California prepares to legalize marijuana on New Year's Day

FishLicker · 3 Jan 2018 at 19:01

It's good to see other countries seeing sense about this. Cannabis is a largely harmless substance, and is so widely available anyway that they may as well just admit defeat. A total waste of time and resources.

Of course, the UK is a country of very little common sense, and sadly, I suspect we may end up being one of the only countries in the world not to see sense even in the distant future, as per usual. If anything, it seems to me that this country is a country where they would like everyone to remain stone cold sober at all times, so you can work yourself to an early grave, and then die a horrific painful death with no option of voluntary euthanasia... but obviously, pop your clogs before you can claim your pension.

Rant over.

Methos · 3 Jan 2018 at 19:06

FishLicker said:
Of course, the UK is a country of very little common sense, and sadly, I suspect we may end up being one of the only countries in the world not to see sense even in the distant future, as per usual. If anything, it seems to me that this country is a country where they would like everyone to remain stone cold sober at all times, and then die a horrific painful death with no option of voluntary euthanasia... but obviously, pop your clogs before you can claim your pension.

Rant over.

I'll actually think we'll go the other way

once Theresa May and her cronies see how much tax they could be raking in from legal sales of Canabis (and Colorado raked in half a billion... yes, BILLION in canabis tax - http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/19/news/colorado-marijuana-tax-revenue/index.html ) i think they'll legalise it here, reluctantly of course (insert eye roll here) so they can bring over some private companies to sell it in the UK... companies that obviously will have no links at all to the Tory party lol

think the Tories would ignore a huge revenue like this? hell, Colorado as an entire state has half the population of london city... half a billion just from that? canabis tax alone could save the NHS in one swoop lol

Rroff · 3 Jan 2018 at 19:09

FishLicker said:
It's good to see other countries seeing sense about this. Cannabis is a largely harmless substance, and is so widely available anyway that they may as well just admit defeat. A total waste of time and resources.

I have a bit mixed feelings about that - had a temp over Christmas who was quite open about the amount of weed he was smoking - he really should not have been around heavy equipment at times - fortunately he wasn't kept on as otherwise it had got to the point I'd have had no choice but to take it to a disciplinary.

I guess in some ways that is no different to turning up drunk, etc. though.

Roar87 · 3 Jan 2018 at 19:24

Rroff said:
I have a bit mixed feelings about that - had a temp over Christmas who was quite open about the amount of weed he was smoking - he really should not have been around heavy equipment at times - fortunately he wasn't kept on as otherwise it had got to the point I'd have had no choice but to take it to a disciplinary.

I guess in some ways that is no different to turning up drunk, etc. though.

Probably about the same as someone turning up for work who can barely stay awake because they stayed up all night playing World of Warcraft. The person is the problem there.

Roar87 · 3 Jan 2018 at 19:40

Moses said:
How are you getting hold of the cocaine you want for personal use? How do we ensure it’s actually cocaine and not full of crap which is harming you?

I don't think it's the states responsibility to look after me in that regard, their responsibility should be education on the dangers and side effects. If someone is putting harmful substances in drugs (there is absolutely no benefit of them doing this if they want continued custom by the way) then they're potentially breaking other laws, in the same way as I would be if I put a dangerous substance into a burger served to you at a restaurant.

But yes legalisation and taxation is probably the way forward.

Rroff · 3 Jan 2018 at 19:40

Roar87 said:
Probably about the same as someone turning up for work who can barely stay awake because they stayed up all night playing World of Warcraft. The person is the problem there.

Honestly though he seemed to get stupider by the day - definitely not a poster boy for Marijuana heh.

Roar87 · 3 Jan 2018 at 19:43

Rroff said:
Honestly though he seemed to get stupider by the day - definitely not a poster boy for Marijuana heh.

I used to sit next to a guy at work who smoked regularly, we'd talk about all sorts of things, he was generally way more open minded to conversation about non-mundane topics than other people. But yeah there's obviously a lot of people who smoke weed who fit the classic stereotype.

Roar87 · 3 Jan 2018 at 19:45

Moses said:
But how do you get the drugs, then? Stuff like cocaine and mdma which aren’t massively harmful but normal people can’t realistically produce themselves?

I would have to buy it from someone, that person might be breaking a law by supplying, but the person buying for their own use should never be criminalised.

Roar87 · 3 Jan 2018 at 19:49

Moses said:
So you think decriminalising for the end user is better for you, the end user, than just legalising everything and selling it through special shops? Seems mad.

I'm not actually a user of drugs at all, but the preference would be selling it through special shops with taxation, failing that though the end user should never be criminalised. There's no benefit to society of using our precious resources in locking people up for personal drug use.

Haggisman · 3 Jan 2018 at 20:46

Rroff said:
Honestly though he seemed to get stupider by the day - definitely not a poster boy for Marijuana heh.

Was he an idiot because he smoked too much weed, or did he smoke too much weed because he was an idiot?

Rroff · 3 Jan 2018 at 21:30

Haggisman said:
Was he an idiot because he smoked too much weed, or did he smoke too much weed because he was an idiot?

A bit of both I think.

You could tell when he was under the influence though his decision making was... retarded. It was starting to annoy me but fortunately they didn't keep him on.

Actually ended up raising my voice one time in frustration which I kind of regret but he was about to waste a ton of my time and his own.

Efour · 4 Jan 2018 at 10:35

Heard on radio 4 how much tax revenue a lot of American states can make from taxing weed.

Can't remember the exact state, a smaller one, but it said it would make 5%of it's annual GDP.

Britain will follow suit soon enough... Lol

Hiijinx · 4 Jan 2018 at 12:05

Given the fact we were lied to about the £350 million on the brexit bus, I think the least this country could do is to make good on that claim and what better way than this. No cuts, less strain on the police force.

I remember the days at school when the community support officers would come in and give us all a moral ear bashing on the harmful effects of drugs during our PSRE classes - along with the poor resolution photos which looked more like dodgey takeaway meals then anything else, but it stuck, to a point.

Up until a few years ago I was very anti drug because of what we were told but when I actually met some real life people who consumed cannabis, it was a very different picture of which the schools drummed into us.

To quote a good friend of mine who compared alcohol to cannabis;

"Whens the last time you saw two potheads fighting in the street?"

Daftbrown · 4 Jan 2018 at 12:22

Hiijinx said:
"Whens the last time you saw two potheads fighting in the street?"

Not as regularly as I've seen them giggling in the cake isle at Tesco.

G J · 4 Jan 2018 at 12:39

Hiijinx said:
"Whens the last time you saw two potheads fighting in the street?"

Fighting in the street no, potheads or former potheads fighting with non-potheads on forums when this type of topic comes up.

All the time.

Haggisman · 4 Jan 2018 at 13:10

G J said:
Fighting in the street no, potheads or former potheads fighting with non-potheads on forums when this type of topic comes up.

All the time.

I find it amusing how some people class everyone who smokes/has ever smoked weed as a pothead/former pothead. I guess that makes everyone who's ever had a beer or glass of wine an alcoholic/recovering alcoholic

FishLicker · 4 Jan 2018 at 13:15

Methos said:
I'll actually think we'll go the other way

once Theresa May and her cronies see how much tax they could be raking in from legal sales of Canabis (and Colorado raked in half a billion... yes, BILLION in canabis tax - http://money.cnn.com/2017/07/19/news/colorado-marijuana-tax-revenue/index.html ) i think they'll legalise it here, reluctantly of course (insert eye roll here) so they can bring over some private companies to sell it in the UK... companies that obviously will have no links at all to the Tory party lol

think the Tories would ignore a huge revenue like this? hell, Colorado as an entire state has half the population of london city... half a billion just from that? canabis tax alone could save the NHS in one swoop lol

I don't agree I'm afraid.

The politicians are far too scared to come up with such a bold (potentially vote losing) policy. Plus the fact that religion is still somewhat entrenched in government, I'm quite confident it will never happen (same reason why voluntary euthanasia is never discussed or considered).

The fact is, we are a backwards country.

Edited to add: Not long ago there was one of these 'things' that people sign online in order for something to get discussed in parliament. It has to reach so many hundred thousand signatures. A one about legalising cannabis was produced, and received many many signatures. It was thrown out immediately by government and not even discussed.

nick5466 · 4 Jan 2018 at 13:30

FishLicker said:
Edited to add: Not long ago there was one of these 'things' that people sign online in order for something to get discussed in parliament. It has to reach so many hundred thousand signatures. A one about legalising cannabis was produced, and received many many signatures. It was thrown out immediately by government and not even discussed.

It made it to parliment and was discussed for over 2 hours

FishLicker · 4 Jan 2018 at 13:32

nick5466 said:
It made it to parliment and was discussed for over 2 hours

Lets face it, we all know they had no intention of 'discussing' it with an open mind. The final word was "drugs are bad, mmmmkay".

This prohibition makes no sense to anyone with more than a handful of brain cells, but yet here we are, continuing to waste resources just to stop a few 'worker robots' (as the gov see us) getting high in their spare time.

Lord-Jaffa · 4 Jan 2018 at 13:35

Threads like these clearly show who smokes weed and who doesnt

Personally I think it smells rancid.