[News] Canada legalises recreational cannabis use.

[Triggaaar]

There's no law against taking alcohol in excess

If they wanted to bring a law against it, how would they go about that?

I'm sure there are long-term affects to cannabis, I'm certainly not saying there is no risk. But it is a personal risk and shouldn't be legislated against

Why shouldn't a drug with a health risk be legislated against?

I'm not against the legalisation of it, but I think there's a fair amount that's not yet known about the health risks.

But its certainly not a 'hard-core' drug, if tobacco and alcohol are not considered to be hard-core

Agreed.

 

[Triggaaar]

I don't like people who stink but unfortunately not getting a shower isn't illegal at present.

How about it being a health risk, which will cause problems for the NHS?

 

[LlcoolJ]

How about it being a health risk, which will cause problems for the NHS?

What study is it that states that this is the case?

Why would decriminalisation increase problems for the NHS? Unless someone can state why it would then again, it's not a valid reason for illegality.

 

[dingodan]

Why shouldn't a drug with a health risk be legislated against?

The question is does legislating against it reduce the risk? Prohibition leaves regulation to the black market. It doesn't prevent use and it never has, all it does is guarantee that the product will not be as safe as it could be. So if health risks are a concern, legalization reduces them, prohibition increases them.

 

[BadFish]

The law sets a boundary. It is normal for people to push boundaries, particularly teenagers. It works well because people break the law privately. People have different friendship groups. My family don't do it and the majority of my friends don't either. Plenty of people do it and plenty of people don't. I am not against people making their own decisions but I am anti drugs personally. Only recently two teenagers died in Hampshire at a festival from taking some pills. Okay they did that anyway but the message must always be SAY NO TO DRUGS. The government has a responsibility to set a good moral stance and to take into account what the demand will be on NHS.

But the message isn't SAY NO TO DRUGS the message is SAY NO TO SOME DRUGS. Coffee is okay, alcohol is okay, prescription drugs are okay. The discussion we are having here isn't that drugs are good or bad because we know that as a whole category they are both. What we are discussing is about if cannabis is in the wrong category. If we take your position to its logical conclusion then should cannabis ever become legal you will think it is okay. You are happy for others to make this decision for you and i respect that. The problem is that your stance doesn't really add anything to the debate and in this sense is moot.

 

[Kalimantan Gull]

Why shouldn't a drug with a health risk be legislated against?.

Its a naturally occurring plant. So are peanuts. Peanuts are implicated in the deaths of many people every year, so we could legislate against peanuts as well?

No, I think you make the health risks clear (and study them further), control the distribution, make sure people don't take it by mistake, a la alcohol and tobacco, but leave it to personal choice beyond that.

However I don't think the argument about legalising or criminalising drug use is just about the health risks. The problem with drugs is the knock-on effects of criminalisation, which is why I believe all drugs should be decriminalised.

How many heroin users got AIDS because of sharing infected needles? How many people have been banged up in prisons abroad because they were carrying drugs? How many people have lost their jobs or been publicly shamed because they were found to be taking drugs? How many people have died because they bought drugs that were cut with bad chemicals and not what they were supposed to be? How many people died taking drugs because they didn't know what the effects were or were scared to get help if they were in trouble? How many girls are kept as addicted 'crack-whores', unable to escape a life of prostitution because they're kept addicted to drugs which only their pimp can supply? How many people die in gang wars between drug-dealers?

there's so many lives ruined not because of drugs themselves but because of the illegal nature of drugs.

 

[btnbelle]

In society you are in a massive minority. People want change and they want it now. It's views like your that gives cannabis a bad name. Everything you state about cannabis is based on your opinion and out dated information. Why people are still trying to change your opinion is beyond me because it doesn't take a genius to work out the your opinion will not change regardless of the facts put infront of you. Cannabis is going to be legalised. Its just a matter of time. Your negativity will not stop that.

I agree, I am not sure why people are trying to change my mind. People on both sides of the debate are not bad people they just hold a different opinion. I am not negative just anti drugs.

 

[btnbelle]

But the message isn't SAY NO TO DRUGS the message is SAY NO TO SOME DRUGS. Coffee is okay, alcohol is okay, prescription drugs are okay. The discussion we are having here isn't that drugs are good or bad because we know that as a whole category they are both. What we are discussing is about if cannabis is in the wrong category. If we take your position to its logical conclusion then should cannabis ever become legal you will think it is okay. You are happy for others to make this decision for you and i respect that. The problem is that your stance doesn't really add anything to the debate and in this sense is moot.

Yes.... Coffee and prescription drugs are a little different. I haven't heard of any negatives to drinking coffee alas it may have happened someone choked on some. Prescription drugs are taken with the aim of improving health, not for pleasure. Personally I get very bad side effects to them.

Where alcohol is concerned, we are where we are. I agree it would not be legalised today. It is legal and while I can take it or leave it and enjoy a glass of wine, it is not that way for everyone.

I was just expressing my view with my original post, the same view held by many people, it is not an isolated one. For me it is in the correct category.

 

[Triggaaar]

What study is it that states that this is the case?

It's my opinion and that of the health professionals I know. Which study shows that it's not harmful and won't cause long term health issues?

Why would decriminalisation increase problems for the NHS?

Because there are links between use and long term mental health issues, and the NHS has to look after people with mental health issues.

 

[Triggaaar]

The question is does legislating against it reduce the risk? Prohibition leaves regulation to the black market. It doesn't prevent use and it never has, all it does is guarantee that the product will not be as safe as it could be.

I agree there are problems with the way it's currently handled, and there are benefits to legalising it (such as the quality of it not being down to drug dealers). But legalising it would mean more users. It's not clear what the affects would be.

So if health risks are a concern, legalization reduces them, prohibition increases them.

It's not as simple as that. That would suggest all drugs should be legalised.

 

[BadFish]

Yes.... Coffee and prescription drugs are a little different. I haven't heard of any negatives to drinking coffee alas it may have happened someone choked on some. Prescription drugs are taken with the aim of improving health, not for pleasure. Personally I get very bad side effects to them.

Where alcohol is concerned, we are where we are. I agree it would not be legalised today. It is legal and while I can take it or leave it and enjoy a glass of wine, it is not that way for everyone.

I was just expressing my view with my original post, the same view held by many people, it is not an isolated one. For me it is in the correct category.

I, and a number of other people I know who have experienced depression and other mental health problems have found that the symptoms are lessened after giving up coffee.

 

[daveinprague]

Why are they not valid?

Because none of them are the reasons for its illegality in the current law

 

[daveinprague]

If they wanted to bring a law against it, how would they go about that?

Why shouldn't a drug with a health risk be legislated against?

I'm not against the legalisation of it, but I think there's a fair amount that's not yet known about the health risks.

Agreed.

Its not a drug. Its a plant.

 

[Triggaaar]

Its a naturally occurring plant. So are peanuts. Peanuts are implicated in the deaths of many people every year, so we could legislate against peanuts as well?

It depends on the numbers. If peanuts were killing half the people that took them, yes, they should be made illegal, and we should do our best to wipe out out the plant altogether. Just because something is naturally occurring doesn't make it ok.

No, I think you make the health risks clear (and study them further)

I certainly think the health risks should be studied further, but that takes a long time (particularly when talking about the long term health affects).

How many heroin users got AIDS because of sharing infected needles?

So if someone was addicted to heroin, how would you have them get their fix?

 

[BadFish]

I agree there are problems with the way it's currently handled, and there are benefits to legalising it (such as the quality of it not being down to drug dealers). But legalising it would mean more users. It's not clear what the affects would be.
It's not as simple as that. That would suggest all drugs should be legalised.

If you read the articles i posted earlier this is exactly what many people are saying (well decriminalised anyway). I think the discussion needs to be had as the war on drugs is being lost and we need to try something else.

Portugal is a good case study in this area i believe.

https://www.drugfoundation.org.nz/matters-of-substance/may-2013/drugs-are-legal-portugal/

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/...dly-anyone-dies-from-overdosing-10301780.html

https://news.vice.com/article/ungas...-after-decriminalization-drugs-weed-to-heroin

 

[LlcoolJ]

It's my opinion and that of the health professionals I know. Which study shows that it's not harmful and won't cause long term health issues?

Because there are links between use and long term mental health issues, and the NHS has to look after people with mental health issues.

That's not the point. I asked how decriminalisation would increase problems for the NHS? Why are there going to be more people with mental health problems? There are already millions of people using cannabis illegally. Are you suggesting that with decriminalisation there will be millions more users because that goes completely against the generally accepted theory that the opposite actually happens.

If cannabis use was going to be a massive burden on the NHS when legal then it already would be while illegal. Funny thing is, the things that are actually massive problems are fags, booze and actually much more so now, fat people.

 

[PTC Gull]

Looks like he Japanese Gov is thinking about it as well, albeit rather sneakily.

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-44576329

 

[Albion my Albion]

This explains a lot about Trump, Trudeau and the American/Canadian feud. The US thought they had a monopoly on the Rocky Mountain high theme.

 

[Triggaaar]

Its not a drug. Its a plant.

Yes it is. The two aren't mutually exclusive.

 

[Triggaaar]

Because none of them are the reasons for its illegality in the current law

What are the reasons in the current law?