Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany • Hacker News Board

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#301

Post by beardedwizard » Tue, Apr 02, 2024, 2:48 AM UTC

beardedwizard wrote: post #110

0xEF wrote: post #79

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is all I ask. I've never had an interest in weed, but I also don't think it should be illegal. After it was legalized in my state, I started second guessing my stance out of spite. I quickly got tired of not being able to do a chore like grocery shopping without having the store stink of weed because someone couldn't open a window while they baked in their car, or whatever. The commercial culture that sprung up…

You mean they revealed themselves as bankrolled by big tobacco and use the same playbooks.

Why is this comment downvoted? It is a fact that big tobacco bankrolls the cannabis industry and that is where the aforementioned money comes from. The genetics are all bought up, the land is all bought up, the industry is consolidating and it's impossible for mom and pop to sell cannabis. Every recreational market, including Canada, is a disaster.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#302

Post by spirit557 » Tue, Apr 02, 2024, 5:48 AM UTC

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…

I think the overlooked risk of cannabis consumption (smoke, vape or especially edible) is on heart health and arterial health.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#303

Post by verisimi » Tue, Apr 02, 2024, 8:10 AM UTC

mariusor wrote: post #71

verisimi wrote: post #15

[flagged]

Have you ever wondered that if the group that hallucinates is large enough, maybe it's you that's actually hallucinating?

You are talking about the concept of countries - an idea. A country is something that is enlivened in the minds of individuals - without people thinking in terms of 'Germany' or whatever there are no countries. It doesn't actually exist. It is a convention.

But unlike the neutral/useful conventions of driving on one side of the road, or having your cutlery set like so, this convention demands that you give it money, whether you agree with it or not. It will say which plants, what food, which wars, etc. It is a means of control, a way to get people to do things they wouldn't do, against their consciences, for the ostensible benefit of "the greater good", but in fact, for the benefit of those with power and money who draft special words everyone else has to follow.

As if anyone can tell another what is right or wrong.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#304

Post by nextlevelwizard » Tue, Apr 02, 2024, 8:46 AM UTC

goykasi wrote: post #239

nextlevelwizard wrote: post #192

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In my mind either you are for legalization of all drugs or you are for criminalization of tobacco, alcohol, and sugar. Either we have the freedom to consume what we like and deal with the consequences or state has to nanny us and prevent us from consuming harmful substances altogether. People are fast to point out that prohibition don’t work, but if there were no legal ways to obtain sugar a lot less would be consume…

Just imagine if harm and healthiness were actually the determining factor for what is and is not legal. Your comment made me imagine what the political parties might look like in the US. Would conservative and liberals move towards meats vs carbs vs veg? I wonder if big-Keto would push for harsh penalties to illegal bakers? Maybe a 3 (bread) slices law would rise?

>towards meats vs carbs vs veg?

That doesn’t make sense. First in that list you have meat and vegetables which are produce and carbohydrates which are source of calories - i.e. vegetables are constructed partly from carbohydrates.

Sugar is easily the most addictive thing majority of population consumes regularly and it has huge health implications. Banning sugar would disproportionately improve health of human race compared to negative effects of allowing free range over all drugs

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#305

Post by geraldhh » Tue, Apr 02, 2024, 10:08 AM UTC

jijijijij wrote: post #221

geraldhh wrote: post #168

Earlier quoted context omitted.

last nuclear plant got shutdown a few weeks ago, but, yes, drug testing is a thing (but not popular) even for some office jobs.

I never heard of anyone around me required to do a drug test for work. May be different for people carrying guns, like police and hunters, but that's because of gun license requirements. A drug test may be legal, or suggested, when there is reasonable suspicion someone was high during work hours. Maybe air traffic controllers and similar professions need to be evidently clean. Otherwise I don't think drug tests are l…

> Maybe air traffic controllers and similar professions need to be evidently clean.

kinda obscure example. i expect most operators of heavy machinery, human transportation devices and some security professions to require some verification of abstinence. i was tested once in order to get the required permit to drive a van with elderly and disabled ppl for the red cross.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#306

Post by geraldhh » Tue, Apr 02, 2024, 10:14 AM UTC

spirit557 wrote: post #302

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…

I think the overlooked risk of cannabis consumption (smoke, vape or especially edible) is on heart health and arterial health.

please, back up this novel claim

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#307

Post by The_Colonel » Tue, Apr 02, 2024, 11:30 AM UTC

f38zf5vdt wrote: post #296

The_Colonel wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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. Neit…

> 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.

And this middle ground does that. You still can smoke weed if you want to and obtain it. But the government does not have any responsibility to facilitate you getting it.

Making the production, trafficking and sale illegal disincentivizes consumption without actually prosecuting the consumer.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#308

Post by johnisgood » Tue, Apr 02, 2024, 12:38 PM UTC

retsibsi wrote: post #177

johnisgood wrote: post #141

Earlier quoted context omitted.

And what makes you think that there would be no threat of punishment in say, an anti-statist society?

I was responding to the line "if it is only the laws that are keeping people from killing each other, we are in big trouble". My point is that clearly it's not only the laws (and the parent commenter never claimed so), but they do help. Sure you can replace the current system of laws & law enforcement with something else. (And if you tore down the state, something would certainly fill that power vacuum.) But then you…

> My point is that clearly it's not only the laws (and the parent commenter never claimed so), but they do help.

Well, I agree with that.

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#309

Post by renonce » Wed, Apr 03, 2024, 4:49 AM UTC

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…

Based on your argument, the reason for legalization of weed is that the current police system has totally failed and decided the only way forward is to give up policing it? That would make this move seem more of a failure than a victory…

Re: Smoking cannabis is now legal in Germany

#310

Post by mbs159 » Wed, Apr 03, 2024, 5:11 AM UTC

seoulmetro wrote: post #300

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.

Alcohol prohibition worked perfectly in the US, except that hard liquor usage skyrocketed for some reason, but I bet that had nothing to do with the prohibition itself.