How long until Cannabis is legal in the UK?

[RootsBooster]

define safe and safer heroin, cocaine, 90 proof alcohol

 

I can't speak for him/her but Heroin and cocaine can be made safer simply by regulating the ingredients that are put in and provide information which clearly explains what effects X quantity will have.

For illegally produced 90 proof alcohol (45% vol, I believe) the same applies, regulate the ingredients (to prevent any unnecessary dangerous ingredients) and provide clear information.

 

Add these to the fact that a dispenser/retailer would be able to make the decision as to whether you've already had enough and could refuse to serve you (like it currently is with booze).

 

---------- Post added 21-11-2014 at 18:16 ----------

 

So regulated alcohol as opposed to unregulated moonshine is "safer"?

 

Maybe "regulating" the contents will prevent the user from going blind..

 

Do you not see the HUGE contradiction between the green and red statements you made?

Edited November 21, 2014 by RootsBooster

[Harleyman]

Your last line's a bit ambiguous I can't decide weather your pro or anti drug?

 

I don't understand how someone like yourself (ie clearly smart, educated, sane, and apparently not a raving fundamentalist) maintains a stance that you have chosen.

seriously, I don't get it. I can see how years of 'druggs are bad mmmk' style of propaganda would ingrain itself, but that goes against you being smart. which you are.

I can see that if you've had a personal tragedy in your family directly due to drugs it would sway your opinion. but again the pros of legalisation vs the status quo just don't equate to a rational argument for keeping the status quo as is.

It seems as if you've taken a very literal 'it's the law, so that's my opinion'

if that's the case are all laws ok?

correct me if I'm wrong.

 

I don't say all laws are OK but on the subject of substances which are harmful to the user, to others who may be victims of people who are under the influence of substances and substances which are addictive and later in life cause health problems which impact the system then I say that laws banning such substances are necessary.

 

It's way too late for alcohol and tobacco of course. I did my share of boozing, smoked ciggies, cigars and pipes in my prime, spent too much money, made a fool of myself which is beside the point but I went clean, quit smoking and drink in moderation these days. I was lucky in that I didn't damage my health or manage to kill somebody while driving home after a skin full

 

There were alcoholics in my family one of whom took his own life, the WW2 hero in the family and another who smoked until his lungs gave out, father of three kids

 

I worry about not only about my own three young grand daughters but impressionable young people as a whole. To openly retail drugs which are mind altering, affect reflex actions and mar judgment is just putting temptation in the way of too many. Schools have a tough enough time already trying to educate the young against drug use.

 

I don't care too much if grown, mature adults want to live that lifestyle. Any of them with a grain of common sense know where that road leads too but there's no sense any government passing legislation to create a future problem in addition to those which already exist

[Bonzo77]

So regulated alcohol as opposed to unregulated moonshine is "safer"?

Maybe "regulating" the contents will prevent the user from going blind but apart from that alcohol still presents a danger to the user as well as to the innocent victims of that user. If that's not the case why is the law so strict on DUI. In California an alcohol level over .008 can get a driver arrested

 

Legalizing drugs and regulating the contents is no case at all. People will still abuse them, overdose etc.

 

If drugs were sold legally in outlets like any other commodity what's to stop naïve young people from trying them out? People who would ordinarily not bother with them because at present they're not stuck under their noses.

 

Many such people would be too ready to believe that because the government passed a law to make them legal then therefore they must be okay to use. After all, the government knows everything don't it?

 

Legalising cannabis wouldn't cause a massive increase in users. Also, there would obviously be a strict age restriction, which dealers don't have!

 

If cannabis were legal, the stigma would be removed and parents would educate their children about it, much like they do with alcohol now.

 

What makes you think hard drugs would be available in the store is beyond me?!

[Korky Kat]

That's a contradiction they can't be law abiding/decent if they break the law.

 

many thousands of otherwise productive, decent and law abiding members of society end up in jail and whose whole lives are blighted as a consequence.

 

If they break the law the can't be "decent and law abiding members of society" they're criminals, end of.

[psynuk]

gotcha. thanks.

 

I still think that as it's an un-doable job (prohibition) it needs to be regarded in a different way.

the criminalisation of it is another problem on top of the 'problem' of use and that in my eyes is just pointless and costly.

 

I can see your point of view, and in certain ways share it, but the fact remains that drug use is widespread, unregulated and criminal.

 

there's very little to be done in order to stop people doing it. even the death penalty doesn't seem to work!

 

There seems to be no benefit to criminalising users, that it was an offence didn't deter in the first place so what's the benefit/ purpose in that tack?

 

I'd love to know true figures for re-use amongst the prosecuted/cautioned

I can't imagine it being very effective.

 

Finally the cost.

It just boggles my mind to think that not only do we pay huge amounts of money to stem the flow of drugs, to lock up the users of drugs, to treat the addicts, to insure and replace the stolen goods.

Plus the emotional cost of all this not to mention the time, apparently wasted as it's still going on.

When it could be a legitimate, regulated and controlled industry that could actually be held accountable.

No body would knowingly guide an industry to operate like the drugs industry now does it makes the whole thing uncontrollable and unpredictable.

 

'Legalisation' really does seem to be a better idea than what we've got.

Edited November 21, 2014 by psynuk

[Harleyman]

gotcha. thanks.

 

I still think that as it's an un-doable job (prohibition) it needs to be regarded in a different way.

the criminalisation of it is another problem on top of the 'problem' of use and that in my eyes is just pointless and costly.

 

I can see your point of view, and in certain ways share it, but the fact remains that drug use is widespread, unregulated and criminal.

 

there's very little to be done in order to stop people doing it. even the death penalty doesn't seem to work!

 

There seems to be no benefit to criminalising users, that it was an offence didn't deter in the first place so what's the benefit/ purpose in that tack?

 

I'd love to know true figures for re-use amongst the prosecuted/cautioned

I can't imagine it being very effective.

 

Finally the cost.

It just boggles my mind to think that not only do we pay huge amounts of money to stem the flow of drugs, to lock up the users of drugs, to treat the addicts, to insure and replace the stolen goods.

Plus the emotional cost of all this not to mention the time, apparently wasted as it's still going on.

When it could be a legitimate, regulated and controlled industry that could actually be held accountable.

No body would knowingly guide an industry to operate like the drugs industry now does it makes the whole thing uncontrollable and unpredictable.

 

'Legalisation' really does seem to be a better idea than what we've got.

 

Are tobacco companies and breweries accountable? Was booze and baccy really ever regulated or controlled.

 

What's the situation on binge drinking by 18 plus year olds in the UK which from reports I hear has become something is a big problem. High school kids boozing it up is a problem here which has existed for some time

 

The history of tobacco abuse, lung cancer etc speaks for itself.

 

If they cant control abuse and over indulgence of either of the above how do you think they could manage to do so with other controlled substances?

 

I know what you're saying about the present situation on criminalizing drug use but perhaps it's just better to try and leave it as is instead of opening up a Pandora's box where even more may become addicted

[RootsBooster]

many thousands of otherwise productive, decent and law abiding members of society end up in jail and whose whole lives are blighted as a consequence.

 

If they break the law the can't be "decent and law abiding members of society" they're criminals, end of.

Sounds like it should be legalised then.

[JOHN HABS]

Hopefully NEVER.

 

If you need illegal drugs to get through a day then you lead a very very sad life !

 

 

Be thankful for what you already have, there's plenty of things around you to give you an high without resorting to drug taking - try helping someone less fortunate than yourself, that in itself should give you an high.

 

If drug taking wasn't wasn't so rife, there would be less crime committed.

[RootsBooster]

Hopefully NEVER.

 

If you need illegal drugs to get through a day then you lead a very very sad life !

 

 

Be thankful for what you already have, there's plenty of things around you to give you an high without resorting to drug taking - try helping someone less fortunate than yourself, that in itself should give you an high.

 

If drug taking wasn't wasn't so rife, there would be less crime committed.

 

What crime would there be less of if cannabis wasn't around?

[Phanerothyme]

there's plenty of things around you to give you a high

 

Literally everywhere you look.

 

Every living thing* contains psychedelics.

 

*that has been assayed, to date.