Cannabis legalisation

**Disco Dan** · 5th April 2007, 16:26

Originally Posted by Fish

I'm disappointed, folks.

39 thread views, and only 8 responses to the poll?

It's impossible not to hold a position congruent with one of my poll options. Come on, guys. Feel the love, share the data...

You happy yet fish? Or you still a disapointed trout?

This is a subject of great debate - which I know your aware! It even spans two threads...

Im impressed!

**lb99** · 5th April 2007, 16:27

I am casual enought to admit it..... option two for me

Originally Posted by onearmedbandit

I have no shame in admitting I smoke marijuana (like some people expect I should) but the laws controlling it don`t affect me on a daily basis enough to vote for a single issue party. ... (I spend less on pot in a week then drinkers do in a night), .

me too, a buzz every now and then is a cool experience, for every cannabis fuckup that I know, (and I do know a few) I can point out many people who are fine upstanding citizens, other than they like to get high occasionally (oh, the shame

)

I do think that total decriminalization could cause some borderline loosers to drop out completely and just go hard.

there does need to be some control IMO as I know a lot of lazy bludgers who would put weed over and above jobs, family, responsibiltys.....

Originally Posted by Drum

Option No.2.

Toker, but there are issues more important to me than legalising weed, like income tax splitting, raising tax thresholds etc.

+1

fkn secondary tax...........grrrrr

**Albino** · 5th April 2007, 16:36

yep, legalise. It's damn hard trying to get some when you don't have a regular contact. I've been trying for 6 bloody months now.

**Disco Dan** · 5th April 2007, 16:41

Originally Posted by Albino

yep, legalise. It's damn hard trying to get some when you don't have a regular contact. I've been trying for 6 bloody months now.

looking in the wrong places mate

**kiwifruit** · 5th April 2007, 16:54

Originally Posted by Cajun

Don't use, never really done interest me,

+ 1

**BarBender** · 5th April 2007, 17:02

Used to use. Only ever crosses my mind when I'm up Norf or thinking of planting it my CEOs desk drawer and framing the cow.

**Hitcher** · 5th April 2007, 17:14

1. I would never waste my party vote on a single-issue party, even if I passionately believed in their cause, which in the case of marijuana "legalisation", I don't.

2. I am opposed to any moves to "legalise" marijuana or any other mind-altering drugs with significant health effects. The stuff is bad for people. It should be banned. If people want to smoke the stuff, as they do with tobacco, then that's a matter of "informed" personal choice. But I don't see why their pursuit of pleasure should be encouraged, nor should that be extended to an environment where "youths" are able to access and use a product that does them harm. I'm not talking about the odd toke behind the bikesheds, I'm talking about prolonged use. Addiction, if you will. Does this mean that I think that tobacco should also be banned? Yes.

**Coaster** · 5th April 2007, 17:22

Originally Posted by Disco Dan

It has it's place in society, in medicine and also in mental health.

I have seen this drug have negative effects on people, alter their mental health and cause the person to withdraw from society. Lost their job, and the respect of peers.

I have seen a person who is normally very reserved and timid, take the drug in moderation and started to explore his personality more than ever before. This person is now the life of most events and no longer uses the drug.

I have used this drug before, and as with everything in life - if it is abused then that is when the problems begin. I only "agree with" drugs that occur naturally: marijuana, mushrooms, peyote cactus etc I have not and will not ever go near a drug that has been 'manufactured'. As human beings our bodies are simply not designed to be exposed to that sort of stimulus in our brains. The results of this 'unatural stimulus' is usually always headline news... rape, murder, armed robbery etc etc.. all fuelled by 'manufactured' drugs.

Yes, it is mostly an 'experimental' stage/phase that most young adults go through, but in correct dosages the medical benifits far outway any psycoactive drawbacks.

(IL4 here) - I get to work with the negative effects of all drugs on those individuals with mental health issues. The fact of the matter is that combined the issues become magnified and a bigger problem to those using. To suggest that cannabis should be used in mental health is both irresponsible and an uneducated indication of the true issue.

**jrandom** · 5th April 2007, 17:36

Originally Posted by Hitcher

I am opposed to any moves to "legalise" marijuana or any other mind-altering drugs with significant health effects. The stuff is bad for people. It should be banned.

Anyone for Laphroaig?

Originally Posted by Hitcher

If people want to smoke the stuff, as they do with tobacco, then that's a matter of "informed" personal choice.

This statement jars against the remainder of your post. Are you sure you didn't just chuck it in as a hypocritical sop to counter-argument? The purpose of the regulation you appear to support is to remove personal choice, presumably for the greater good.

Originally Posted by Hitcher

Does this mean that I think that tobacco should also be banned? Yes.

I cannae agree. Not with the mental picture of two fingers of Laphroaig sitting alongside a Romeo y Julieta. Some things on God's green Earth should not be set asunder.

For the record, I smoke, on average, about one or two cigars a month, and you are welcome to take them from my cold, dead hands.

**Drunken Monkey** · 5th April 2007, 17:41

It looks like the middle-road-mildly-apathetic (don't smoke it, don't oppose legalisation, don't want to vote on it) are ahead. I'm pleasantly suprised.

Originally Posted by Fish

For the record, I smoke, on average, about one or two cigars a month, and you are welcome to take them from my cold, dead hands.

I agree. There's something to be said about enjoying a cigar and a fine single malt. Laphroaig isn't my first choice (prefer Glenmorangie and Glenfiddich). And a nice hot cup of tea, not at the same time of course...tea is more of an afternoon thing. Oh, and ice-cream, because like I say, everybody loves ice-cream!

**Hitcher** · 5th April 2007, 17:41

Tobacco and, to a lesser extent, alcohol are historical anomalies.

I enjoy greatly my single-malt whisky. But I haven't smoked since high school.

I also know too much about acute and chronic pain but have never used these as an excuse to either get boozed or bombed.

**Skyryder** · 5th April 2007, 17:53

Don't like the the idea of legal. Do that and the whole thing becomes commercial. I have supported de-criminalization for some time now. I fail to see how someone having a smoke in their home is acting in the same manner as burgler, or any other acts of a criminal nature. If someone wants to grow and give away I have no problem but to sell that's a commercial act as it is now. Take away the money and you destroy a lot of problems.

Skyryder

**jrandom** · 5th April 2007, 17:58

Originally Posted by Hitcher

Tobacco and, to a lesser extent, alcohol are historical anomalies.

Only in our own Anglo-Saxon culture. There's no non-fallacious argument to be found in that fact. It has much to do with where we find ourselves now, but has little relevance to debate on where we should go next.

Originally Posted by Hitcher

I also know too much about acute and chronic pain but have never used these as an excuse to either get boozed or bombed.

In my experience, booze is a terrible painkiller. I feel ill well before any analgesic qualities kick in. Medicinally, it's much more useful as a sterilising agent than as a drug.

THC, however, has a number of very interesting applications.

That's not really the issue at hand, though. The issue is whether it is more to the Greater Good (tm) to legalise cannabis, or to criminalise it. A number of issues interplay there, including the potential harm done by its use (the canonical demotivational effects of heavy use, and the health effects of smoking) together with the potential benefits of its use, and the problems engendered by giving organised crime a monopoly on its distribution.

IMHO, the results of the Murkn experiment with partial criminalisation of alcohol in the early twentieth century are instructive.

**Mole_C** · 5th April 2007, 18:03

Yea legalising it would be great, wouldn't have to worry about drug tests for the army or anything anymore

Could take the bunny bong out in public

As for voting for them, was dubious at first. Kinda a stupid party devoted to one issue, but who else have we got to vote for. One policy which is good or other parties with lots of idiots and stupid policies.

Why the hell not!

**u4ea** · 5th April 2007, 18:05

I didnt vote at all last elections as not one party I watched on the debates gave me any thing to feel confident about

.Now Im aware of the ALCP theyll get my vote

.It would be good to see it given a decriminilisation status as I am not a big user and dont like paying too much for it(risk money at the end of the day)I wont grow it as I dont feel like a meal and bed at Arohata.I would be happy given a quota as with alchahol and if I exceeded that then suffer a fine..