Why Is Marijuana Illegal?

DyldeBrill

smash wrote: »

And have you seen the state of the people that go there? Temple Bar is bad enough as it is without bringing hash café's into it.

Its mostly the tourists that give it a bad image, not the Dutch people themselves.Tourists tanked up on booze and all sorts..its not weed alone that they are on.Its a holiday for them, where the locals use it as a recreational "drug".

New laws are trying to be put into play which don't make any sense and the Dutch have come under an awful lot of pressure from the French Government.If it was legal in Ireland, I would honestly think that things would become a lot safer.No more dodgey dealers, no more sprayed weed and you would be getting it from a reliable source.

Chuck Stone

I'd be very wary of any unilateral move to legalise or even decriminalise any drug in this state.

Relaxing drug laws should be a coordinated EU wide move to stop drug tourism and associated negatives.

Gurgle

Chuck Stone wrote: »

Relaxing drug laws should be a coordinated EU wide move to stop drug tourism and associated negatives.

Why would we want to stop drug tourism, and what are the associated negatives?

Chuck Stone

Gurgle wrote: »

Why would we want to stop drug tourism, and what are the associated negatives?

Because the Joe Duffy show would go 24/7 and the biddies would be out saying rosaries outside weed cafés and every ****ing gombeen in the dail would be looking to please the VFI by reversing this liberal naivety.

Then there's the children Joe. They'd be round the back of the bicycle sheds with joints hanging out of their viens with dem flappin' der little arms trying to fly Joe.

Ah Joe - what has Ireland come to?

MagicSean

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I'd be very wary of any unilateral move to legalise or even decriminalise any drug in this state.

Relaxing drug laws should be a coordinated EU wide move to stop drug tourism and associated negatives.

If a drug was to be leagalised here alone then the exportation of drugs would have to be severely punished in order to prevent problems with our neighbours. I'm talking about a 10 year mandatory sentence for anyine attempting to export drugs.

Doc Ruby

Gurgle wrote: »

Why would we want to stop drug tourism, and what are the associated negatives?

Nah hes right, if you've seen the state of some of the yokes "doing the dam", it would be like a permanent hen/stag night every night.

I'm just trying to imagine what it would be like in a world with no restrictions like that - say you could get marijuana or cocaine over the counter at the chemist. Most criminal gangs would collapse overnight. I mean drug smuggling is huge business, even after prohibition ended in the US, the mafia nearly vanished entirely until they hit on the idea of controlling their prostitutes with heroin, and then selling the heroin.

If the whole lot was legal, would it be a net positive or negative I wonder? Socially not financially.

Chuck Stone

MagicSean wrote: »

If a drug was to be leagalised here alone then the exportation of drugs would have to be severely punished in order to prevent problems with our neighbours. I'm talking about a 10 year mandatory sentence for anyine attempting to export drugs.

I honestly think it would be a disaster if we did anything to relax drug laws here unilaterally.

lcrcboy

DyldeBrill wrote: »

Its mostly the tourists that give it a bad image, not the Dutch people themselves.Tourists tanked up on booze and all sorts..its not weed alone that they are on.Its a holiday for them, where the locals use it as a recreational "drug".

New laws are trying to be put into play which don't make any sense and the Dutch have come under an awful lot of pressure from the French Government.If it was legal in Ireland, I would honestly think that things would become a lot safer.No more dodgey dealers, no more sprayed weed and you would be getting it from a reliable source.

you shouldn't get to carried away, if marijuana was legalized it wouldn't remove dodgy dealers, they would simply move on to selling other forms of drugs. But you are right in saying that dodgy weed would nearly be eradicated off the streets if it was sold legally, however would the tobacco companies just mass produce it and add harmful chemicals to it as they have done with tobacco.

lcrcboy

Doc Ruby wrote: »

Nah hes right, if you've seen the state of some of the yokes "doing the dam", it would be like a permanent hen/stag night every night.

I'm just trying to imagine what it would be like in a world with no restrictions like that - say you could get marijuana or cocaine over the counter at the chemist. Most criminal gangs would collapse overnight. I mean drug smuggling is huge business, even after prohibition ended in the US, the mafia nearly vanished entirely until they hit on the idea of controlling their prostitutes with heroin, and then selling the heroin.

If the whole lot was legal, would it be a net positive or negative I wonder? Socially not financially.

in terms of marijuana I doubt it wold have much social impact, don't forget people who go as drug tourists to places such as Amsterdam are also taking other drugs sold there such as mushrooms which is a strong hallucinogenic.

Chuck Stone

lcrcboy wrote: »

however would the tobacco companies just mass produce it and add harmful chemicals to it as they have done with tobacco.

I don't see how they could compete with home growers and small scale farmers tbh.

lcrcboy

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I don't see how they could compete with home growers and small scale farmers tbh.

it depends if they start mass producing on large scale farms they can than sell at very low prices say compared to your local farmer who to get by will naturally have his prices set at higher rates. In terms of people growing the stuff at home I dont think you will see much of that people are lazy or don't have time on their hands, this can be seen with regular vegetables.. while it may be cheaper to grow at home it still takes time and people will often look for a quick fix so this is where the tobacco companies take advantage and make a profit.

MagicSean

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I don't see how they could compete with home growers and small scale farmers tbh.

There won't be nearly as many home growers as their would user. Production and supply would be big business and a great source of revenue for the state as long as the illegal dealers were kept out of business.

Chuck Stone

MagicSean wrote: »

There won't be nearly as many home growers as their would user. Production and supply would be big business and a great source of revenue for the state as long as the illegal dealers were kept out of business.

Illegal dealers wouldn't be able to compete with a well managed hydroponic year-round cultivation operation imo.

There are probably people out there farming it at the moment who want nothing to do with the criminal underworld and would move into the regulated economy.

This is all speculation though. They'd have to try it to see.

Marijuana Economy thrives in California.

DyldeBrill

lcrcboy wrote: »

you shouldn't get to carried away, if marijuana was legalized it wouldn't remove dodgy dealers, they would simply move on to selling other forms of drugs. But you are right in saying that dodgy weed would nearly be eradicated off the streets if it was sold legally, however would the tobacco companies just mass produce it and add harmful chemicals to it as they have done with tobacco.

Well I agree with you to an extent, but it all depends on the person whos buying from them.I don't think there would be much need for tobacco at all which would be great.You would have cleaner weed and blunt skins would be available as they would be more widespread.Therefore you wouldn't be getting hooked to filthy tobacco

lcrcboy

DyldeBrill wrote: »

Well I agree with you to an extent, but it all depends on the person whos buying from them.I don't think there would be much need for tobacco at all which would be great.You would have cleaner weed and blunt skins would be available as they would be more widespread.Therefore you wouldn't be getting hooked to filthy tobacco

Tobacco wouldn't be the concern, it would be bad if those companies mass produced ready rolled joints and added extracted chemicals like nicotine in order to get people hooked to them. Which I wouldn't put it past them

Chuck Stone

lcrcboy wrote: »

Tobacco wouldn't be the concern, it would be bad if those companies mass produced ready rolled joints and added extracted chemicals like nicotine in order to get people hooked to them. Which I wouldn't put it past them

I believe one of the reasons it's not legal (and why some farmers prefer it wasn't legalised, rather, decriminalised) is because corporations wouldn't be able to monopolize it's production due to home growers and local small scale farming as per the video link above.

Gurgle

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I'd be very wary of any unilateral move to legalise or even decriminalise any drug in this state.

Relaxing drug laws should be a coordinated EU wide move

Europe couldn't coordinate a piss-up in a brewery. At least, not without the backing and support of their various equivalents of the Vintners Federation.

Would it really be unilateral if we made a change?

lcrcboy

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I believe one of the reasons it's not legal (and why some farmers prefer it wasn't legalised, rather, decriminalised) is because corporations wouldn't be able to monopolize it's production due to home growers and local small scale farming as per the video link above.

Well decriminalization is a different situation to the one I was referring to of legalization. Decriminalization is probably what is holding back the tobacco companies but I'm almost certain that if it was fully legalized the tobacco companies would jump all over it and look at it as a way to pull the out of their slump in tobacco sales in the West

Chuck Stone

Gurgle wrote: »

Would it really be unilateral if we made a change?

Didn't realise the laws were so relaxed tbh.

I still think there's a chance that people might flood from the UK to Ireland to use weed cafés which would inevitably have the Joe Duffy effect on the public.

If the UK decriminalises it's a total no-brainer for us to follow suit.

Seachmall

Chuck Stone wrote: »

If the UK decriminalises it's a total no-brainer for us to follow suit.

Won't happen anytime soon I'd say. The last time one of their advisory boards suggested lowering it's rating they upped it instead.

Politics and reason does not make for good bed-fellows.

Gurgle

Chuck Stone wrote: »

I still think there's a chance that people might flood from the UK to Ireland to use weed cafés which would inevitably have the Joe Duffy effect on the public.

Flood from the UK to Ireland to have a good time: They already do, I'd rather they were stoned than drunk. Actually, to be honest I don't care. I've been out for a night in Temple bar around once every 3 years for the last couple of decades.

I don't think you give the general public enough credit, the vast majority of people (even elderly people) are quite well clued in. They only listen to Joe because the complaining amuses them.

Seachmall wrote:

The last time one of their advisory boards suggested lowering it's rating they upped it instead.

Wasn't that the last government, the really far right conservative party called 'Labour'. The moderates are in now, hard to know which way they'll jump when they come back around to it.

Chuck Stone

Gurgle wrote: »

I don't think you give the general public enough credit, the vast majority of people (even elderly people) are quite well clued in. They only listen to Joe because the complaining amuses them.

It's not so much the general public as that shower of shit in the Dail but point taken.

Mark200

I've tried it (legally) but I'd be against the decriminalization. Wouldn't have a problem with it being available by prescription for medicinal purposes. Imo the argument that alcohol and tobacco are more dangerous is simply an argument for banning alcohol and tobacco, not for legalising marijuana.

And having been to Amsterdam, I can tell you that there is no other place in the world that I've been offered more illegal drugs than Amsterdam.

Mike 1972

Mark200 wrote: »

I've tried it (legally) but I'd be against the decriminalization..

So basically what youre saying is that youre a hypocrite ?

RichieC

I watched a show called weed wars. In it they prescribed a small child who was suffering terribly bad epileptic fits every day a CBD tinture. When the childs father came back he said he hadnt had a single fit since he started on it and it even had dramatic effect on his personality. Humming and playing like normal children.

CBDs arent psycoactive. That must terrify the pharma industry.

GV2012

RichieC wrote: »

I watched a show called weed wars. In it they prescribed a small child who was suffering terribly bad epileptic fits every day a CBD tinture. When the childs father came back he said he hadnt had a single fit since he started on it and it even had dramatic effect on his personality. Humming and playing like normal children.

CBDs arent psycoactive. That must terrify the pharma industry.

hardly, the yanks have the good chemicals petented since 2003!! :eek:

http://www.safeaccessnow.org/punbb/viewtopic.php?id=2084

run from the cure ; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0psJhQHk_GI

and if ya don't believe Rick Simpson then check this 5 minute video showing GW Pharmacy producing the very same oil that would cost you €500 per month to buy from them if and when the Irish "government" are ready to grant a licence for it here!!!!!!!!!! Grow your own and **** the begrudgers!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jkp2mXlb6oI

Lia_lia

I've never understood why alcohol is legal and marijuana isn't.

I would much rather if alcohol was illegal. Hate the stuff.

Not a great fan of weed either, though. My Dad smokes way too much of it and it turns him quite slow. And it smells.

I am so boring.

Seachmall

Lia_lia wrote: »

I am so boring.

You're not boring, you just haven't discovered the right drug for you.

Have you tried Crystal Meth? I've heard great things about it.

Leo Dowling

RichieC wrote: »

I watched a show called weed wars. In it they prescribed a small child who was suffering terribly bad epileptic fits every day a CBD tinture. When the childs father came back he said he hadnt had a single fit since he started on it and it even had dramatic effect on his personality. Humming and playing like normal children.

CBDs arent psycoactive. That must terrify the pharma industry.

I saw that too, it was a nice story. I'm pretty surprised that there wasn't more controversy about a six year old kid being given cannabis like that but nobody seemed to notice.

I'm torn when it comes to the whole medical marijuana thing. It seems to be working extremely well in California but I think that everyone should be able to choose whether or not to use it for their own enjoyment, whether they're ill or not. I saw recently that the Czech Republic are about to bring medical marijuana into law now too. I wonder will this start happening in more European countries. I'm sure Ireland will be the last country if it ever happens here though.

losthorizon

folan wrote: »

Because of pressure from the States which made it illegal in the early part of the last century.

George Washington grew it on his plantation.

I think his slaves planted and grew it though