[News] Canada legalises recreational cannabis use.

[btnbelle]

What is this based on!? What about the health benefits?

The mental health services are already under strain without putting further pressure on them. Its based on common sense.

I don't see a benefit to smoking it for pleasure.

Those who already have life limiting conditions or severe pain deserve the right to access a safer product regulated by NICE.

 

[Notters]

The mental health services are already under strain without putting further pressure on them.

But the evidence, so far at least, is that legalisation reduces use, as well as providing tax revenue, so where is this further pressure coming from?

I don't see a benefit to smoking it for pleasure.

• Calms rather than inebriates the mind into possible aggressive behaviour.
• Improves sleep without the usual side effects of alcohol.
• Hemp as a by-product (paper, clothing, food).
• Can increase creativity.

If you don't agree with the last one then, as Bill Hicks says, burn all your records.

Having said all that, I agree that it should be treated with caution and people's mental health must remain a priority.

 

[dingodan]

I agree with medical use. People with medical conditions require pain management and treatment and for them it is quality of live more than the risk to the quantity.

Healthy people are at risk of mental health issues especially teenagers. Okay the law would say over 18's but the dealers will still pedal it to them with the message from society that it is safe. Teenagers will also get it off older friends or family members like they do with alcohol.

It carries a higher risk of Lung cancer than cigarettes and it is a gateway to other drugs.

Dealers won't pedal it because there won't be a market for it. The reason dealers produce and sell it today is that it's illegal which makes it expensive, and so profitable. Now that alcohol is licensed and regulated there isn't a streat dealer of alcohol you can go to to get some moonshine, there is no black market for it because it's not worth creating one anymore.

10,000 academic articles published since 1999 were reviewed by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in the U.S. in 2017, they concluded that smoking Cannabis doesn't carry an increased risk of lung cancer.

The evidence suggests that smoking cannabis does not increase the risk for certain cancers (i.e., lung, head, and neck) in adults.

http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/...ealth-Effects/Cannabis-chapter-highlights.pdf

Cannabis isn't a gateway drug either, except where it puts people into contact with the market for hard drugs, and that only happens while it is illegal and people need to go to drug dealers to get it. If you had to get your beer or wine from a street dealer it would be a gateway drug too, the gateway is the market. Consuming Cannabis in and of itself doesn't cause people to use harder drugs any more than consuming alcohol does.

 

[StonehamPark]

A great day for Canada.
The UK will surely follow our model. First legalize for medical then 4-5 years later, look at legalizing for recreational.

 

[Durlston]

Moroccan plants knocked out. Floored by the power.

 

[Gwylan]

but the dealers will still pedal it to them.

Bloody cycle couriers- deliver anything these days.

 

[Hornblower]

Dealers won't pedal it because there won't be a market for it. The reason dealers produce and sell it today is that it's illegal which makes it expensive, and so profitable. Now that alcohol is licensed and regulated there isn't a streat dealer of alcohol you can go to to get some moonshine, there is no black market for it because it's not worth creating one anymore.

10,000 academic articles published since 1999 were reviewed by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in the U.S. in 2017, they concluded that smoking Cannabis doesn't carry an increased risk of lung cancer.

http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/...ealth-Effects/Cannabis-chapter-highlights.pdf

Cannabis isn't a gateway drug either, except where it puts people into contact with the market for hard drugs, and that only happens while it is illegal and people need to go to drug dealers to get it. If you had to get your beer or wine from a street dealer it would be a gateway drug too, the gateway is the market. Consuming Cannabis in and of itself doesn't cause people to use harder drugs any more than consuming alcohol does.

Thanks for talking so much sense on this issue. Not always the case on this site.

 

[BBassic]

There'd still be a bit of a criminal market around I think even if we do go down the Canada route. People would still want the stronger strains.

 

[clippedgull]

I support legalising it for medical use if it helps people get relief from pain and suffering.

Not so sure about legalising recreational use.

I guess it will eventually be legalised if whatever government in power decides it’s worth monetising.

 

[btnbelle]

But the evidence, so far at least, is that legalisation reduces use, as well as providing tax revenue, so where is this further pressure coming from?



• Calms rather than inebriates the mind into possible aggressive behaviour.
• Improves sleep without the usual side effects of alcohol.
• Hemp as a by-product (paper, clothing, food).
• Can increase creativity.

If you don't agree with the last one then, as Bill Hicks says, burn all your records.

Having said all that, I agree that it should be treated with caution and people's mental health must remain a priority.

It would be much better if people didn't take drugs of any kind.

I respect a persons right to choose but that isn't the effect this drug has on everyone. I bought my two up to reject drugs completely. My daughter has never taken them and my son tried once. He was so ill from it that by the time a friend had advised me on the possible cause of his illness and I had chatted with him about it, he was extremely keen to reassure me, he would never touch it or any drug again.

 

[btnbelle]

Dealers won't pedal it because there won't be a market for it. The reason dealers produce and sell it today is that it's illegal which makes it expensive, and so profitable. Now that alcohol is licensed and regulated there isn't a streat dealer of alcohol you can go to to get some moonshine, there is no black market for it because it's not worth creating one anymore.

10,000 academic articles published since 1999 were reviewed by The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine in the U.S. in 2017, they concluded that smoking Cannabis doesn't carry an increased risk of lung cancer.

http://nationalacademies.org/hmd/~/...ealth-Effects/Cannabis-chapter-highlights.pdf

Cannabis isn't a gateway drug either, except where it puts people into contact with the market for hard drugs, and that only happens while it is illegal and people need to go to drug dealers to get it. If you had to get your beer or wine from a street dealer it would be a gateway drug too, the gateway is the market. Consuming Cannabis in and of itself doesn't cause people to use harder drugs any more than consuming alcohol does.

Dealers will pedal it to the underage and those who want a stronger product. In time they will undercut the official product which will end up heavily taxed to cover the cost to the health service. Cheap alcohol is available at present but that may change and then a marketplace will open up. Minimum pricing has already been introduced in Scotland and it is just a matter of time.

There have been research which shows it does increase the lung cancer risk. Best not take that the risk.

Many people who take hard drugs have admitted to starting out on Cannabis.

 

[StonehamPark]

There'd still be a bit of a criminal market around I think even if we do go down the Canada route. People would still want the stronger strains.

Not necessarily. All strains in stores and online display the THC content. Which you obviously have no idea of on the street. You could be getting shitty pollinated bud with very low THC, or the complete opposite.
The government would never make only low THC strains available.

It would be much better if people didn't take drugs of any kind.

That's a very bold statement with many glaring fallacies.

Dealers will pedal it to the underage and those who want a stronger product. In time they will undercut the official product which will end up heavily taxed to cover the cost to the health service

There have been research which shows it does increase the lung cancer risk. Best not take that the risk.

There are a ton of assumptions in your posts. You should really do some research and expand your knowledge on the subject.

 

[Notters]

Many people who take hard drugs have admitted to starting out on Cannabis.

I'm not a fan of that sort of statement, because to me it's a bit like saying "many people who have been for a week's hiking in the lake district also like eating chorizo".

It would be much better if people didn't take drugs of any kind.

But why? All recreational activities have benefits and risks.

What do you think of skydiving or horse riding?

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

It carries a higher risk of Lung cancer than cigarettes and it is a gateway to other drugs.

Compred with tobacco it seems the cancer risk is low

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4262725/

My expectation is that the cancer risk from smoking cannabis will turn out to be much the same as for tobacco. It took Richard Doll a long time to get the evidence for tobacco. The study cited above is somewhat contorted so noise may contaminate the signal....

But it is not the case it is established the lung cancer risk is higher than for tobacco. Sorry.

As for 'gateway' drug, I disagree. There are people who will start with cannabis and move on to other things. But there is no evidence that if cannabis did not exist these people would stick to a pint of mild and a packet of smokey bacon crisps. Moreover they will all have drunk alcohol before other things, so the 'real' gateway drug is booze by this logic.

 

[So.CalGull]

It has been legalized in a number of States over here, California started on January 1st. The following link explains all the details.

http://www.latimes.com/politics/la-pol-ca-cannabis-consumer-guide-20180420-htmlstory.html

 

[Driver8]

I hoping Canada get their shit together and that I will be spoilt for choice when I arrive in Vancouver for my hols at the end of August! [emoji41]

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Dealers will pedal it to the underage and those who want a stronger product. In time they will undercut the official product which will end up heavily taxed to cover the cost to the health service. Cheap alcohol is available at present but that may change and then a marketplace will open up. Minimum pricing has already been introduced in Scotland and it is just a matter of time.

There have been research which shows it does increase the lung cancer risk. Best not take that the risk.

Many people who take hard drugs have admitted to starting out on Cannabis.

I am not advocating a free for all, and certainly cannabis should be controlled like alcohol. However the statements you make are false or baseless. And importanty cannabis is nothing like as addictive as alcohol or tobacco. I used to smoke it a lot (student). Like all my contemporaries, now, as then, we can take it or leave it. The last time I had it was at a mate's stag weekend, and he's been divorced and remarried since then. But like loads of people I know, kicking the fags has been a hard slog. I am not there yet. And my drink consumption has steadily increased over the last 20 years. I am entirely typical. The only long term dope smoker I know was a heavy drinker who was told to stop drinking or die. He switched to dope in his late 50s and leads a much more orderly life now. I know these are anecdotes, but it is possible to talk an awful lot of bollocks about cannabis. I remember the TV news reporting on 'Zaire rebels, murdering women and children, their faces bloated with cannabis'. Load of old bollocks. I suspect the reason we have booze and ciggies widely available now is because way back when, people like you said it was ungodly to smoke, and that if you drink then the devil will suck the aether out of your soul. There may be real risks from smoking dope (especally if at high risk of schzophrenia) but scaremongering and patently false statements will be counterproductive.

 

[StonehamPark]

I hoping Canada get their shit together and that I will be spoilt for choice when I arrive in Vancouver for my hols at the end of August! [emoji41]

Spoilt for choice already!
There are loads and loads of dispensaries all over the City and suburbs, selling without needing any kind of med card.

Are you staying around Vancouver the whole time, or travelling around the North West?

 

[Driver8]

Spoilt for choice already!
There are loads and loads of dispensaries all over the City and suburbs, selling without needing any kind of med card.

Are you staying around Vancouver the whole time, or travelling around the North West?

Only for two nights then picking up an RV and heading for the Rockies! Are the dispensaries easy to find?

I’ll be staying in Hamilton Street.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Spoilt for choice already!
There are loads and loads of dispensaries all over the City and suburbs, selling without needing any kind of med card.

Are you staying around Vancouver the whole time, or travelling around the North West?

Does Granville street still stink of skunk like it did last time I was there (20 months ago)?