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Cannabis prohibition has failed. The criminal gangs control the market which means they make millions while selling to anyone of any age. With a controlled market we could regulate the sales, bring in taxes, create jobs, save court time and money for simple possession etc.
Charlie Williams
Cannabis is proven less addictive than caffeine. Google a bit you will find that I'm right.
DavidTaylor
"Hash is addictive."
Violence, black marketing, deaths, gang warfare, avoidance of taxes, stigma, lack of control etc etc.
Oh sorry, that was during the American prohibition of alcohol, which is addictive.
It makes no sense to legalise one addiction and criminalise another.
Kim
No but they should have, again prohibition just pushes substances into the black market that is only regulated by profit.
Declan Meenagh
I'd agree with Portugal, but they didn't decriminalise the supply of drugs did they?
Kim
If you ban tobacco you just have another substance to police, you instantly open up a new black market and you instantly create more criminals. Again, it was shown during prohibition in the US that prohibition itself doesn't work, it just gives a foot hold for organized crime (Al Capone for example)
Portugal decriminalized all drugs in 2001, for a quick summery of the results take a look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Portugal
Why do you think hash requires more research? You must ha... more
If you ban tobacco you just have another substance to police, you instantly open up a new black market and you instantly create more criminals. Again, it was shown during prohibition in the US that prohibition itself doesn't work, it just gives a foot hold for organized crime (Al Capone for example)
Portugal decriminalized all drugs in 2001, for a quick summery of the results take a look here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_Portugal
Why do you think hash requires more research? You must have a reason not just a thought. It's the exact same as cannabis, just in a form better suited for transportation and storage. And it has centuries of use behind it, like cannabis, its generally been illegal for about 70 years of those centuries.
If you want to stop drugs taking a toll on society then the only option is legalization.
Declan Meenagh
No I haven't, and by the way, I'm in favour of banning tobacco. I think it would need more research before we could legalise hash.
Kim
Declan, hash is essentially the same, just in a different, generally more concentrated form, yet it is still no more dangerous then bud. It is however generally more likely to contain contaminates as they are easier to hide in hash then in buds. Contaminates are a by product of cannabis's legal status, exactly as it was during the prohibition of alcohol in the US. If uncontaminated It would still be safer then tobacco and alcohol. Its NOT addictive, the link you posted actually states so, it may be habit... more
Declan, hash is essentially the same, just in a different, generally more concentrated form, yet it is still no more dangerous then bud. It is however generally more likely to contain contaminates as they are easier to hide in hash then in buds. Contaminates are a by product of cannabis's legal status, exactly as it was during the prohibition of alcohol in the US. If uncontaminated It would still be safer then tobacco and alcohol. Its NOT addictive, the link you posted actually states so, it may be habit forming, things people like tend to be so, but its not addictive physically like nicotine.
Out of curiosity, have you tried cannabis? Either as hash or as a herb?
Just to repeat myself, there is no logical reason cannabis in any form is illegal as long as tobacco and alcohol remain legal.
PT
Charlie Williams "Its blatantly obvious that safety is not the reason it is illegal" Agree 100%
Charlie Williams
Just go http://cannabis.com/ for example.
Charlie Williams
I agree 100% with Kim.
"We have conclusive evidence that both alcohol and tobacco are unsafe, both are legal. There is enough data to suggest cannabis is safer, it should be totally legalized and bar commercial sale, unregulated.
Its blatantly obvious that safety is not the reason it is illigal"
Declan Meenagh
http://www.treatment4addiction.com/drugs/cannabis/hashish/
No, I think hash has negative effects and shouldn't be legalised. Maybe for medical use, but not as a recreational drug.
Hash is addictive, and legalising it will only make something else the government will have to run quit campaigns for.
Kim
Not sure this is the right place for discussions, but it says on the cigarette box that "Smoking Kills", google will link you to the research, look up the LD50 values for nicotine, alcohol and cannabis (also LSD and 'shrooms'), its plain and simple.
We know that tobacco and alcohol kill, is that what you are challenging or are you challenging that cannabis MIGHT not be completely safe? Smoke inhalation has risk associated with it, smoke of any kind. As tobacco is legal I think its a decent ben... more
Not sure this is the right place for discussions, but it says on the cigarette box that "Smoking Kills", google will link you to the research, look up the LD50 values for nicotine, alcohol and cannabis (also LSD and 'shrooms'), its plain and simple.
We know that tobacco and alcohol kill, is that what you are challenging or are you challenging that cannabis MIGHT not be completely safe? Smoke inhalation has risk associated with it, smoke of any kind. As tobacco is legal I think its a decent benchmark for what kind of harm the state has deemed acceptable, and as far as I know there is not one case in modern medical history of a purely cannabis related fatality. Nothing is completely safe, that's life for you.
Declan Meenagh
@Kim, do you have links to the research?
Kim
We have conclusive evidence that both alcohol and tobacco are unsafe, both are legal. There is enough data to suggest cannabis is safer, it should be totally legalized and bar commercial sale, unregulated.
Its blatantly obvious that safety is not the reason it is illigal
Declan Meenagh
This would remove the economic incentive for criminal gangs, but we shouldn't presume it's safe. I'm open to correction, but I believe we don't have enough data to say that it's completely safe, so we can't just legalise it and forget about it. I think this needs a lot more research. I do believe prosecuting people for small amounts of possession is a waist of police resources, and the war on drugs doesn't work.
DavidTaylor
All drugs should be legal and regulated, not just cannabis.
Paul - PaxDelta
Hi Brian.
Got your FB chat message bruv, will throw some points and suggestions in a bit later today.
Peace. : )
David Malmo-Levine
We need legalization, not a corporate monopoly:
http://votetaxcannabis2010.blogspot.com/p/prop-19-ma-and-pa-are-out-of-work-and_26.html
If ********* could fuel cars, they would making masturbation illegal:
http://hemp-ethanol.blogspot.com/2008/01/economics-history-and-politics-of-hemp.html
Mark O'Sullivan
Saves money on law enforcement & arrest reductions and lessening revenue to criminal gangs. Saves money in the healthcare system as a cheap effective medicine for a whole host of conditions. Generates revenue from taxes on a plant with no proven fatalities in its use (and possibly tourism). Cannabis is not illegal because it's dangerous it's dangerous because it's illegal.
Additional to this is the vast potential of industrial hemp as a sustainable crop with myriad uses as food, fuel and fibre, j... more
Saves money on law enforcement & arrest reductions and lessening revenue to criminal gangs. Saves money in the healthcare system as a cheap effective medicine for a whole host of conditions. Generates revenue from taxes on a plant with no proven fatalities in its use (and possibly tourism). Cannabis is not illegal because it's dangerous it's dangerous because it's illegal.
Additional to this is the vast potential of industrial hemp as a sustainable crop with myriad uses as food, fuel and fibre, job and revenue generating potential. Oh, and it doesn't need pesticides and improves the soil.
What are we waiting for?
Ronan O'Malley
Prohibition creates huge profits for criminal gangs. Prohibition has failed completely in its stated aims. End this 40 year madness and legalise, tax and regulate the use of cannabis.