The Fight For Medicinal Cannabis Reaches Parliament.

[slick rick]

It will never happen in the UK, all the politicians heads are embedded to far up their rear ends.

 

[Old Man]

Have you ever tried it?

I experimented with it when I was 17 a couple of times, but that was all it was and so I stopped. I never did try it again, but the amount of the different meds I am on right now have a lot of side effects and so for me it would be fantastic to be able to have the ability to use this instead.

 

[AndyCroft1982]

I hope they dont leagalise it, there are already too many conspiracy theories as it it, we will be over run with them if they leagalise cannabis. How anyone thinks it is safe to smoke regulary is beyond me. Prolonged use makes people paranoid, hallucinate, lazy and stink.

 

[Destination]

I experimented with it when I was 17 a couple of times, but that was all it was and so I stopped. I never did try it again, but the amount of the different meds I am on right now have a lot of side effects and so for me it would be fantastic to be able to have the ability to use this instead.

It is interesting that you've made the assumption that it will work for you without side effects.

 

[Frenzy]

I hope they dont leagalise it, there are already too many conspiracy theories as it it, we will be over run with them if they leagalise cannabis. How anyone thinks it is safe to smoke regulary is beyond me. Prolonged use makes people paranoid, hallucinate, lazy and stink.

Paranoid, possibly but I think you have to have issues to begin with.

Lazy, again possibly. Though this tends to relate to people that are already lazy.

Hallucinate? EXTREMELY rare and you must either take a large dose (as in a silly silly amount) or be a new user and take a fairly large dose but again it is rare. In the 10 odd years I've used it I have never hallucinated.

Stink? Only if you don't shower or wear the clothes you smoke in, same as anyone that drinks a lot, owns pets, has strong BO. If you are talking about the plant itself then you simply place it in a sealed container.

I would argue that alcohol and cigarettes are far worse but are socially accepted. Personally I don't drink or smoke cigarettes. I have started on coffee recently though.

At the end of the day it is a vice that happens to have a far more positives than negatives when compared to the previously mentioned.

Is it right? Would it become ingrained into our society if it were legalized? Do we want something like that? I mean most people are addicted to all sorts of drugs and don't even realise it. Caffeine for example.

I think people should have the right to choose. Especially if it is helping them medically. Some of the side effects of accepted pain relief is far worse than anything cannabis could do.

 

[Old Man]

It is interesting that you've made the assumption that it will work for you without side effects.

I never said I expect there to be no side effects, but less than what I have now would be nice.

 

[mattyfez]

It's also highly effective for some types of epilepsy,

The following video is pretty moving, i was in tears in parts..

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=vyf-ffoatHg

 

[~Divine~Wind~]

I'd quite like to see it legalised tbh, might see in papers then the huge amount of people that use this stuff and manage to go about a normal life at the same time. Bet you theres shedloads of highups constantly at it haha.

After more states in the US legalising it and Amsterdam doing the u-turn on not allowing visitors to buy it why not?

However recent reports that someone in the US died of "cannabis poisoning" and one person over here dying (poor lass RIP) after reportedly smoking "half a joint" which was enough to kill her I think more negative press will be coming before any form of legalisation, which would in turn be pitched against the reasons for.

Declassify and you remove a lot of the stigma that's attached, also would help towards eradicating the illegal trade it has, and of course what people are paying now to unregulated people would be paid to the government including the tax they would add, surely could even help in the larger scale. The economy needs a boost anyway, why not?

Yes it has its place amongst peoples weekends and can be a "social drug" however it can also have medicinal uses. Those stating oh it makes people : this that and the other, yes it will have side effects, have you ever read any of the leaflets you are handed inside your prescription from the NHS? then they could try a different strain, after all thats all prescirption drugs are, different concoctions.

 

[thep02]

It's only legal in a few states though isn't it, so there are bound to be dealers still making money on it?

Iirc it's 38 states now with 2/3 allowing it for pleasure, my view it's less of drag on society than alcohol and if it helps people who are ill it's ridiculous to ban it, I once had to take tramadol for pain and it was unpleasant and made me feel nauseous so may be cannabis would have been better. Afaik no one who wants it can't get it except perhaps the very ill.

 

[MikeTheNative]

I can't work out how some people are so anti cannabis but then are fine with smoking and alcohol. I don't really care if it's legalised although I would not oppose it if was proposed as long as it restricted from being smoked indoors (like cigarettes are now).

 

[leaskovski]

How good is the current road side testing of weed? I have visions of lots of people smoking it and taking to the wheel whilst high as a kite.

 

[thep02]

How good is the current road side testing of weed? I have visions of lots of people smoking it and taking to the wheel whilst high as a kite.

That's the state of things now as I can't conceive of a person old enough to drive not being able to buy cannabis if they want it, the prohibition hasn't worked.

I think isaw a piece on the news once about some kind of strip that when placed on a drivers forehead could detect cannabis.

I don't smoke it but my lads are 12 and 13 and I don't want their lives ******* if they get caught with cannabis as it seems likely they'll come into contact with it and no doubt try it, their school bus reeks of it every morning.

 

[mattyfez]

The problem with driving is that is stays in your system for about a month, clearly someone who had smoked a few weeks back won' be under the influence but would still test positive, so there would have to be a limit set, as there is with alcohol, except its would be tricky, if the authorities do that, they would essentially be saying its ok up to a certain amount, a real political hot potato.

 

[Judgeneo]

"Weed is bad now shut up and let me finish my gin you filthy peasant" - Pretty much the outcome.

I'm actively against the legalization of pot to be honest in terms of everyday users, I think it'll just get more expensive if it's legal, you know what it's like - first it's great, then they add tonnes of tax and mandate ridiculous conditions which cut the market off from all but big investors. Next the market is monopolised and suddenly there's a big hunk of cash to hunt down illegal growers and arrest them, cutting off the cheaper illicit supply.

This is the preferred outcome in my opinion.

Legal.
Regulated.
Taxed.

Ensures its safe, and gives the Gov an additional revenue source.
The only reasons to not like that scenario are: A general hate for governance, A general hate for drugs (incl. legal ones), or fear of price rises.

Remember, although the government will add tax, a legal operation can have much better economies of scale, and less other overheads such as "risk money"

 

[drunkenmaster]

It is interesting that you've made the assumption that it will work for you without side effects.

There are millions of medical weed users worldwide, it's not like no one has tried it, no one knows it's effects for medical purposes and he's guessing.

IT will be different for everyone, but I suggest you read up some common side effects of even common painkillers.

Ibuprofen can mess up your stomach/intestines very badly with prolonged use, as can many other things. Codeine/oxy/opiates in general can very much worsen digestive issues, cause major addiction problems if used beyond a couple days at a time.

The simple fact is that with huge numbers of medical conditions(most rather than a minority) one of the biggest issues is finding a drug or drug combination that works. Depression isn't just take drug A, sorted. Most people will try one drug, find nasty side effects, doc will put them on a different drug, which may be worse or better. The drugs often work differently for different people. Most pain management and serious long term condition situations require doctors testing multiple drugs to find a single or combination of drugs that works best for the particular patient. People with depression or pain often end up trying a dozen different things and settle usually for the ones with the least severe, or most manageable side effects.

So in this case the idea that someone doesn't know what weed will do is pretty irrelevant, as most patients(and doctors) don't know how people will react to most drugs given in such circumstances. Weed should simply be another drug people can try and see if it works for them, nothing more or less. If it works and with less side effects, great, for some they'll feel worse on it, or it will do to little for pain that the "worse" drug with many more side effects is the preferred choice.


In terms of not legalising it because of the price for regular users. lol, it's a plant, if legalised it could have the cost drastically reduced. Remove the risk of growing/selling it, create jobs for people who will then pay taxes, be grown on an industrial scale. Tax income would be huge, regulation on quality/quantity people could ingest is sensible and easily introduced when you control the supply. Then you have the safety aspect of knowing the source of your drugs and assured quality. Likewise you aren't helping generate profits for criminals. While there will be plenty of "nice" people growing weed in cupboards and the like. There are plenty of very nasty people who will be growing it to sell, smuggling it, people who are involved in many other enterprises, people who we should not be helping make money.


Should be legalised full stop to ensure a safe supply for people who want to use it, to keep money out of criminals hands, to generate jobs/tax for the economy. There is no downside as people who want to use it, use it anyway, people that don't won't suddenly want to. Then if it was legal the questions over medical use or not would become pointless as they can get and try it anyway.

 

[jumpy]

Much of the prohibition of illegal drugs like cannabis makes them almost impossible to research for their potential medical uses. What we have today is anecdotal evidence that cannabis can help those with epilepsy, or parkinsons and other neurological conditions, with some very limited research into the medical usefulness of these substances.

I find it very shortsighted for lawmakers to discount so completely the possibilities for these drugs to be of uses other than illegal recreation. I'd put much of this attitude down to politicians (not scientists) and their desperate grasp on power to not be seen to be 'pro drugs' in any sense, not just in the case of medical research.

Personally I'd decriminalise just about all of the drugs out there, with one or two notably lethal exceptions.

 

[Frodo1805]

I hope they dont leagalise it, there are already too many conspiracy theories as it it, we will be over run with them if they leagalise cannabis. How anyone thinks it is safe to smoke regulary is beyond me. Prolonged use makes people paranoid, hallucinate, lazy and stink.

Oh please.............hallucinate, lazy and stink? you know absolutely nothing. i can imagine this guy smoking a spliff and pretending to od or something, wasteman.

Are you pro alcohol because if you are then you are a hypocrite. Alcohol causes way more accidents and deaths than cannabis, oh i forgot you cant die from cannabis. Alcohol makes your breath stink, lose inhabitions and overall is a lot more dangerous than cannabis.

 

[Burnsy2023]

If there the evidence is rigorous and shows that is has measurable medical benefits, I support this for medicinal purposes.

I don't support any change in the law for recreational use though.

 

[AndyCroft1982]

People used to think smoking tobacco was good for you when it was first sold, lead used to be put in medicine because people thought it cured illness. Now we know better !! just because druggies want to legalise it because they say it is harmless is utterly ridiculous. Smoking weed stinks therefore people who smoke it a lot stink, it also dulls your senses which inturn makes you lathargic (lazy).

 

[Burnsy2023]

This is the preferred outcome in my opinion.

Legal.
Regulated.
Taxed.

Ensures its safe, and gives the Gov an additional revenue source.
The only reasons to not like that scenario are: A general hate for governance, A general hate for drugs (incl. legal ones), or fear of price rises.

Remember, although the government will add tax, a legal operation can have much better economies of scale, and less other overheads such as "risk money"

The big argument against that is looking at the social harms. You don't want to get to the point where you're legalizing a drug that ends up being as harmful as alcohol.