Should Cannabis be legalised?

I dont want a "yes" or a "no" answer, i would like a reason why.



I think it should be legalised with a high tax (same as **** and booze)

And also its because the goverment cant really do that much about it now. everyones[1] doing it. It's out of control

It has also medicaly been prooven to be heathier than smoking and drinking,

But also can get you addicted to ****, as some people (i dont put alot of backy in it) put bare in.

[1] i say everybody but alot of people do it now. Most of my friends do it. and some you'd never expect them to do it.


cant seem to find a poll function on here :S so ccould mod add it please? with the opitions of Yes- No And undecided. thanks ;)

No,

If it was legalised then youd have like 10 year old kids buying it everywhere an smokin it literally everywhere, I dont really like the smell of it and people who are high off it do my head in, Its best kept out the way so i dont have to run into stoner kids everyday and smell it instead of my lovely aroma.

ofc they'd be a rule something like 16+ or even 18+


same as amsterdam rele.

not legalised, but the laws on it should be relaxed.

I would say legalise it because there are more stuff thats legall which is worse then cannabis but saying this the main problem is that if it was to be legalised then people would obviously think its safe because its legal :rolleyes:

I think its fine the way it is but yeh do agree with post above that laws should be more relaxed.

No

because it is worst than tabbaco, and we all seen the trouble with that, (banning in public places etc) and it would cause a lot of problems such as religious views and such

I don't think it will be legalized either, the people who want it legalized is just a minority.

But then again our government is willing to spend billions on war and give other countries million of pounds who knows...

The problem with this is, if you legalise Cannabis you are promoting the fact that it's relatively safe to use, which isn't true. There again neither are cigarettes or alcohol, but they are cutting down or attempting to on these anyway.

On the other hand, keeping it as illegal like it is now is also dangerous. It's not a black market as such but it's less than safe because it's obviously not regulated or anything like that, so it could really be mixed with more dangerous substances without you knowing.

Overall, i'm going with no. I don't think that the message should be that it is safe and without consequences to use. The world is cutting down on tobacco so allowing cannabis to be legal sort of negates the point.

No, it shouldn't. Drugs are for stupid and/or boring people trying to be cool or admitting they have a problem being fun or lively. It's not even a social drug because you STINK while you take it and after - just as bad, if not worse, than someone who has recently smoked tobacco. At least alcohol is scentless at a distance. It's worse than tobacco, and even worse than alcohol. We do not want another pointless drug that has no real purpose in the real world to the masses :/

Yes it should. The decision to classify it as class B were purely based on opinion and not on scientific fact.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Special

because it is worst than tabbaco

---

Well that's simply untrue, I'm not a cannabis smoker myself but I know there have been zero recorded cases of overdosing on it and smoked alone (ie: not with tobacco) it's not as bad on your lungs as far as I'm aware - feel free to prove me wrong on that if I am. Nor is it by any stretch of the imagination as addictive.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GommeInc

No, it shouldn't. Drugs are for stupid and/or boring people trying to be cool or admitting they have a problem being fun or lively. It's not even a social drug because you STINK while you take it and after - just as bad, if not worse, than someone who has recently smoked tobacco. At least alcohol is scentless at a distance.

---

Cocaine, speed and MDMA are pretty much scentless, dunno about heroin but I imagine that doesn't leave you smelling funky either. Is smell really an issue when it comes to legality?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GommeInc

It's worse than tobacco, and even worse than alcohol.

---

Where are you getting this from? And do you mean worse as in for your health (which it isn't), for addiction (which it isn't) or what?


Personally I'm not bothered whether it stays as it is or moves to class A or becomes free to anyone who wants a joint, I don't smoke it because I don't enjoy it, but economically I think there's a market for it if made legal. It would obviously be heavily regulated and you'd be sure that there's no goat turd or kitchen basil in it if it's done that way. Prices would rocket because of tax (which would be necessarily huge) and so there would still likely be the normal dealers that are out there now, except they would have reason to raise their prices too and so presumably less people would actually smoke it once the "hey it's legal let's get high" mentality runs out.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlyingJesus

Well that's simply untrue, I'm not a cannabis smoker myself but I know there have been zero recorded cases of overdosing on it and smoked alone (ie: not with tobacco) it's not as bad on your lungs as far as I'm aware - feel free to prove me wrong on that if I am. Nor is it by any stretch of the imagination as addictive.

---

Quote:

---

Cannabis has both psychological and physiological effects on the human body

---

Quote:

---

Acute effects while under the influence can include euphoria, anxiety, temporary short-term memory loss,[1] and circulation effects which may increase risks of heart attacks and strokes.

---

Quote:

---

Concerns have been raised about the potential for long-term cannabis consumption to increase risk for schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, and major depression

---

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Effects_of_cannabis

Quote:

---

• In some cases high quantity users can experience feelings of anxiety, depression and be seriously unwell.
• Cannabis influences driving ability.
• Smoking cannabis causes carcinogens to enter the body.
• During pregnancy, cannabis can have negative consequences for the fetus.
• Long-term use of cannabis may affect thinking, emotions and feelings.
• In some cases, long-term use of cannabis can lead to dependence and abuse.
• Cannabis can provoke a psychosis in people who are sensitive to it. More.
• Some researchers are of the opinion that:
• Cannabis is a first step to the use of hard drugs.
• Cannabis has negative effects on the immune system.
• Cannabis influences fertility.
• Cannabis causes schizophrenia. More.
• Cannabis leads to apathy and loss of interest.
• Cannabis can cause anger, especially when trying to stop using Cannabis.

---

http://www.web4health.info/en/answer...-long-term.htm


The list continues...

I think it's safe to say it's sufficiently worse than tobacco as smoking doesn't bring on any of these medical diagnosis'

Smoking cannabis causes carcinogens to enter the body.
During pregnancy, cannabis can have negative consequences for the fetus.
Long-term use of cannabis may affect thinking, emotions and feelings.
In some cases, long-term use of cannabis can lead to dependence and abuse.
Cannabis influences fertility.
Cannabis can cause anger, especially when trying to stop using Cannabis.

They all happen with tobacco, and the fact that cannabis is pretty difficult to get addicted to unless you have an extreeeeeemely low tolerance or actually try to smoke it all day every day means that the risk is rather less.

As for the psychological issues, it's generally accepted that cannabis doesn't cause them, but (as one of the points you quoted said) can provoke it in those sensitive to them - for example someone who already has schizophrenic tendencies may find them enhanced through overuse of cannabis.

Usage making people feel unwell and unable to drive is hardly an uncommon factor with drugs, and if it was legalised there would of course (as there already are) be laws against smoking and driving or being under the influence at work/school etc.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlyingJesus

Well that's simply untrue, I'm not a cannabis smoker myself but I know there have been zero recorded cases of overdosing on it and smoked alone (ie: not with tobacco) it's not as bad on your lungs as far as I'm aware - feel free to prove me wrong on that if I am. Nor is it by any stretch of the imagination as addictive.



Cocaine, speed and MDMA are pretty much scentless, dunno about heroin but I imagine that doesn't leave you smelling funky either. Is smell really an issue when it comes to legality?



Where are you getting this from? And do you mean worse as in for your health (which it isn't), for addiction (which it isn't) or what?

---

I quote:

"Drugs are for stupid and/or boring people trying to be cool or admitting they have a problem being fun or lively. It's not even a social drug because you STINK while you take it and after - just as bad, if not worse, than someone who has recently smoked tobacco. At least alcohol is scentless at a distance."

So I'm guessing you never actually read what I posted? You seem to of just cut parts out which related to other parts of the post making them seem irrelevant, like taking out parts of a song to make them meaningless or out of context :/ And the fact tobacco and alcohol are legal seems to be beyond you, referring to illegal drugs would be a waste of time and off topic. Besides, it's kinda obvious I was following opinion, not factual numbers (though irrelevant, seeing as I started off saying drugs are for losers who have more money than sense (or none at all).

Cannabis smells worse than tobacco. If I wanted to make my eyes water, I'd just sniff cut onions.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by [Jay]

I would say legalise it because there are more stuff thats legall which is worse then cannabis but saying this the main problem is that if it was to be legalised then people would obviously think its safe because its legal :rolleyes:

I think its fine the way it is but yeh do agree with post above that laws should be more relaxed.

---

bold = alot because its so new its not been tested and gone through the classification.

They should just leave it. I know peoples lives who have been destroyed by it so no legalisation thanks.

I only left out the last sentence.. don't know why you've requoted the part I already quoted and wrote about - I hardly think your view on the type of people who take drugs is a useful part of a debate on its legal status, especially when it's an unfounded opinion.

Not sure what you're trying to say with "the fact tobacco and alcohol are legal seems to be beyond you" when we're discussing cannabis which isn't legal, and therefore that clearly is not a waste of time or off topic. That aside, it's fairly well known that if tobacco and alcohol were discovered just now with us having the knowledge we have of their effects (and not having the massive taxes on them) they'd certainly be illegal drugs. Your entire debate point seems to rest on the fact that you personally don't like the smell of cannabis, and think that alone is grounds to keep it illegal. I'm sure that's not the case, but that's what you've written.

Indeed it isn't as bad on your lungs as Tobacco, nor is it anywhere near as addictive as previously stated. Put it this way, if I had the choice of which one to smoke I would choose Cannabis.

I don't see any real need to legalise it, it should remain illegal but don't classify it too high (No pun intended) as police/customs really don't really need to spend much time on it as there are far worse illegal drugs. Seeing as the government are trying to help people give up smoking it would be a rather stupid thing to do, and it's certainly not good for you (There are a few exceptions to this but seeing as you can now get it prescribed there's no need to get into this debate), the only benefit from it would be taxation.

I think canabis should be made legal as it makes you look cool

I don't think it's any worse than tobacco or alcohol but legalising it will only encourage it, which is not desirable. I don't think any illegal drug will ever be legalised for the same reason. There aren't really any benefits to it unless the government sees some tasty taxing opportunities.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlyingJesus

I only left out the last sentence.. don't know why you've requoted the part I already quoted and wrote about - I hardly think your view on the type of people who take drugs is a useful part of a debate on its legal status, especially when it's an unfounded opinion.

---

You never quoted it, you went on some sub-rant about illegal drugs :/ Infact, most of what I said wasn't replied to :/

"Drugs are for stupid and/or boring people trying to be cool or admitting they have a problem being fun or lively."

That's really the only reason people want it to be legalized, the medicinal reasons are non-existent or useless if you do not require them. Like tobacco, it can't be used socially because the drug itself stinks to high heaven which means it cannot be smoked publicly, because it will be treated the same as tobacco, you just get chucked outside because you stink and the general public would not want it, and because it's not popular the chances of it being with the same respect as tobacco where you can smoke it outside in wide open spaces is merely a dream. If tobacco was discovered now, it would probably go the same way (although there has to be one drug to start the catalyst of anti-drugs). No-one particularly wants tobacco because of the non-existent health benefits. The non-social benefits though (with tobacco, there are arguably NO benefits, seeing as any pros are outweighed by the cons), are again, non-existent if you do not require them, even though the smell is disgusting (social), the drug itself isn't harmful as smoking it firsthand, though the second hand high might be of concern to many people (more reason it probably won't ever be legalised, in a health and safety crazy world) - children, elderly etc. Not very good giving them random highs :P

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlyingJesus

Not sure what you're trying to say with "the fact tobacco and alcohol are legal seems to be beyond you" when we're discussing cannabis which isn't legal, and therefore that clearly is not a waste of time or off topic.

---

I see, so you would rather discuss two things which are illegal? Making no comparisons to anything that is considered legal? You've got to discuss legal comparisons to gain a greater understanding of the legal world, comparing just one side is a waste of time and unproductive :/

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlyingJesus

That aside, it's fairly well known that if tobacco and alcohol were discovered just now with us having the knowledge we have of their effects (and not having the massive taxes on them) they'd certainly be illegal drugs. Your entire debate point seems to rest on the fact that you personally don't like the smell of cannabis, and think that alone is grounds to keep it illegal. I'm sure that's not the case, but that's what you've written.

---

No, you just cannot read ;) It's kinda obvious my point falls on the belief that new drugs should not be introduced, when the legal ones are terrible anyway:

:-Cannabis stinks, at least alcohol is scentless - Kinda obvious that I'm saying alcohol isn't any better than cannabis
:-We do not want another pointless drug that has no real purpose in the real world to the masses :/ - Another being a keyword here, another reflecting on legal drugs that cause alot of problems.
:-Just as bad, if not worse, than someone who has recently smoked tobacco - It's obvious tobacco isn't seen as amazing either.

I think it should be legalized because, the young kids only really start because either their friends do it to try and be cool, or because they want to be the rebels them selves.
If it was legal the cool factor would be lost in my opinion.
Also there are scientists who say it is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco.

This "trying to be cool" thing amuses me. Why do people smoke alone and tell nobody? Why do homeless people smoke it? Are they trying to be the coolest bro at the bus station?

Weed gives a great high, that's why people smoke it.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Cheryl

I think it should be legalized because, the young kids only really start because either their friends do it to try and be cool, or because they want to be the rebels them selves.
If it was legal the cool factor would be lost in my opinion.
Also there are scientists who say it is less harmful than alcohol or tobacco.

---

Why do kids smoke cigarettes then?

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by DrLacero

This "trying to be cool" thing amuses me. Why do people smoke alone and tell nobody? Why do homeless people smoke it? Are they trying to be the coolest bro at the bus station?

Weed gives a great high, that's why people smoke it.

---

Puts them in a worse position than they were in before. Not only are they homeless, they are now likely to put themselves in a cannabis dependency. Smoking it alone is pretty sad anyway, and further suggests there are underlying problems that need to be looked at :/

Sorry to change the topic a little here but a lot of people are saying "Its even worse than Alcohol". Alcohol isn't bad for you, it's fine as long as it's in moderation. It's nothing like Cigarettes where it can permanently damage you even if you just have it every so often. It's only binge drinking that seriously damages your health.

wheres everyone getting this "weed is worse for you than cigarettes" thing? i thought it was a well known fact that there hasnt been a single documented case of someone dying from smoking grass. all those supposed undesirable effects that someone posted dont even come close to making it worse than TENS OF THOUSANDS of people dying from tobacco every year :/ honestly its just illogical to say the two are similar. weed doesnt cause cancer. as a matter of fact its shown signs that it can PREVENT certain types of cancer. it also helps cancer patients, someone i knew smoked cannabis when he was in the hospital going through chemo, says he hated doing it but it made him feel much better and gave him an appetite.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by FlyDuo

Sorry to change the topic a little here but a lot of people are saying "Its even worse than Alcohol". Alcohol isn't bad for you, it's fine as long as it's in moderation. It's nothing like Cigarettes where it can permanently damage you even if you just have it every so often. It's only binge drinking that seriously damages your health.

---

you can say that with anything though. technically cheeseburgers arent that terrible for you if you have them in moderation, but obviously people don't usually. and if youre a regular cigarette smoker, depending on the age you quit, your lungs can fully recover.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GommeInc

"Drugs are for stupid and/or boring people trying to be cool or admitting they have a problem being fun or lively."

---

Trying to be cool can be negated by the fact that I don't actually go around telling people what I'm on, same as how I don't count my drinks and tell everyone how drunk I am like lots of people seem to do, so that point is void. Also talking on msn you seemed to believe that attempting to enhance a mood means you can't be fun without and therefore must be a boring person, which is entirely false and foolish to suggest. You are of course entitled to an opinion, but ones that can be proved wrong need to be identified as such, and this is one of those.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GommeInc

That's really the only reason people want it to be legalized, the medicinal reasons are non-existent or useless if you do not require them. Like tobacco, it can't be used socially because the drug itself stinks to high heaven which means it cannot be smoked publicly, because it will be treated the same as tobacco, you just get chucked outside because you stink and the general public would not want it, and because it's not popular the chances of it being with the same respect as tobacco where you can smoke it outside in wide open spaces is merely a dream.

---

I agree that people want it legalised for the "abuse" side of it, and also that it smells, but only the former of these is a valid debate point. The fact that you find the smell of cannabis smoke unappealing is hardly grounds for it to be illegal, and so mention of such doesn't need to be made as this is not a "do you like being around weed smokers" thread. To go ahead with the point of abuse, it's been mentioned by myself and others that the health risks are substantially less than plenty of legal substances, and is not taken nearly so often by the majority of users - it's extremely rare to become addicted to cannabis, certainly compared to alcohol and more so tobacco, and obviously less intake means less ill effects in any case.
Tackling that final point of yours in this chunk of quote, I don't think anyone would really care if they have to smoke it in their own homes, as that's obviously where people smoke it now anyway rather than lighting up a spliff down the local.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GommeInc

I see, so you would rather discuss two things which are illegal? Making no comparisons to anything that is considered legal? You've got to discuss legal comparisons to gain a greater understanding of the legal world, comparing just one side is a waste of time and unproductive :/

---

You'd already mentioned tobacco and alcohol as legal comparatives, there would have been no point whatsoever in me repeating what you said.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GommeInc

No, you just cannot read ;) It's kinda obvious my point falls on the belief that new drugs should not be introduced, when the legal ones are terrible anyway:

:-Cannabis stinks, at least alcohol is scentless - Kinda obvious that I'm saying alcohol isn't any better than cannabis
:-We do not want another pointless drug that has no real purpose in the real world to the masses :/ - Another being a keyword here, another reflecting on legal drugs that cause alot of problems.
:-Just as bad, if not worse, than someone who has recently smoked tobacco - It's obvious tobacco isn't seen as amazing either.

---

That doesn't make it look like I can't read at all - like I said, your reasoning is that cannabis in your opinion smells bad. The idea that people don't want "another pointless drug" is clearly not true as proved by public sentiment. Further, if you read my original post in this thread you'd see some logical reasoning (if you remember what logic is at any point) as to how the legalisation and regulation of cannabis could improve public economy (as opposed to personal economy of drug dealers, whom I would guess you aren't a fan of) and also decrease the number of users over time. If you can bring something to the table that isn't simply your opinion on drugs and people who take them, I'd find that a far more useful debate post.

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by GommeInc

Puts them in a worse position than they were in before. Not only are they homeless, they are now likely to put themselves in a cannabis dependency. Smoking it alone is pretty sad anyway, and further suggests there are underlying problems that need to be looked at :/

---

As keeps being repeated, dependancy on cannabis is extremely rare (and not to mention extremely expensive to set up, given the amount one would need to smoke regularly to inflict it upon oneself). I agree that smoking it alone may suggest personal problems if a person cannot wind down without the aid of it, but surely then it can be classed as that fabled medical requirement which you've said hardly exists?

No because then the country would really go to pot.

Legalise it as so many people are doing it now theres no point in it being illegal

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by Technologic

No because then the country would really go to pot.

---

Ha nice ;)

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by BlurredView

Legalise it as so many people are doing it now theres no point in it being illegal

---

That sort of analogy gets you nowhere. It's like saying, so many people are carrying knives these days, let's just make it legal, there's no point in it being illegal. It just wouldn't happen. Smoking cannabis is detrimental to your health and therefore it should not be legal.

I would say no, Cannabies seems to lead people off the rails whereas Tobacco doesn't although I suppose alcohol does. On the 'cool factor' I think people need to get into the real world, kids don't smoke cannabies because 'i'll look cool doing something illegal' - most will try it because they are curious about it, or see their mates doing it and enjoying it.

it should be legalised and taxed imho.

yeah go on, should we just legalise every other drug aswell