03 Jan 2014 19:32:38
So with cannabis slowly becoming legal around the world I wondered about what everyone here thought about the subject. Have the powers that be, been preventing it being legal so as to protect alcohol sales and worried if it were legailzed it would endanger their assets. Most importantly would you be happy it were to become legal in the UK? (this includes uses such as hemp etc. )

Nicholas Fairing

 
Irish citizen but living in UK currently, its only a matter of time I feel before it will be made legal here (Ireland as usual could be a few years behind the rest of the world). Taking into account what is currently happening in America and not forgettin developments in Uruguay, I for one would welcome legalization. The days of believing in things such as 'Reefer Madness' are finally coming to an end, it is being viewed less harshly and more and more studies are coming out to show the endless benefits from the legalization of this natural plant along with the potential for it to be taxed, especially given the current economic outlook at home. Its time criminals stopped making money off of it and innocent people stopped being made criminals because of it.

 
I have smoked cannabis for over ten years, daily. I have also drank alcohol for a similar amount of time and found that out of the two cannabis has far less adverse health effects. Alcohol is the worse drug I have ever taken ( and I have taken most, except some of the more "hardcore" drugs- crack cocaine and heroine etc) but the addictiveness of alcohol is dangerous in my opinion.

 
I would like to see it decriminalised for possession for personal use. I also think its use should be restricted to private property i. e. not in the street.

Ryan.

 
Yep i'm with Ryan, decriminalise it because users of a naturally produced substance should not be seen as criminals with any sense of logic. I would call for supply to be controlled though so as to cut out the crime element I. e. Dealers. The only problem being, of course, if we allow the establishment to control the supply who knows what nasty substances will get put in there!

Harold

 
There are always petitions setup but none ever get enough names signed due to people scared of putting their names down on list supporting something that still illegal I know that's the view in the growing community (don't want to mark themselves) also their are too many petitions setup at a time with not enough people knowing they exist. Cannabis has so many medicinal properties that need to be explored and now hopefully in Washington state and Colorado state in USA they will now be able to explore it thoroughly

 
Also, meant to add that supposedly cannabis oil in particular is a very effective healer for many symptoms/illnesses. let's just hope that any relaxation over cannabis laws leads to more people being open to the prospect of using it medically, for which it has many incredibly useful applications according to studies.

Last point, some people believe cannabis has almost the opposite effect to fluoride in that it allows one's mind to open, making it easier to critically analyse what is going on around you. I can see some merit in that personally, this is one reason why I've thought it unlikely to be decriminalised in this country but then i'm surprised its already happening in the USA.

Harold

 
Unless you grow it yourself weed is being messed with all types of s###, I am bit a smoker but I rather pubs and bars being allowed with weed then full of drunken Charlie heads!

 
Sorry that should have said not a smoker!

 
Weed, blow, dope. Whatever we like to call it, will always be a touchy subject. I can grasp the whole 'it's a plant' theory. I think it was Joe Rogan who said 'if you're going to put a person in jail for smoking a plant that makes them feel happy, then you're the terrorist' something along them lines.
I fully believe that humans should be allowed to consume anything that is naturally produced on this planet.
I've seen plenty of publications on how cannabis oils can help with medical problems, even know a few people who take it for arthritic problems.
However, I really don't believe it is completely harmless. Being a young 'scally' if you like to call it, growing up in Northern Ireland. 'Blow' as we liked to call it, was a completely anti-social (anti-norm) substance.
We used to smoke it daily in our early teens, and I can definitely say getting off of it was quite hard. My friends and I used to love going to clubs, pubs, what have you, but when we really started smoking dope regularly, we gradually stopped going out and preferred to sit in each others houses just to get stoned, being really anti-social.
Any nights we did venture out to the clubs, we would have most definitely ended up taking 'E tabs' or LSD, never just a social bevvy.
All of these substances, be it chemically enhanced plant extracts, or drugs. All can be disturbing to ones mind.
I left Ireland in the early 2000's to do a bit of travelling around the U. S and sampled my 1st proper 'blunt' a cigar paper filled with pure 'weed' not a chemical filled tabbaco 'rollie'.
Again, in my shame. I became very fond of smoking 'pure weed'. Maybe I have a very addictive personality but when I decided that 'weed' was once again, in a different form, taking over my life (being lazy, anti-social). I decided to knock it on the head also and had a torrid time getting off of it, no sleep, anxiety, and short temper.
I really don't know where I stand on this subject but can give my 1st hand view that the old smoke is just as bad as most of the addictive s*** that's out there.