Why Is Marijuana Illegal?

ya-ba-da-ba-doo

reprazant wrote: »

Massively incorrect on both counts, especially the first one.

Some of my friends are prime examples of how this is incorrect. After nearly 2 decades of continious smoking, they spend their lives in a unenthusiastic, lethargic haze which they seem incapable of escaping.




This is pointless use of stats.

Please show the amount of people who use all the above listed items.

How many people smoke, drink or take prescription drugs regularly compared with the rest? The people who smoke dope is minuscule compared to the rest.

15,000 for all illegal drugs besides dope. Dope is probably the most widespread illegal drug in Ireland.

Jegger

The wisest step we as a nation could take would be to decriminalise weed. Tomorrow I could be arrested for smoking a joint in the comfort of my own home, causing no harm to anybody. Having a criminal record can ruin the rest of your life and that is a fact.
Also, how can you make nature illegal? That is unnatural.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legality_of_cannabis_by_country
this page is interesting because we can see many 1st world countries like Germany have already taken steps towards legalisation.

also everyone should watch this documentary, it's deals with facts and has interviews and opinions from leading medical and legal professionals in the US
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-9077214414651731007#

Mike 1972

I_AmThe_Walrus wrote: »

Why Is Marijuana Illegal?

Because William Randolph Hearst ran a smear campaign against marijuana in the 1930s to protect his interests in the timber industry, because hemp was poised to replace wood as an inexpensive raw material for the manufacture of paper ?

seensensee wrote: »

In an about face, the United Nations on Wednesday lavishly praised drug decriminalization in its annual report on the state of global drug policy.

Im confused

I thought it was the UN who were stopping the Dutch government from fully authorising the commercial-scale production of cannabis driving it semi-underground.

sharkbite1983

As a regular user, I'd genuinely recommend it everyone. (over 18/21)
The amount of medicinal uses is unreal, it give chemotherapy patients an appatite, it eases pain for MS sufferers to name a few, and all using herbal remidies, not harsh pain killers.

As a recreational drug, it's the least dangerous drug, not 1 single overdose, and even if I was a drunken thug, after a few smokes I'd be in no mood to fight, the complete opposite of drink.

The problem is ireland is stuck in it's old catholic ways, 50 years behind the rest of the world, instead of making use of one of the most beneficial and versitle plants in the world were brainwashed to think it's illegal and that's that.

To be honest some of the nicest and most memerable people I've ever met, include 60-70 yr olds who are growing and smoking it since they were kids!!

thetonynator

sharkbite1983 wrote: »

As a regular user, I'd genuinely recommend it everyone. (over 18/21)
The amount of medicinal uses is unreal, it give chemotherapy patients an appatite, it eases pain for MS sufferers to name a few, and all using herbal remidies, not harsh pain killers.

As a recreational drug, it's the least dangerous drug, not 1 single overdose, and even if I was a drunken thug, after a few smokes I'd be in no mood to fight, the complete opposite of drink.

The problem is ireland is stuck in it's old catholic ways, 50 years behind the rest of the world, instead of making use of one of the most beneficial and versitle plants in the world were brainwashed to think it's illegal and that's that.

To be honest some of the nicest and most memerable people I've ever met, include 60-70 yr olds who are growing and smoking it since they were kids!!

We dont just think it, it is illegal.

sharkbite1983

Point proven.

What I meant is, we all think, it's illegal for a reason, must be dangerous, gateway drug, blah blah blah. It's all BS, I've never done any other drug, nor would I.

Misanthrope

The real reason it's illegal is an economic one.It is a suppressed industry which can produce a vast array of products.Soaps,oils,plastics,food,generating electricity,extremely high quality low lignin paper,textiles,automotive fuel are all made from Cannabis Sativa.Henry Ford made a car out of weed in 1942.It ran on hemp oil.

http://www.teagasc.ie/research/reports/crops/4487/eopr-4487.asp

http://www.druglibrary.net/olsen/HEMP/IHA/iha02107.html

http://www.hempfarm.org/

Misanthrope

thetonynator wrote: »

We dont just think it, it is illegal.

It's not un lawful though is it?

HavingCrack

sharkbite1983 wrote: »

The problem is ireland is stuck in it's old catholic ways, 50 years behind the rest of the world, instead of making use of one of the most beneficial and versitle plants in the world were brainwashed to think it's illegal and that's that.

Ireland isn't behind the rest of the world as regards cannabis, there isn't a single state where it's full legal and a lot of places with harsher laws on its posession than here.

Noodleworm

I dunno, Im not really for legalisation.
Im not really gonna say its super dangerous or anything, but we all know, people will be stupid with it. Someone smoking in private residences a few times a year, fine. Thats kinda how it is now, really, the fact its illegal is just sweeping it under the rug, stopping it from becoming to visible.
Im just not sure if its gonna lead to people smoking on the streets, kids getting it (I do believe it an have an effect on developing brains) No one want stoned employees turning up to work. Also how do we stop people sing it while driving? Gonna start getting pulled over for a urine test?

Overall, I still just don't like the idea of using substances to escape problems, which is all so tempting to do. Sort of '1984' style(the book).

Slugs

Noodleworm wrote: »

I dunno, Im not really for legalisation.
Im not really gonna say its super dangerous or anything, but we all know, people will be stupid with it. Someone smoking in private residences a few times a year, fine. Thats kinda how it is now, really, the fact its illegal is just sweeping it under the rug, stopping it from becoming to visible.
Im just not sure if its gonna lead to people smoking on the streets, kids getting it (I do believe it an have an effect on developing brains) No one want stoned employees turning up to work. Also how do we stop people sing it while driving? Gonna start getting pulled over for a urine test?

Overall, I still just don't like the idea of using substances to escape problems, which is all so tempting to do. Sort of '1984' style(the book).

Legalising marijuana is not going to create ANY new problems.
Kids getting at it... How is that any different to kids smoking tobacco, alcohol, doing heroin, etc. (This is not one particular substance problem, this is a problem in itself, why're kids going near it?) The kids who would be doing it are the EXACT same kids that are doing it now.

You believe it has an effect on developing brains... Source.

How many employees do you know that turn up to work drunk or hungover?

How do we stop people drinking while they're driving? We pull them over and make them do a test. I'm sure it's possible, if it doesn't exist already, to detect marijuana in the body apart from a urine test.

Any problems associated with marijuana can be associated with ANY other legal recreational substance on the market at the moment.
And as far as I can see, alcohol and tobacco do more damage and have less benefits than marijuana does. Yet marijuana can't be taxed whereas alcohol and tobacco can. And surprise surprise :O I wonder which ones are legal o.O.

slimjimmc

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Because William Randolph Hearst ran a smear campaign against marijuana in the 1930s to protect his interests in the timber industry, because hemp was poised to replace wood as an inexpensive raw material for the manufacture of paper ?



Im confused

I thought it was the UN who were stopping the Dutch government from fully authorising the commercial-scale production of cannabis driving it semi-underground.

I think the petrol-chemicals industry in the US was one of the main lobbyists too, a sort of joint venture between it, the wood pulp industry and a few other vested interests. Hemp fibre was widely used for clothing and sacks and its superior characteristics would have made promoting and selling Du Pont's latest invention "Nylon" so much more difficult.

Mike 1972

Slugs wrote: »

How do we stop people drinking while they're driving? We pull them over and make them do a test. I'm sure it's possible, if it doesn't exist already, to detect marijuana in the body apart from a urine test..

Only problem I can see with testing drivers is that detectable levels of the stuff remain in ones system a long time (weeks) after the effects have worn off. If a driver tests positive how does one establish whether he had smoked/consumed the stuff two hours or two weeks ago. What is the practice in countries where cannabis sales are legal/"tolerated"

Slugs wrote: »

marijuana does. Yet marijuana can't be taxed whereas alcohol and tobacco can..

How so ? Alcohol is heavily taxed but one can get around this by homebrewing. Yet hardly anyone bothers their @r$€;. Surely a similar situation would apply to cannabis if it were legalised.

Slugs

I'll have to take back that marijuana can't be taxed comment for the moment, I'll look into it more. :S

*Sorry :P*

Mike 1972

Im all for legalisation but I find some people on this side of the debate tend to spout almost as much shyte as the opposition. "But it must be harmless because its a natural herb" is another example.

TeddyTedson

Legalization would be awful. The government would tax it like crazy. It will never happen anyway. At least not until alot of the older generation die off. Look what happened with the head shops. I remember seeing the RTE program on it down the country somewhere, where old these oldies stood outside the headshop protesting against it every lunch time. FFS

Mike 1972

The odd thing is:

Level of support for Cannabis legalisation on the AH poll ~ 80%
Level of support for Cannabis legalisation in the real world maybe ~ 20 or 30%*
Level of support for cannabis legalisation in what is supposedly a representative democratic parliament ~ 0%

* yes I pulled that figure out of my @r$€; but under the circumstances Its about as reliable as any other source one is likely to find

RockinRolla

I think any promise of decriminalisation went out the window when California voted against it through ignorant people (even dealers who thought their living would be destroyed). If one American state had passed it, others would follow and then European governments would be asked some questions in the coming years but thats all gone now.

mikom

RockinRolla wrote: »

I think any promise of decriminalisation went out the window when California voted against it through ignorant people (even dealers who thought their living would be destroyed). If one American state had passed it, others would follow and then European governments would be asked some questions in the coming years but thats all gone now.

Shur just like your username that vote will be rollin' around again in 2 years or so.
Chin up......... or spark up, whichever you prefer.

marglin

Decriminalising would make sense simply from the point of view of revenues lost to the black economy.
It could be a nice extra old reliable that can be taxed the shyte out of and no one would really complain, great news for the tax revenues.
Obviously it is harmful in excessive amounts and can be far more harmful to some people than others. Having smoked with people who had adverse reactions to it I can honestly say it can be dangerous.
However crucially for the majority of users its a pleasant distraction, ideally used lightly or in moderation, preferably in the evening after work or the weekend, hmm sounds very similiar to ideal usage for alcohol.
education is clearly one of the cornerstones to how we deal with cannabis usage in the future. At school we were scaremongered to bits about weed but apart from a visit from an alcoholic(who was actually very informative in fairness) the only advice we got was 'now lads dont go mad'(when we were 16 i might add and our teachers probably realised some of us had already started drinking).
It has been proven to help with ceratin medical conditions and regards to making seriously ill patients more comfortable with whatever substance there is absolutely no excuse for not making that substance available for administration by their care-givers.
Also please lets refrain from spouting drivel like its got no bad side effects, in the short term it makes you thirsty hungry slower and just plain dumber. In the long term it kills motivation and short term memory skills. I speak only from my personal experience in fairness but this is what i experienced. Obviously I decided to cut back and now i notice very little ill effects as I decided to focus more on my studies. Like was said before it really does depend on the individual, adults make their own choices and they live by them.
Overall it probably should be decriminalised, save alot of resources going into fighting the traffic of it and yes it would dent dealers profits substantially.

MJ23

Smelly stoners going around with pasty faces, reading spiderman comics. No thanks

Catacomb

.....If I analyse why people are against it the root of their marijuana-phobia seems to almost always stem from one distinct phenomenon known as propaganda, or more accurately fear-mongering propaganda.

.....People get bombarded with messages from media and government that like to keep the people in a state of permanent fear in order to control their lives more effectively. They are inching away from personal freedom and liberty into the realm of statism. People are being indoctrinated to think that they must all become good, orderly and productive citizens catalysing the capitalistic motor of materialism to find happiness and an enlightened live, but it doesn't work that way for everyone. Boarding that train will only result in more minions for the upper hierarchy of our small world. Slaves is what the slave-drivers want. work from nine to five and you get a sweaty is their method of keeping you within their tight suffocating grasp.

.....Marijuana is just one of numerous things you are supposed to be scared of. All those supposed "bad" things that are beyond the scope of most peoples narrow-mind gets people to hide behind "mother" (the government) and it's exactly what they want, fencing the sheep is the quintessence of what their job consists of.

.....My answer is very simple to this, no-one should care what anyones else's exaggerated phobias are and imposing your phobia-based morals on another human does make you a tyrant! Let people live free if people want to live their lives smoking some plant it's honestly none of your slightest business.

MJ23 wrote: »

Smelly stoners going around with pasty faces, reading spiderman comics. No thanks

.....The above is an example of what I regard as the second reason why marijuana --a plant of nature-- is illegal it's a mindset that is composed of a nasty mixture between ignorance and stubbornness. Stereotyping is an expedient way to breakdown a complex world so simple minds can cope with it and comprehend it. Saying things like "blacks/Jews... are stupid/inferior..." is a prime example of what stereotypical generalisations leads to, and has led to in the past.

.....But even if someone could somehow manage to prove all the preconceived conceptions about chronic consumers of cannabis (which is impossible because the hordes of "stoners" that fit the stereotyped labeling simply don't exist). It's still none of anybodies concern.

Genghiz Cohen

Catacomb wrote: »

The above is an example of what I regard as the second reason why marijuana --a plant of nature-- is illegal it's a mindset that is composed of a nasty mixture between ignorance and stubbornness.

Laisurg

It was originally made ilegal in america because it was mainly used in jazz clubs by members of the black community and white girls would go into these clubs and end up sleeping with the black guys, the only way they could get accepted back into their familys after getting pregnant with a black guy was to say that they were drugged and raped, and it isn't native to america as well, and as you know nobody will legalize it until america do, its not even properly legal in holland, its just not ilegal, the cafes get it from ilegal sources and they are only allowed to have a small amount on the premises at any one time.

But for the people who are against weed... which do you think would cause more problems... people being stoned on friday and saterday nights in town or people completely wasted which leads to violence.

Not one person has EVER died as a result of smoking marijuana, not one!

How many deaths from cigerettes and alcohol each year which are 100% legal?

Look it up yourself and find out, so after you've done that do you still think that marijuana should be ilegal any more than cigerettes which are arguably the most addictive thing in the world? And alcohol which causes fights and kills so and so amount of people each yeah?

Weed doesn't even count as an intoxicant for crying out loud.

HavingCrack

Laisurg wrote: »

Not one person has EVER died as a result of smoking marijuana, not one!
.

I'm in favour of legalising cannabis myself but I'm still sceptical of this claim. Surely smoking marijuana daily would give you a significantly higher chance of contracting lung cancer than a non-smoker??

yoyo

Laisurg wrote: »

Weed doesn't even count as an intoxicant for crying out loud.

What does it count as then, I doubt people smoke it just for the taste

Star Bingo

its a mild relaxant yoyo. hardly intoxicating

Mike 1972 wrote: »

Only problem I can see with testing drivers is that detectable levels of the stuff remain in ones system a long time (weeks) after the effects have worn off. If a driver tests positive how does one establish whether he had smoked/consumed the stuff two hours or two weeks ago. What is the practice in countries where cannabis sales are legal/"tolerated"


How so ? Alcohol is heavily taxed but one can get around this by homebrewing. Yet hardly anyone bothers their @r$€;. Surely a similar situation would apply to cannabis if it were legalised.

ironic that even an accidental whiff of the weakest drug out there carries the longest threat of prosecution. just be a coke fiend its safer eh.. in the short term but i think marijuana is fantastic stuff. i am not a fan of hash at all, certainly not here anyhow but i believe a lot of people would actually be better off on marijuana more introspective whilst not as abrasive, loud or rash headstrong or even big headed basically a pain in the arse. and i f*cking can't stand artificially bolstered personalities undermining somber ones and no way does marijuana makes one 'high' or anything like that at all just more in tune with their surroundings and sensible. it can cause one to have doubts, take a step backward maybe reconsider and i reckon thats a big fear for society.. i only smoke in the hours before bed though it'd make me lazy by day.

but i doubt even our gov could charge more than the full-on capitalist bastards out there charging €20 a measly gram of herb, even after tax i know couldn't possibly give less than 4 grams a "€50 bag" which seems to be all the rage at the moment as they refuse to gt caught up in giving honest weight i.e. a simple Q/T for €75 but now its these "€50 bags" weighing 2.5 grams, sometimes close to 3 if they made a mistake also they'll always say its .5g more than when you get home n weigh it.. extortion is inherent here in all walks of life, is rife where some of the stingiest people in the world are to be found but what my brother does is take a stroll around the corner to this vancouver cornershop to sate his "mild anxiety" www.cannabisdispensary.ca check out the menu for a laugh if nothing else. quality of life is very good there he says.. anyhow i'm just not that into drenching my insides with fizzy piss sclerosis of the liver resulting in death like me dad numbing of the senses incapacitating the body etc. i reckon most folks just want a natural mild relaxant as opposed to being left incoherent and ****ing aloe vera or joba leaf in a body wash don't cut it

Son Of A Vidic

Legal for medicinal purposes absolutely, otherwise no. Innocent little drug my ar$e, prolonged and regular use is a nice precursor to mental health problems down the road.

RockinRolla

If Labour gets in at the next general election, we can create a massive campaign and get 100,000 signings on an official petition which would, according to Labours new policies, create a public vote for the decriminalisation.

flas

medicman2009 wrote: »

Legal for medicinal purposes absolutely, otherwise no. Innocent little drug my ar$e, prolonged and regular use is a nice precursor to mental health problems down the road.

no its not!


see i can make up statements aswell!