart wrote: post #34

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The USA does export its drug policy stance, and per the Nixon policies, it's a win for any government to have those tools of oppression on tap for when needed.

I think a simpler explanation is that the general public in a country such as Japan deeply hates drug use.

except booze, the worst drug. vocational drinking is a cultural phenomenon.

The deal is lack of education, and exposure. The west is a lot further along on the pathway to legalization. I do believe that when the day comes, usage will be similar to in the west under legalization. We are all humans after all.

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#42

Post by rfd4sgmk8u »

edmundsauto wrote: post #38
echlebek wrote: post #30

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Would you stop BBQing if your neighbour complained about it?

That's an interesting question. If someone had a smoker running all day, everyday, and it was an annoyance to neighbors - yes, I think there should be recourse. One person shouldn't be allowed to harm other people's enjoyment of their property.

As someone who was vegan/vegetarian for many years, the smell of bbq used to make me ill. (I only eat meat now).

Only a self absorbed busybody loser jerk with nothing better to do would complain about the neighbors bbq'ing. 'get a life'.

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#43

Post by ipaddr »

etaioinshrdlu wrote: post #32
throwaway81523 wrote: post #4

The value was explained back in the Nixon era, and it was a BAD value: " “You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities,” Ehrlichman said. “We could arrest their leaders. raid their homes, break up…

Doesn’t explain why most of Asia is even harsher and more restrictive than the USA.

Opium comes to mind historically.

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#44

Post by bluefirebrand »

rfd4sgmk8u wrote: post #41
etaioinshrdlu wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think a simpler explanation is that the general public in a country such as Japan deeply hates drug use.

except booze, the worst drug. vocational drinking is a cultural phenomenon. The deal is lack of education, and exposure. The west is a lot further along on the pathway to legalization. I do believe that when the day comes, usage will be similar to in the west under legalization. We are all humans after all.

> except booze, the worst drug.

Look, people are coming around to the idea that alcohol is really bad for us despite it being embedded in our social norms.

Let's not go getting carried away calling it "the worst drug". That's absurd to an extreme.

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#45

Post by rfd4sgmk8u »

bluefirebrand wrote: post #44
rfd4sgmk8u wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

except booze, the worst drug. vocational drinking is a cultural phenomenon. The deal is lack of education, and exposure. The west is a lot further along on the pathway to legalization. I do believe that when the day comes, usage will be similar to in the west under legalization. We are all humans after all.

> except booze, the worst drug. Look, people are coming around to the idea that alcohol is really bad for us despite it being embedded in our social norms. Let's not go getting carried away calling it "the worst drug". That's absurd to an extreme.

https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2019/06/25/what-is-...

Pretty clear its alcohol, and this is not the only chart that clearly labels it as such.

Alcohol is the worst drug. I'm sorry if you like it, hey, I like alcohol too, and it being the worst drug means that you like the worst drug...

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#46

Post by smabie »

president wrote: post #7
tilolebo wrote: post #5

Curious what's the opinion of the HN community on decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. It seems accepted as an inevitable progress. But seeing the damage alcohol and tobacco does to society, I wonder what good it will bring, except from an economic PoV.

Allowing drugs and other vices for the sake of economic prosperity is sad and goes against progress for humanity. I live next door to someone that smokes non-stop everyday and the second-hand smoke pisses me off to no end.

Actually I think restricting what adults can do to their own bodies goes against "progress for humanity."

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#47

Post by smabie »

edmundsauto wrote: post #26
rfd4sgmk8u wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Something irritates me so I want the irritant taken away and locked in a cage". Your vision of the world is clouded by your own hate. As you are someone who conflates a plant with 'drugs', I strongly recommend you spend some time to understand the issues, understand the really nasty history behind prohibition. Stop and think about how your attitude is trapping humanity in a box. Live a little. Be open to change. Und…

All the same, they should not be subjected to the smell of smoke from their neighbors house.

Really? Someone shouldn't be able to smoke in their own house/property?

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#48

Post by JohnFen »

Auracle wrote: post #27
tilolebo wrote: post #5

Curious what's the opinion of the HN community on decriminalization and legalization of marijuana. It seems accepted as an inevitable progress. But seeing the damage alcohol and tobacco does to society, I wonder what good it will bring, except from an economic PoV.

The idealist in me thinks it should be legal, as what people should put into their bodies should be there choice. The pragmatist thinks it should stay illegal. We know it’s bad for people’s brains, especially developing minds. That’s compounded by the fact that many people think the primary danger from drugs is death, and since it won’t kill you it must be basically harmless. I’m sure a good portion of us also know p…

> It seems clear legalization will lead to increased use.

I live in one of the states that legalized it quite a while ago. Statistically, there has been no significant increase in use (probably because everyone who wanted to use it already was).

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#49

Post by JohnFen »

edmundsauto wrote: post #26
rfd4sgmk8u wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Something irritates me so I want the irritant taken away and locked in a cage". Your vision of the world is clouded by your own hate. As you are someone who conflates a plant with 'drugs', I strongly recommend you spend some time to understand the issues, understand the really nasty history behind prohibition. Stop and think about how your attitude is trapping humanity in a box. Live a little. Be open to change. Und…

All the same, they should not be subjected to the smell of smoke from their neighbors house.

I should not be subjected to the smell of my neighbor's cooking, but here we are.

An important part of living in a civilized world is to put up with the merely annoying stuff our neighbors do. After all, the odds are good that you and I do at least one thing that annoys our neighbors as well.

Re: Surgeon general: No 'value' to locking people up over marijuana use

#50

Post by zrth »

throwaway81523 wrote: post #4

The value was explained back in the Nixon era, and it was a BAD value: " “You understand what I’m saying? We knew we couldn’t make it illegal to be either against the war or black, but by getting the public to associate the hippies with marijuana and blacks with heroin. And then criminalizing both heavily, we could disrupt those communities,” Ehrlichman said. “We could arrest their leaders. raid their homes, break up…

Last time when this quote was posted on HN, consens turned out to be that its is quite unclear if it was ever say. I remember this as i really wanted to belief that the story was was true but ended up thinking it rather no true.. Unlike in the article you linked to, last time the conclusion was that the source recalled overhearing Nixon two decades ago, and thus was deemed quite unreliable at best - Anyone know more than me about this?
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