Should cannabis be legalised for recreational use?
Cannabis [Image: Gareth Fuller/Press Association].
But if those harmful effects – it is said to cause psychological problems including schizophrenia in some users – can be removed without neutralising its … pleasurable … effects, then why not legalise it?
We all know that it doesn’t increase aggression, as alcohol does, and we’ve been told it actively fights cancer, whereas tobacco causes the disease.
In addition, it is allegedly non-addictive.
You can see the attraction for the UK government, of course.
When prostitution and drugs were included in the UK’s gross domestic product figure, the total leapt up by £10 billion per year.
Removing cannabis from the black market and taxing it instead could add billions to the Treasury’s receipts.
That’s why Tim Farron wants it legalised, of course.
But he also hopes the demand will improve the Liberal Democrats’ faded popularity.
Tim Farron is to become the first leader of one of Britain’s main political parties to call for the legalisation of cannabis for recreational use after declaring that the war on drugs is over.
In one of the most significant moves by the Liberal Democrats since they were reduced to a shell of just eight MPs at the election, Farron will call on the government to develop a framework for the legal regulation of cannabis.
Farron is to endorse a motion at spring conference which calls on the party to extend its existing support for the legalisation of cannabis for medicinal use to recreational use.
Source: Tim Farron calls for legalisation of cannabis for recreational use | Society | The Guardian
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No.
It should be legalised for any use.
That story about weed causing mental health problems is a lie! All drugs should be legal to adults if we are “supposed” to live in a “free society!” That last bit is also a lie too!
Short answer no, the cannabis culture has been VERY socially damaging where I live, and legalisation would make matters a lot worse.
The evidence shows correlation, not causation. I.E. people may be drawn to using drugs because of mental health problems rather than the other way round.
Cannabis,marijuana, hashish any the many other names it is known by can be very effective for someone who lives with constant pain and wants a few hours respite by adding a bit of the green stuff either in cooking(biscuits) or a sprinkling in your roll up. The problem then would be one of habitual reliance. The other factor to consider is that although the plant heightens acute awareness of certain things, like music, colours etc. it would probably dull the wit of someone operating machinery or driving. Being “laid back” has it’s downside, one that must be considered in latter mentioned circumstances. I don’t think I’d want a long “pull” on a joint and jump in a car and drive!
I read in the developing adolescent it’s more likely to cause mental health problems. There’s also a large difference to the pot of our youth & the highly active skunk varieties of today. But yes with the right controls it should be legalised.
As well as making a mint for the government, it also has another purpose, keeping the population under zombie control. the less aggressive people are, the less people will rebel against the machine. The government just loves bombed out navel gazers, who are to passive to start a “Rebellion”.
However for medical reasons, cannabis is great for some health issues.
Yes they truly are in it together.
Can I just make it clear that cannabis does NOT cause schizophrenia. It exposes it in people who already have it, and people with schizophrenia have a greater tendency, when compared to the rest of the population, to use it. There is data that demonstrates this. If cannabis use caused schizophrenia, then Colorado (as an example, because cannabis is legal there and they are, therefore, in a position to officially monitor its effects) would be experiencing much higher incidents of schizophrenia than states and countries where cannabis is illegal. Incidents of schizophrenia in Colorado are the same as everywhere else. Also, the effects of schizophrenia brought on by cannabis use end as soon as cannabis use is discontinued.
The ‘harmful’ effects are actually not harmful at all, and the terpenes that cause the psychoactive effect are actually necessary when treating many illnesses – particularly cancer. Using cannabis oil topically or as a suppository removes the psychoactive effect completely.
The only people benefitting from this type of misinformation are those that run/have a financial interest in Big Pharma. And Big Pharma is the ONLY reason cannabis is illegal. Can’t have a population successfully treating their diseases with a plant they can grow for free in their greenhouse, eh?
Still doubtful? The FDA admitted in October last year that cannabis oil treats cancer.
Yes, I know there was an admission about cancer – it’s included in the article.
Interesting information – thank you.
Cannabis should be treated like alcohol and tobacco – you can brew your own beer, you can grow your own tobacco strictly for own use, so the same should be applied to cannabis. Driving while stoned? Like with alcohol we have the technology to detect cannabinoids.
The scaremongering has been put out by big pharma as has been pointed out. But they have a back-up plan should it become legal – gmo it, grab the patent and then neuter it by remove all the potent healing oils.
Just watch how this plays out.
This could be the tories panacea, get the media et al stoned, reduce their anxiety to a level that they no longer care what day it is, and bingo.
I was on an experimental canabis clinic program for over 10 years backed by Camden council and dispensed by Tonys holistic clinic in Caledonia Rd London. There were trials done on the best way to administer the drug and the treatments offered benefited most patients. Other testaments were available and comparative studies were carried out. Unfortunately local gangs got to hear about it and eventually the police had to close the clinic and relocate it to a place that was inaccessible to severely disabled patients. I eventually gave up going there as the pain of the journey was not worth the benefits. I suffered no withdrawal dymptoms and now just live with the pain rather than take the NHS offering of amytriptamine which causes all of the side effects that THC critics mention and more. It’s s shame that Camden council could not find space in a mainstream clinic with security in place.
We need to protect our rights to get medical cannabis
It starts with voting right.
http://www.ageofautism.com/2016/02/pharmocratization-of-america.html
Notice Hillary Clinton received the MOST MONEY FROM BIG PHARMA. Hillary Clinton is lying (when isn’t she?) when she says she would support medical cannabis. Heck no she won’t. Clinton would never go against her Big Pharma donors.
Of course it should be legalised it’s ridiculous that it’s not, tax it and take it out of the black market, it’s better than alcohol, safer than alcolhol and for those idiots that call it a gateway drug let me explain, people can move on to other drugs but that is not because of cannabis but because of where and who people buy it from, in many if not most cases dealers are also in to other drugs, even for hash you need to get involved in the drug scene to some extent to buy amounts big enough to sell on at a profit, it is the very fact it is not legalised and controlled at point of sale that causes a migration to other drugs the dealers may also have so wake up to reality