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Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

theguardian.com

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Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#291

Post by wulfeet »

dandy23 wrote: post #180
wulfeet wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I too have never tried cannabis, and I too support legalisation. Not because of the effects it has on the consumer, but because the effects it has on the producer. It depends on where you are, but where I am - the UK - the producers are primarily enslaved. A fact that is rarely talked about. Recently there was a big drug bust. The headlines all described how many dogs were freed - less than twenty. But deep in the ar…

Producers following the laws can not compete with illegal producers on price. So even if you make consumption legal, the illegal networks will remain and become even bigger as the market expands.

Not necessarily.

While slave labour is cheap, at scale a combine harvester is even cheaper.

But it's not just the raw production cost that matters. If you add a 200% levy, then ofcourse you risk tipping the edge back over to the black market.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#292

Post by The_Colonel »

chimeracoder wrote: post #287
The_Colonel wrote: post #285

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Not sure about Germany, but even possession (of small quantities) is decriminalized in many European countries.

> Not sure about Germany The title of this post is " Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany".

Well, obviously. What I meant was "Not sure about how it was before today in Germany". The effects of today's changes are not yet clear.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#294

Post by runsfromfire »

throwaway2037 wrote: post #243
super256 wrote: post #229

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cigarettes only smell when being lit, marijuana smells always. And the smell is way more potent. Both suck though, I agree.

> Cigarettes only smell when being lit I am confused. Second hand smoke smells awful, and cigarettes emit second hand smoke the entire time they are lit. Does this not count?

I think they mean that a bag of tobacco doesn’t make the room smell like an ashtray, but a bag of weed is excessively pungent even when wrapped and stashed.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#295

Post by npteljes »

AngryData wrote: post #265
npteljes wrote: post #185

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Cannabis can cause hallucinations! It can do so in at least two ways. One is a somewhat rare primary effect of the consumption, and the other is the triggering of a latent mental disorder. Source: https://www.erowid.org/plants/cannabis/cannabis_effects.shtm... . Do note that Erowid calls hallucinations "visuals".

Closed eye visuals/hallucinations is pretty vague because certain levels of closed eye visuals/hallucinations can be seen by completely sober people without even trying and most people would not consider them a hallucination in the common usage of the word. Ive certainly never heard of from others or experienced any unusual closed eye visuals from cannabis outside of seeing it as a tv trope or government anti-drug ad…

I agree, and I feel the same about the reverse too. Flat-out stating that cannabis doesn't cause hallucinations, or encouraging people to just try it because it they might find it fun (not OP, somewhere else in the thread) is deceptive, to say the least.

TV and anti-drug campaigns really do a bad job in explaining what really happens to someone on drugs. This is why I specifically linked Erowid.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#296

Post by f38zf5vdt »

The_Colonel wrote: post #278
carschno wrote: post #182

While scanning the comments, I observe one recurring argument against the step of legalizing weed: (excessive) use can and will have catastrophic psychological consequences on some of the consumers. I totally agree. It is, however a flawed argument in the context of legalization. One of the arguments for the legalization by the health ministry is that prohibition has been ineffective, factually not avoiding or even r…

There's a middle ground between legalization and prohibition - consumption is legal / decriminalized, while sale is illegal. Some European countries follow this model for weed and other drugs.

It's a middle ground similar to the handling of pornography (often legal) and prostitution (often illegal) and it doesn't make much sense. Usually production, trafficking, and sale are also considered illegal, because to only make illegal the latter would make it more much difficult to prosecute those involved in sales and distribution. Some users need more than others, and some users produce their own supplies. Neither should be illegal, but both often are.

Either it's okay for adults to consent to activities that don't harm others or its not. People should have the right to choose what to do with their bodies, and the legal system should have to ability to disincentivize antisocial behavior in ways that are productive i.e. that actually reduce it.

The antisocial behavior is not people selling/smoking a joint or having/selling consensual sex -- and while it might be associated with them, the government should be tackling those other, actual problems instead.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#297

Post by drukenemo »

thinkingemote wrote: post #135

Meanwhile Thailand is rolling back it's legalisation of cannabis. Even though the industry brought in over a billion USD, it will be banned at the end of the year, citing protection of health of the youth. The population seems to approve of the reversal (medical use is kept). I think a few countries will be watching carefully after seeing how the experiment goes. Whilst the majority of users seem to be fine, it can a…

Of course, it can affect people’s mental health if they consume too much of it. Lack of education and some people’s self-control were never a reason to make alcohol illegal.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#298

Post by 93po »

The_Colonel wrote: post #279
93po wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> unnecessary deep distrust in law enforcement of any kind. it's definitely necessary, no one should talk to cops

You're not going to call cops if your car gets stolen or you get robbed / assaulted / raped? What's the alternative?

nope, which i can say with confidence as someone who was physically attacked and mugged. alternative is to move on with my life and realize the incredibly small chance that the cops respond, decide to do anything, and are actually successful at catching the person, and im successful in suing for damages,they're even capable of paying my damages, and all of this is worth my time and effort. additionally i don't believe in causing harms to others, even if they've harmed me, and the non-zero chance that the cops just fucking shoot and murder the dude over stealing my wallet means i'm not going to call the cops.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#299

Post by throwaway2037 »

runsfromfire wrote: post #294
throwaway2037 wrote: post #243

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Cigarettes only smell when being lit I am confused. Second hand smoke smells awful, and cigarettes emit second hand smoke the entire time they are lit. Does this not count?

I think they mean that a bag of tobacco doesn’t make the room smell like an ashtray, but a bag of weed is excessively pungent even when wrapped and stashed.

Ah, great point. I misread OP. Thank you to clarify.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#300

Post by seoulmetro »

carschno wrote: post #182

While scanning the comments, I observe one recurring argument against the step of legalizing weed: (excessive) use can and will have catastrophic psychological consequences on some of the consumers. I totally agree. It is, however a flawed argument in the context of legalization. One of the arguments for the legalization by the health ministry is that prohibition has been ineffective, factually not avoiding or even r…

Prohibition works. It works very well. It's just that you can't have half-working prohibition, which is what a lot of Western countries want to subscribe to when it comes to drugs that really leave a stain on society.
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