A sensible discussion about current drugs policy.

[spindrift]

What about the U.K. ?

 

Similar reasons to the US example.

 

racism, hysteria, lies.

 

http://civilliberty.about.com/od/drugpolicy/tp/Why-is-Marijuana-Illegal.htm

[spindrift]

It wasn't always illegal, it was actually a major commodity of the founding fathers of America. Hemp was used for everything: paper, rope, sails. Whats more, besides hemp being the world's strongest natural fiber, it can be burned down and made into biodiesel fuel.

 

Cannabis extract believe it or not was quite possibly the most versatile medicine of it's day, Queen Victoria even used it for her menstral cramps.

 

The plant didn't become illegal until it was used as a scapegoat to prosecute Blacks and Mexicans who pioneered its use to the South. A string of hate propaganda flooded the media depicting blacks smoking Weed as frenzied beasts. Cannabis was only ever called "marijuana" because people began to associated it with Mexicans.

 

This is only the tip of the iceburg, there's a long history of misinformation and controversy about the subject. Nixon even used his prohibition as an excuse to arrest anti-war protestors, many of which smoked Marijuana.

 

The UNION is an amazing film which highlights the history and hypocracy of Marijuana law in the States aswell as Canada-----

 

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9077214414651731007#

[spindrift]

Hashish= assassins

 

Cannabis= canvas.

 

The Laughing Cavalier is, literally, on cannabis.

[Shy talk]

It wasn't always illegal, it was actually a major commodity of the founding fathers of America. Hemp was used for everything: paper, rope, sails. Whats more, besides hemp being the world's strongest natural fiber, it can be burned down and made into biodiesel fuel.

 

Cannabis extract believe it or not was quite possibly the most versatile medicine of it's day, Queen Victoria even used it for her menstral cramps.

 

The plant didn't become illegal until it was used as a scapegoat to prosecute Blacks and Mexicans who pioneered its use to the South. A string of hate propaganda flooded the media depicting blacks smoking Weed as frenzied beasts. Cannabis was only ever called "marijuana" because people began to associated it with Mexicans.

 

This is only the tip of the iceburg, there's a long history of misinformation and controversy about the subject. Nixon even used his prohibition as an excuse to arrest anti-war protestors, many of which smoked Marijuana.

 

The UNION is an amazing film which highlights the history and hypocracy of Marijuana law in the States aswell as Canada-----

 

 

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9077214414651731007#

 

....................so any way, back i Britain...

[harvey19]

I was told that it made people lethargic so they did not want to get out of bed on a morning, study or work.

It induced a couldn't care less attitude and that was the reason it should not be legalised.

Is this correct ?

[spindrift]

....................so any way, back i Britain...

 

 

The two links explain how US law changes informed UK policy, had you bothered to read them.

 

Spain – tolerated – you can grow your own plants.

 

Switzerland – tolerated, you can score in certain places and grow your own plants.

 

Denmark – you can still buy pot in Christiana.

 

Holland – we all know this story.

 

Germany – now tolerated in small amounts.

 

Belgium – now tolerated in small amounts.

 

Czech – now tolerated in small amounts.

 

Portugal – have decriminalised all drugs.

 

France – they smoke more than anyone in Europe just don’t advertise it

 

UK – your grandmother may be arrested by the riot squad tomorrow and sent to prison for many years.

[Bassman62]

And i note that typically you ignored most of the post, and replied with a single partial sentence that adds nothing to the discussion.

You like Magilla so predictable and have to be confrontational in your posts, you can't have your way so spit out the dummy.

[Bassman62]

Perhaps they should look at #543 first?

Why????????

[spindrift]

The world-wide campaign against cannabis continues until the present day.

 

 

Further International Treaties, such as the UN Single Drugs Convention of 1961, officially denied that cannabis had any therapeutic proprieties and classified it alongside highly addictive, toxic and dangerous drugs. Further changes in national laws, including, in Britain, the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971, increased penalties, withdrew cannabis as a medicine, and banned its cultivation for any reason.

 

This situation has resulted in the prosecution of millions of people around the world, some of whom are even now serving life sentences and longer for small amounts of cannabis, often solely for medicinal use.

 

These include William Foster who was sentenced to serve 93 years in Texas recently; he suffers from chronic rheumatoid arthritis.

 

 

The prohibition of cannabis and the widespread use of the synthetic alternatives is responsible for many of today's problems, including the drugs problem, alienation of huge sections of populations, over-crowding of prisons, pollution, unemployment and increased suffering. Britain alone spends over half a billion pounds a year 'fighting' drugs, resulting in 83% of arrests being for cannabis 'offences' - over 80,000 people - and the problem is getting worse.

 

In the face of the many testimonies from medical users of illegal cannabis and the huge social and ecological problems caused by, and resulting from, prohibition of cannabis, we need to ask: "Was the prohibition of cannabis justified?" What do the scientists and doctors say? Is cannabis as harmful as was claimed - or have we all been conned by money--motivated conspirators?

 

Why Is Cannabis Still Illegal?

In the face of the evidence presented by the official government-sponsored scientific studies and reports, which exonerate cannabis from harmfulness, most governments of the world refuse to re-legalise cannabis. The British Government goes further, simply refusing any open discussion or debate.

 

The medical benefits of cannabis as reported in the many anecdotes of users, is consistently denied. Recent moves by the people of California and Arizona, through the democratic process, to allow cannabis as a medicine have met with total opposition from the US Government, to the point of threatening to arrest users and doctors alike.

 

 

Cannabis has been declared as 'remarkably safe', by the BMA and Prof. Lester Grinspoon of Harvard University.

 

There has never been a single death attributed solely to cannabis.

 

 

The European Union has recommended decriminalisation of cannabis (Oct 1997), and a huge proportion of the British public support an easing of law, including many doctors, barristers and professionals.

 

The Governments of Holland, Germany, Luxembourg, Switzerland, Italy, Spain and Greece are moving towards legalisation. Every argument against legalisation which has been presented by the British Government has been shown to be false; their last reason is simply that legalisation of cannabis would 'send out the wrong message that it is OK to take drugs', seemingly admitting lack of control over their own public announcements.

 

 

 

http://www.thehempire.com/index.php/cannabis/cannabis_hemp/why_cannabis_is_illegal

[spindrift]

What The Experts Say

UK ROYAL COMMISSION, WOOTTON REPORT 1966 said: "there is no evidence that (any) serious dangers are associated with the smoking of cannabis", and "cannabis does not lead to heroin addictions" and that there was no evidence that cannabis caused "conditions of dependence or psychosis requiring medical treatment."

 

US JAMAICAN STUDY 1974 said: "No impairment of physiological sensory and perceptual performance, tests of concept formation, abstracting ability, and cognitive style and tests of memory."

 

DR. ANDREW WEIL (RUBIN & COMITAS: 'GANJA IN JAMAICA', 1975) said: "a-motivation [is] a cause of heavy marijuana smoking rather than the reverse."

 

DEA JUDGE FRANCIS YOUNG'S REPORT, 1988, said: "[cannabis is] far safer than many foods we commonly consume and "in its natural form it is one of the safest therapeutically active substances known to man."

 

UK JUDGE JAMES PICKLES SAID IN 1992: "Cannabis never killed anybody and its use is widespread. You can't stop it. The law defeats itself because all the efforts to stop drugs coming in only drives up the prices and the gangsters move in to push the drugs."

 

AUSTRALIAN GOVERNMENT REPORT 1994: "Cannabis has been erroneously classified as a narcotic, as a sedative and most recently as an hallucinogen. While the cannabinoids do possess hallucinogenic properties, together with stimulant and sedative effects, they in fact represent a unique class of pharmaceutical compounds."

 

US DEPARTMENT OF MOTOR VEHICLES CRANCER STUDY said: "Simulated driving scores for subjects experiencing a normal social high and the same subjects under control conditions are not significantly different."

 

MEDICAL JOURNAL 'THE LANCET', NOV., 1995 said "The smoking of cannabis, even long term, is not harmful to health"

 

US NATIONAL TOXICOLOGY PROGRAM REPORT 1997 said: "... found absolutely no evidence of cancer."

 

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, UCLA, 1997 said: "Neither the continuing nor the intermittent marijuana smokers exhibited any significantly different rates of decline in [lung function] as compared with those individuals who have never smoked marijuana."