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Canada legalises recreational cannabis use

bbc.co.uk

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Re: Canada legalises recreational cannabis use

#121

Post by elhudy »

ttul wrote: post #114
toomanybeersies wrote: post #73

Meanwhile in Britain, the former leader of the Conservative Party, William Hague, spoke out and claimed that the war on cannabis had been "irreversibly lost". He was quickly shut down by Theresa May, who categorically ruled out legalisation or even decriminalisation [1]. I don't understand how politicians can stand up and claim that legalisation would have substantial negatives, when every experiment with legalisatio…

I just want to point out that GHB isn’t so dangerous as you point out, relative to the other major drugs (not least of them alcohol). See https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Rational... for a nice graphical summary. You can go to a liquor store today and purchase a lethal amount of alcohol for about $20. And it’s lawful to advertise the stuff. GHB is less harmful, but it’s illegal.

I'm having a hard time understanding the scale of that graph. Benzos are a 1.75 but cannabis is a 1.5 in regards to dependence? Amphetamines (Adderall) are 1.75 in regards to physical harm, but anabolic steroids are only 1.5?

Re: Canada legalises recreational cannabis use

#122

Post by flukus »

readhn wrote: post #22

What do we do about heroin/opiods that are the real problem today? Cheap, highly addictive. Multiple overdoses today in my local news feed reported.... :( You cant overdose and die from MJ use (or its highly unlikely). This whole war on drugs thing feels like a game of smoke and mirrors...

> What do we do about heroin/opiods that are the real problem today? Cheap, highly addictive. Multiple overdoses today in my local news feed reported....

Well the one thing we shouldn't do is give criminals a lucrative monopoly on the market, which is exactly what criminalization does and creates a whole host of negatives for society.

Re: Canada legalises recreational cannabis use

#123

Post by toomanybeersies »

ttul wrote: post #114
toomanybeersies wrote: post #73

Meanwhile in Britain, the former leader of the Conservative Party, William Hague, spoke out and claimed that the war on cannabis had been "irreversibly lost". He was quickly shut down by Theresa May, who categorically ruled out legalisation or even decriminalisation [1]. I don't understand how politicians can stand up and claim that legalisation would have substantial negatives, when every experiment with legalisatio…

I just want to point out that GHB isn’t so dangerous as you point out, relative to the other major drugs (not least of them alcohol). See https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/7/7e/Rational... for a nice graphical summary. You can go to a liquor store today and purchase a lethal amount of alcohol for about $20. And it’s lawful to advertise the stuff. GHB is less harmful, but it’s illegal.

It's pretty hard to drink a lethal amount of liquor though, it's a lot easier to consume a lethal amount of GHB, probably easier than any other recreational drug (or club drug at least). I also think one of the big concerns with GHB is people spiking drinks. It's incredibly easy to slip into a drink.

At one of the nightclubs I go to, they have fairly prominent signs warning about GHB, and telling you that you will get a lifetime ban if you're caught with it. Most other drugs will just get confiscated (and often consumed by the bouncers), or at worst kicked out for the night.

Re: Canada legalises recreational cannabis use

#124

Post by malnourish »

wiradikusuma wrote: post #115
toomanybeersies wrote: post #73

Meanwhile in Britain, the former leader of the Conservative Party, William Hague, spoke out and claimed that the war on cannabis had been "irreversibly lost". He was quickly shut down by Theresa May, who categorically ruled out legalisation or even decriminalisation [1]. I don't understand how politicians can stand up and claim that legalisation would have substantial negatives, when every experiment with legalisatio…

But would it be the gateway to heavier, and illegal/dangerous, drugs?

Everyone who's tried meth has drank water.

Re: Canada legalises recreational cannabis use

#125

Post by malnourish »

ams6110 wrote: post #107
toomanybeersies wrote: post #73

Meanwhile in Britain, the former leader of the Conservative Party, William Hague, spoke out and claimed that the war on cannabis had been "irreversibly lost". He was quickly shut down by Theresa May, who categorically ruled out legalisation or even decriminalisation [1]. I don't understand how politicians can stand up and claim that legalisation would have substantial negatives, when every experiment with legalisatio…

Drug use is a moral failing, it sounds like you just don't like the morality. Morals are not necessarily what is convenient or fun or pleasurable. In some interpretations, moderate use is not a moral failing, but heavy or compulsive use is. All that applies to alcohol as well, so I agree if we're going say that alcohol is legal, then other drugs used in similar ways should be legal as well.

A moral failing according to whom? Why should we listen to your arbitration on morality?

Re: Canada legalises recreational cannabis use

#126

Post by slavik81 »

rotred wrote: post #63
bjourne wrote: post #48

Should any substance which enhances the risk of schizophrenia be legalized? https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/317170.php It appears to me that if cannabis was a food additive with the same risk profile, no one would think it should be legal. I understand that the counter-argument is "What about tobacco/alcohol?" But those substances are already legal and there are no "equal opportunities" rights for drugs. Li…

I agree, I think that it should have been decriminalized instead (similar to how it is in Portugal).

Decriminalization allows criminals to continue to profit from dealing drugs. Legalization will make it harder for them to fund their operations as they now will be competing against real businesses. No longer shall a willingness to engage in illicit activity be sufficient to succeed in this market.

Re: Canada legalises recreational cannabis use

#127

Post by Cofike »

I was born in Buffalo, no longer there due to lack of tech jobs (that isn’t blue cross blue shield). The Canadian side of Niagara Falls already destroys our side. Much more development. Way more activities to do. Gorgeous view of the falls. All around better.

Now that weed is legalized this will only become more and more apparent. They will attract more individuals from both sides of the border and I bet see much more money coming in leading to more development, etc.

New York had missed out on this opportunity for years and by the looks of it will continue to miss out.

Re: Canada legalises recreational cannabis use

#128

Post by toomanybeersies »

b6 wrote: post #108
toomanybeersies wrote: post #73

Meanwhile in Britain, the former leader of the Conservative Party, William Hague, spoke out and claimed that the war on cannabis had been "irreversibly lost". He was quickly shut down by Theresa May, who categorically ruled out legalisation or even decriminalisation [1]. I don't understand how politicians can stand up and claim that legalisation would have substantial negatives, when every experiment with legalisatio…

> Obviously we want to restrict access as much as possible to particular drugs It's not obvious to me. The fundamental question is, does an individual own their own body? If the answer is yes, then don't try to restrict what I can do with it so long as I don't harm anyone else. If the answer is no, well, then we need to firm up exactly what the arrangement is supposed to be.

I guess it depends on your philosophy of government and society.

If you live in a social democracy with universal healthcare, drugs policy should probably be based around harm reduction. This is why helmets are required on bicycles (in some countries, for better or worse) and you need to wear a seatbelt in the car.

It's your body, but the public has to pick up the tab when you break it.

I don't think that you should be able to go to the pharmacy and buy heroin or methamphetamine off the shelf. The potential for abuse is too high.

However, as I said, people will find drugs if they want them. If I wanted to buy some heroin, I could find some within 30 minutes just walking down the street. I really don't know what the solution is.

Re: Canada legalises recreational cannabis use

#129

Post by Iv »

toomanybeersies wrote: post #73

Meanwhile in Britain, the former leader of the Conservative Party, William Hague, spoke out and claimed that the war on cannabis had been "irreversibly lost". He was quickly shut down by Theresa May, who categorically ruled out legalisation or even decriminalisation [1]. I don't understand how politicians can stand up and claim that legalisation would have substantial negatives, when every experiment with legalisatio…

Conservatism is the instinctive rejection of change. For conservatives, the possible is limited only to what is and what has been. All the rest opens up to unknowns, risks and chaos.
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