Non-User With a Question-Should Cannabis be Legalised?

[Stella]

Hello everyone,

I am a new member to the rehab group and am here to inform myself about the issue of marijuana use.
I am a fiction writer and currently working on a project that features a character who is a pro-marijuana activist. (I am not one myself and am skeptical of some of the arguments that are in favor of legalization.)
I hope that my motivation for posting on here, where there are people with obviously real and possibly devastating experiences doesn't come across as insensitive. I thought that coming to a place where people are dealing with real health effects was the best place to go to inform myself.

So, basically, I'd like to know from people who have a perosnal experience with marijuana use: are you for the legalization of marijuana in your country and if not/yes, why?

I understand that the issues are not simple, I am more interested in how you feel about this, your personal perspective.

Thank you for your time.

[Cannabis Rehab Admin]

It’s a tough one and to be honest I am not %100 sure where I stand on the issue, I started CannabisRehab.org more to help those who feel they have a problem with it and want to quit, we are not really about campaigning on the law in regards to marijuana one way or the other.

However if asked I am more than happy to share my personal opinion on the matter, personally I don’t really see the point in criminalising drug users, if you commit a crime as a result of your drug use then fine prosecute people for that crime, but the idea of the drug use its self being the crime to me seems a bit harsh. Although I am not really sure I am for legalisation either, I think we have enough of a problem as it is with alcohol and tobacco, I am not sure we want to add to the problem by legalising others, a lot of the arguments for legalising marijuana revolve around comparing it to alcohol, although that to me always leaves me thinking that it’s more the case that alcohol shouldn’t be legal than marijuana should, although they have tried that in the past and people didn’t really stand for it, remember a law isn’t always just about what’s right or wrong, but also about what a government can or can’t get away with and in that respect I do sympathise with the hypocrisy of alcohol been legal and marijuana not. But let’s face it if alcohol wasn’t something that was already legal and had not been a part of our culture for so many years, if it belonged to all those other drugs that are illegal and had done for many years, there’s no way it would ever be legalised in this day and age. Alcohol is just a bit of a weird exception in that respect and it doesn’t really make much sense, but at the end of the day most mind altering drugs are illegal and you could use the example of alcohol as a reason to legalise most of them. But I am still not sure it would be a good thing if we did.

So all in all I don’t know really and that’s speaking as someone who marijuana left in a pretty bad way, but I still appreciate that not everybody’s experience is necessarily going to be the same as mine and just because something isn’t used in moderation or enjoyed responsibly by some people, doesn’t mean it can’t be by others. Maybe I am more for decriminalisation than legalisation, or maybe as I have mentioned before it might be a good idea to legalise lower THC higher CBD type cannabis, in the hope that it diverted people away from the higher THC lower CBD type stuff. That’s the thing when you talk about “cannabis”, it’s a term for many different types that range from the relatively mild to the very powerful. For more info on this check out this post. http://www.forummatters.com/forums/showthread.php?t=598

Although maybe it wouldn’t have the desired effect, maybe people would still smoke the high THC skunk that has become so popular these days. It’s such a tough one when it comes to the legalisation of drugs, I think there are pros and cons on either side. But for a drug like cannabis I would probably go for decriminalisation at the very least. But don’t let that view give you the wrong impression, I still think that cannabis can have some very negative effects and still think it can be a serious problem for some.

[Cannabis Rehab Guest]

I think decriminalisation is the best option.

[Cannabis Rehab Guest]

What’s the difference between legalisation and decriminalisation?

[Cannabis Rehab Admin]

Well as far as I am aware and correct me if I am wrong, decriminalisation isn’t making something legal, it’s just choosing not to enforce the law and basically turning a blind eye. So in the example of decriminalising a drug, it wouldn’t be legal for big companies to sell it like they can with alcohol or tobacco, knowing that there’s nothing the law can do to stop them, the law would still have the power to stop them if it wanted to. So it’s potentially a way of stopping big companies from selling the drug on every street corner, but still allowing people who have it for personal use for example to do so. The law would be able to chose what it would tolerate and what it would not. So it’s sort of a way for society to tolerate something and not criminalise the users depending on the situation, without actively promoting it in the way that legalisation would.

[Cannabis Rehab Guest]

Decriminalize posession,but dealers/growers ought to be publicly crucified (literally) or road-dragged.That is my feeling on the matter.

[Cannabis Rehab Guest]

legalise?

I have been using skunk cannabis daily for 7 years and smoking it for ten. In answer to your question i would firmly be against legalisation. Not for the obvious reasons that are given by people in the 'know' such as it leads directly onto harder drugs because i believe that is all down to the person and their individual circumstances. But cannabis has wrecked my head and health. I agree that alcohol would be banned in todays society.it is strange that abuse of alcohol is accepted as normal in society when most issues in our lives in the UK these days E.G. violence, robbery, etc. are mostly alcohol related. adding another substance that WILL mess your life up would be stupid.i agree that just because one person abuses a substance does not necessarily mean others will , but if the possibility exists then surely legalisation would be a negative step to take. if you asked me this question when i started then i would have said 'YES' without a second thought but now after so long using and considering the negative effects it has had on not only my life but also my family i would not give it a second thought.it should neither be decriminalised or legalised.it should stay illegal and should not be underestimated.it is so easy to get into the groove and once your in it ,it really is a massive struggle to free yourself from its clutches

[concierge15]

te last pt was mine.forgot to sign in.that how it gets you LOL

[DrugFree]

What’s the difference between legalisation and decriminalisation?

Here in Canada decriminalisation would mean no jail time or asset forfeiture,and most importantly,no criminal record.THATS what can ruin your life! Legalisation would mean that evil corporations would be given a monoply over it`s distribution and the goverment could tax it.Win win

[cbc990]

Difference between legalization and decriminalization:
Legalization:

• It's legal to buy tobacco if you're over 18.
• It's illegal to speed, but if you get caught, you just get a ticket.

Decriminalization:

• It's illegal to commit murder and if you get caught, they throw you in jail.

I think the whole decriminalization debate comes from the completely wrong perspective. People talk about it without discussing the other issues, like proper education and treatment for people with addictions.

In Vancouver, where they have a "safe-injection site" for people to use heroin, they've found a huge improvement in the quality of life of addicts, and it's provided access to drug treatment that a lot of these addicts would not otherwise receive. I believe this is a good thing.

Red Light Districts provide safe places for prostitutes to practice their profession.

Throwing potheads in jail gives them access to drugs they might not otherwise have had (jails are full of Meth and other hard drugs). Not to mention that the hellish conditions of jail are enough to drive anyone to become a drug addict. You're not doing the pothead any favours if he goes to jail and becomes a meth addict. And he's going to steal a lot more things to get money for meth than he ever did for pot.

It's difficult because like someone said, you have to balance "what is right" with "what people will stand for." Depending on where you live, pot is ignored by police for the most part. It's just not worth the paperwork! Personally, I think society would be much better off if no one drank alcohol, smoked cigarettes, or did drugs. But likewise if we all exercised and ate healthy. So are we going to outlaw TV and McDonalds? At what point to people have the right to decide for themselves whether they want to destroy their lives?

Like I said, the biggest thing is education. It's one thing if you are make an informed decision to use drugs or drink alcohol. But let's get real: These habits start at adolescence because teenagers want to be accepted into their social groups. If your friends are drinking, smoking, and trying drugs, then there's a good chance you'll feel pressured to, even if they don't actually say "you should do this too." They all believe that they'll be able to stop any time they want, because when they start, they aren't addicted and can't imagine the life of an addict.

Now, all living creatures are basically "addicted" to food: when you eat, your body releases dopamine, which is your body's reward system, and it makes you feel good and want to eat again. This is the same type of addiction as marijuana: you toke up and your body releases dopamine.

I know one thing: I never got in trouble for anything as a kid. I was allowed to make my own mistakes and find out the true consequences of my actions, and as a result, I learned not to do stupid things. Now my friends, they just learned not to get caught. They were too busy trying not to get caught that they didn't have time to notice the real consequence.

[Cannabis Rehab Admin]

Hi cbc990 and welcome to the forum.

I think with drugs like with most other things in life you have to take a multi prong approach, perhaps a little bit of carrot a little bit of stick and a healthy dose of education. I totally agree that there’s no point to throwing pot users in jail, I don’t think it’s right from a moral perspective or that it really achieves anything.