Drugs are bad.

ANOTHER u-turn by our mighty government!!!!

Well, their argument is that its stronger now, what with skunk weed now being in common circulation, etc. But the professional body who looked into it considered this aspect and its on average twice as strong; but also with some evidence that users titrate their intake to compensate. So they kinda went with "we can't risk kiddies getting unhealthy". As with most illegal things, doesn't directly affect me so I'm kinda neutral on the reclassification issue.

Whether it's class B or C doesn't directly affect me either and that 'stronger' argument is just ridiculous as far as I'm concerned.

I'll just be enjoying listening to Jacqui trying to answer what are inevitably going to be some amusing questions on why she ignored the professional advice that she was given.

Maybe we could commision FTJ to conduct his own study on behalf of the Mk1OC

I'm not a smoker (although i'll admit I have consumed my fair share of controlled substances) but I find it all a bit excessive.
Officers of the law are already bogged down with a hilarious amount of paperwork and knowing a few the prospect of nicking someone for a tiny amount of weed hardly seems worth the effort.
Then there's the argument about the danger.
yes, in substantial quantities it probabaly could raise the risk of mental and physical complications.  
But, let's face it smoking'll kill many many more people this year as will alcohol abuse.  It's like anything in life, too much of a good thing will probably kill you.
keep things in check and moderation and the chances are you'll not go mental.  I've taken the "odd" chemical over the years but maintain an otherwise healthy lifestyle (apart from the addiction to cars), okay it probably didn't justify me doing it but I was aware of the risks and, according to my GP I'm as fit and healthy as anyone else out there.

I'll climb off my soap box as someone else'll want a go.

due to my youth i have a dicky ticker suffur from severe depression and mood swings and high colesterol and low liver function so if any one wants to say theres no harm ask me

DFunk said

I'll climb off my soap box as someone else'll want a go.

i thank you.

it should be a class a as far as i'm concerned. the odd toke here and there may well not do any one harm, but most users don't use it that way. the fact is, the more something is tolerated, the less of a stigma it becomes and the more accepted it becomes. now i don't care what most do behind their own front door, but when these things become accepted as a way of life, there will be more and more/ younger and younger people doing it. how young is o.k. before it's bad? i've not done everything right in my life and had my fair share of things that are bad for me and once in a blue moon, i may be tempted to have a dabble on the dark side of life, but drug use, is not of benefit to indivuals or society, long term. yes i agree alcohol is just as bad, but two wrongs don't make a right.
 i bet the majority of those who either don't care, or are in favour of legalisation, do not have their own children.

Can I just ask this question;

Who Hasn't smoked Cannabis?

probably more abstainers from that, than people who've never broken the speed limit

Or driven a car that wouldn't pass an MOT

Don't get me wrong here, I can see the definate cons in keeping this stuff class C but will reclassifying actually make a blind bit of difference apart from a jump in crime figures?
People will still smoke, the Mot and speed analogy works just as well.  Un-mot'd cars and speeding are both fairly big risks especially for people like me who live on bloody roads as part of their jobs.  But does the fact that they are against the law actually stop people?  Of course not.
The people that smoke weed won't stop because of new legislation in the same way that people want stop taking charlie, speeding, driving cars without insurance or anything else that's actually illegal.  
No it isn't a benefit to society and mis-used it can cause massive problems but knee jerk legislation in order to bolster flagging voter ratings (because, let's face it, that's pretty much all this is) isn't going to change anything apart from load more work on an already over-stretched law enforcement agency, and clog a rammed legal system.

There does seem to be an enduring popularity with low-level crime.

DFunk said

People will still smoke, the Mot and speed analogy works just as well.  Un-mot'd cars and speeding are both fairly big risks especially for people like me who live on bloody roads as part of their jobs.  But does the fact that they are against the law actually stop people?  Of course not.
The people that smoke weed won't stop because of new legislation in the same way that people want stop taking charlie, speeding, driving cars without insurance or anything else that's actually illegal.  

that's a real lame reason for keeping it class c or turning a blind eye in general. we can say that burgularies and rapes still happen wether legal or not. may as well make them legal then?

wooders said

DFunk said

People will still smoke, the Mot and speed analogy works just as well.  Un-mot'd cars and speeding are both fairly big risks especially for people like me who live on bloody roads as part of their jobs.  But does the fact that they are against the law actually stop people?  Of course not.
The people that smoke weed won't stop because of new legislation in the same way that people want stop taking charlie, speeding, driving cars without insurance or anything else that's actually illegal.  

that's a real lame reason for keeping it class c or turning a blind eye in general. we can say that burgularies and rapes still happen wether legal or not. may as well make them legal then?

it's hardly in the same category is it?
Look, end of the day I'm willing to place damn good money that the same people that are calling to the reclassification are the same people that also ranted and raved about the use of ID cards and black boxes in cars.
Where's my point going?
We're all adults and should be treated as such.  People should be be made well aware of the risks and the money saved from not endlessly clogging the legal system could be put to good use in education and rehab in the same way as alcohol.
Give people a choice to make their own mistakes rather than denying them something and the mystery will fade.  Keep it illegal and it  not only funds other nefarious activities but people will want to do it for that very reason.
People endlessly complain that this is a police state and the government are constantly removing choice and free-will so why not give them the choice?

at this point can i just say.

take a look at the country's where weed is legel. jamaica is a prime example where pick pocketing and petty crime are major problems all of which pays for the users to continue using.

take from this what you will.

You can't compare driving and minor drug offences to rape!

I think most people have their ow "internal" morales.  Even if they are doing something illegal (such as 80mph on the motorway) you are still "happy" with it in your own internal morality.

Thing is, rape.  You simply couldn't be morally happy with that unless you were a totally twisted individual and I think everyone would agree with me on that.

I've just bought some very fancy looking Kronenburg 1664 "Dynamo" - I'll report back in a couple of hours!

point is, just because it doesn't stop people doing it, doesn't mean it should be legal. are you happy for your children to pop down to meet a dealer/s buy some skunk and sit round some ones flat getting stoned? that doesn't bother you at all? then let then have the choice to buy some charlie and do the same, let them have the choice to do the same with crack. where do you decide to draw the line?
 steve, you are perfectly right as regards morales. but lets face it, some have less than others. if i found at 16yrs old, my son was buying weed or other from some bloke or mate of his, then god help them, because the devil would be by my side on that one.

novocaine said

at this point can i just say.

take a look at the country's where weed is legel. jamaica is a prime example where pick pocketing and petty crime are major problems all of which pays for the users to continue using.

take from this what you will.

It's actually still technically illegal in Jamaica although it's quite openly sold.
Plus take into account that's it's a third world country anyway so many of the problems (drug use, high levels of crime, unemployment etc) will also contribute.

I can't believe that we've got to the 'what's morally acceptable to the majority' argument.

There's all sorts of reasons why that wont work, the main one being that if all the rapists move to the same island of slightly fewer eternal virgins then they are still the majority and rape becomes morally acceptable on that island.

This democracy is a sham. The majority of the voters are swung by the media not by statements of political intent. We might as well all just drop the pretence and vote Daily Mail.

fine reduced legelality such as australia are we calling that a third world country too.

novocaine said

fine reduced legelality such as australia are we calling that a third world country too.

I wasn't implying that Jamaica was a third world country merely because of the weed law.  I was stating that Jamaica is a third world country because of the state of it's economy.
Not entirely sure where the comparison to oz came from