Should Cannabis be legalised in Britain?

[Conscious]

If you would like to see less drug use, fewer acquisitive crimes caused by addiction and enormous savings to the police, courts and taxpayer, then relaxing drug laws achieves all of this:

 

http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1893946,00.html

 

At the time, critics in the poor, socially conservative and largely Catholic nation said decriminalizing drug possession would open the country to "drug tourists" and exacerbate Portugal's drug problem; the country had some of the highest levels of hard-drug use in Europe. But the recently released results of a report commissioned by the Cato Institute, a libertarian think tank, suggest otherwise.

 

The paper, published by Cato in April, found that in the five years after personal possession was decriminalized, illegal drug use among teens in Portugal declined and rates of new HIV infections caused by sharing of dirty needles dropped, while the number of people seeking treatment for drug addiction more than doubled.

"Judging by every metric, decriminalization in Portugal has been a resounding success,"

 

 

says Glenn Greenwald, an attorney, author and fluent Portuguese speaker, who conducted the research.

 

"It has enabled the Portuguese government to manage and control the drug problem far better than virtually every other Western country does."

 

Good information. I heard somewhere that the Netherlands has far less cannabis smokers than London alone, they seem to benefit financially from tourism though.

[spindrift]

Relaxing drug laws works in every country with NO exceptions. But will the repressed Uk government listen?

 

It's the "Forbidden Fruit" theory. Legalise it, it's no longer cool.

 

Portugal now has one of the lowest cannabis usage rates in the EU.

 

Supporters of maintaining the illegality of cannabis are encouraging its use.

[spindrift]

Good information. I heard somewhere that the Netherlands has far less cannabis smokers than London alone, they seem to benefit financially from tourism though.

 

Yep, true:

 

In the Netherlands 9.5% of young adults (aged 15–34) consume soft drugs once a month, comparable to the level of Finland (8%), Latvia (9,7%) and Norway (9.6%) and less than in the UK (13.8%)

[Saffy]

I strongly agree and don't give a donkeys who knows.

[NorthernStar]

I have smoked weed on and off over the years and for me there have been more advantages than disadvantages. It seems to me that the fact it is an illegal drug seems to cause more of a problem than if it was legalised.

 

Truth is I would probably indulge a little even now if I knew someone who could sell me some but I don't want to have to deal with the obvious criminal types who seem to want to advertise their participation for very different reasons than my own.

[TJC1]

Yep, true:

 

In the Netherlands 9.5% of young adults (aged 15–34) consume soft drugs once a month, comparable to the level of Finland (8%), Latvia (9,7%) and Norway (9.6%) and less than in the UK (13.8%)

 

Not just that, they do it more responsibly too.

Instead of getting stuff off some drug dealing scum bag with the danger of going to prison they get it from a coffee shop.

Whats more anti-social- a back street deal and staying in your house to smoke or chilling with a coffee amongst other people?

[spindrift]

Not just that, they do it more responsibly too.

Instead of getting stuff off some drug dealing scum bag with the danger of going to prison they get it from a coffee shop.

Whats more anti-social- a back street deal and staying in your house to smoke or chilling with a coffee amongst other people?

 

Behind the Royal Palace off Dam Square there's a place in a narrow street opposite a lovely 2nd hand book shop. Quick browse for a book, some White Widow and a cup of peppermint tea, heaven!

[TJC1]

Behind the Royal Palace off Dam Square there's a place in a narrow street opposite a lovely 2nd hand book shop. Quick browse for a book, some White Widow and a cup of peppermint tea, heaven!

 

Happy daze:D

[johncocker]

Good information. I heard somewhere that the Netherlands has far less cannabis smokers than London alone, they seem to benefit financially from tourism though.

 

 

I lived and worked in amsterdam for two years in the late 70"s and from what I saw i would'nt legalize it .the problem I found is that it dos'nt stop at cannabis .we'd go to a bar you get offered grass and hash then coke ,speed , smack ,acid ,mushrooms,peyote all kinds of drugs.I don't know how they collect imformation on pot smokers ,but the ones I new did'nt stop at pot.plus the peer pressure among young people is another factor .think its simplistic to belive legalizeing something makes it "uncool".. .I've had friends with serious emotional problems just get worse smoking that **** .

[Hots on]

If you would like to see less drug use, fewer acquisitive crimes caused by addiction and enormous savings to the police, courts and taxpayer, then relaxing drug laws achieves all of this:

 

 

Why will liberalising cannabis mean less acquisitive crimes? If cannabis was legalised and sold in shops why would the type of people that steal to get money to pay for cannabis now suddenly get jobs and pay for cannabis out of their wages if it was legal.