Should I be jailed for breaking the law?

[Chris_Sleeps]

This has zero to do with cannabis

Okay ... the detour was lovely. Thank you.

 

I've heard that argument often enough, but we either agree as a society to have laws and draw the line somewhere on what is/is not acceptable, or we have anarchy.

You'll appreciate an economic argument then, along the lines of Adam Smith and smuggling. Surely it makes more sense to decriminalise an activity and open the market for taxation, than to spend money on trying and failing to stop people.

 

"The smuggler,"

Smith wrote,

"is a person who, though no doubt blameable for violating the laws of his country, is frequently incapable of violating those of natural justice, and would have been in every respect an excellent citizen had not the laws of his country made that a crime which nature never meant to be so."

[onewheeldave]

He doesn't seem to be answering that. Ask any SYP bobby how many street prositutes he's encountered who aren't doing it to feed their drug habit.

 

Obviously though, if drugs of regulated quality were available, through respectable legal sources (as opposed to criminals who, in addition to pedaling comtaminated drugs, have connections in pimping and trafficking) with none of the current stigma, a lot less drug using females are going to end up as prostitutes.

[onewheeldave]

And you think they'll just take the hit?

 

By that 'reasoning' then, we should be looking to get the criminal gangs involved in distributing the legal drugs alcohol and tobacco, on the grounds that it will spread them thin and dilute their ability to run their current operations?!?

[onewheeldave]

Druggies try hard to deny this, but sensible people know that most hard drug users start their path to deapravity on cannabis.

 

Actually they start on alcohol, tobacco and caffiene.

 

And, the vast majority of cannabis users do not end up taking heroin.

[onewheeldave]

I've heard that argument often enough, but we either agree as a society to have laws and draw the line somewhere on what is/is not acceptable, or we have anarchy.

 

No one is arguing for an abolishment of laws!

 

What we want is a removal of stupid laws, of laws that create more harm than they remove, and, of a regulation of drugs.

 

What you say above is a blatant strawman- arguing against a point that no-one is actually making.

[Mr Bojangles]

Actually they start on alcohol, tobacco and caffiene.

 

And, the vast majority of cannabis users do not end up taking heroin.

I wonder how many heroin users would say they didn't sample cannabis before moving on to heroin though.

[onewheeldave]

I wonder how many heroin users would say they didn't sample cannabis before moving on to heroin though.

 

Do you wonder how many heroin users would say they didn't sample cigarettes, alcohol or tea before moving on to heroin?

 

Do you ever wonder about the difference between causation and correlation?

 

Do you ever wonder about adopting an evidence-based or rational approach when it comes to making up your mind about these things?

 

Or are you pretty happy with the knee-jerk/'following the flock' approach?

[Murphy Jnr]

Okay ... the detour was lovely. Thank you.

 

Pleasure...so going back to my original unanswered question, what does cannabis offer, perhaps then I might be in a position to influence the poll

[Mr Bojangles]

Do you wonder how many heroin users would say they didn't sample cigarettes, alcohol or tea before moving on to heroin?

 

Do you ever wonder about the difference between causation and correlation?

 

Do you ever wonder about adopting an evidence-based or rational approach when it comes to making up your mind about these things?

 

Or are you pretty happy with the knee-jerk/'following the flock' approach?

So the answer is almost all of them then

[onewheeldave]

Pleasure...so going back to my original unanswered question, what does cannabis offer, perhaps then I might be in a position to influence the poll

 

But really, the poll is nothing to do with what cannabis has to offer- it's asking whether users should be punished.

 

No-one needs to know what is good about orange juice, to decide whether those who drink it should be allowed to do so, do they?

 

However, the reasons why cannabis users choose to take it, include-

 

1. it makes them feel good (just as, for others, going on holiday is a pleasure, or seeing a good film, or having a drink, etc)

 

2. health benefits (it's medicinal uses)

 

3. most people like to use mind-altering substances occasionally, and, cannabis is provenly far more safer than most other drugs (especially when compared to alcohol or tobacco)

 

and many others.

 

But, like I explain above, the reasons why some people like cannabis is totally irrelevant when it comes to others choosing to restrict their usage, or punish them for it.