420 Cannabis Picnic - Why So Many Police ?

[Fittster]

jshell said:

Seems to me that most druggies are on the lower end of the economic scale...!

Wouldn't find any coke being consumed in the well off parts of the country..

[Adam Ansel]

All drugs should be legal. The state has no business telling us what we can and cannot put in our own bodies.
Drug supply should be regulated by trading standards and taxed, just like any other business. Any problems should be treated as being medical, not criminal.
It is no surprise that those places with the most liberal drugs laws have the least problems.

Government is there to provide us with services that we cannot provide for ourselves, nothing more. Because everything that government does it does badly. Unfortunately when we give politicians power they abuse it by taking more and more control over us, until we become the property of the state.

[Murph7355]

Adam Ansel said:

All drugs should be legal. The state has no business telling us what we can and cannot put in our own bodies.
Drug supply should be regulated by trading standards and taxed, just like any other business. Any problems should be treated as being medical, not criminal.
It is no surprise that those places with the most liberal drugs laws have the least problems.

Government is there to provide us with services that we cannot provide for ourselves, nothing more. Because everything that government does it does badly. Unfortunately when we give politicians power they abuse it by taking more and more control over us, until we become the property of the state.

I think you're being way too simplistic (though I think some relaxation of the law would be sensible).

Which countries with more liberal rules on drugs have "the least problems". What sort of "problems"?

[Greendubber]

Aphex said:

I'd still have a weekly smoke if I could pop into a shop and buy it over the counter. But I agree, alot of those that are supplying really do fall into that stereotype (from my area anyway).

Luckily I'm heading to Amsterdam next month

If its legalised I can imagine it being taxed hugely, business owners (legitimate) will charge through the nose for it so the scumbag dealers will still be in the money as people wont want to pay the increased prices for the 'legal weed'

You then have to think about the legitimate production, appropriate monitoring of that production to ensure people are getting what they pay for, distribution costs, premises costs etc for selling it and you're looking at some hefty overheads that will be passed onto the end user.

I think people who want to be able to sit in a cafe to smoke it need to be careful what they wish for unless they have deep pockets.

Some tax from it would be handy to pay for the health issues it causes though.

[Aphex]

Greendubber said:

If its legalised I can imagine it being taxed hugely, business owners (legitimate) will charge through the nose for it so the scumbag dealers will still be in the money as people wont want to pay the increased prices for the 'legal weed'

You then have to think about the legitimate production, appropriate monitoring of that production to ensure people are getting what they pay for, distribution costs, premises costs etc for selling it and you're looking at some hefty overheads that will be passed onto the end user.

I think people who want to be able to sit in a cafe to smoke it need to be careful what they wish for unless they have deep pockets.

Some tax from it would be handy to pay for the health issues it causes though.

Absolutely, as is the case in parts of America and Spain and elsewhere. I'd be willing to pay through the nose if it meant a nice environment and no tracksuit wearing chavs. I'm almost 30 and could do without all that hassle. I also don't drink, I imagine 3 grams or so would last me a fortnight and I quite enjoy the feeling. I'd certainly pay extra for the luxury of having different strains available with proven thc/cbd content

[Murph7355]

V6Pushfit said:

Yes but if legal availability meant that 10% more use it then there would be 10% more needing mental health treatment resulting.
Ask anyone in mental health care - most cases they deal with are drug related and of those ALL are due to (or started with)
cannabis.

Go to an acute ward and see the intensive care rooms with anti ligature fittings and much of it started with cannabis

I would like to see the robust analysis done that shows that cannabis is the root cause of all of these issues.

Chicken or egg? Cause or effect?

I'm open minded either way, but unfortunately the famous quote on statistics is incredibly true. I'm far from convinced that enough properly controlled science has been applied for long enough to say either way. It would be an interesting experiment to legalise cannabis and then revisit the statistics on mental health (for example - violent crime and others would also be interesting) in, say, 100yrs' time.

[vetrof]

Greendubber said:

If its legalised I can imagine it being taxed hugely, business owners (legitimate) will charge through the nose for it so the scumbag dealers will still be in the money as people wont want to pay the increased prices for the 'legal weed'

You then have to think about the legitimate production, appropriate monitoring of that production to ensure people are getting what they pay for, distribution costs, premises costs etc for selling it and you're looking at some hefty overheads that will be passed onto the end user.

I think people who want to be able to sit in a cafe to smoke it need to be careful what they wish for unless they have deep pockets.

Some tax from it would be handy to pay for the health issues it causes though.

Nonsense, just look at the example of Colorado.

[PH XKR]

StottyEvo said:

Aphex said:

PH XKR said:

it is hardly harmless, having witnessed the mental damage and dependency caused by "its only weed", it is anything but a bit of harmless fun.

Is it possible to be dependent on weed? I'd think there would have to be some quite deep-seated mental conditions for that to be true?

A good friend of mine witnessed his brother drown, they were playing on the canal and he fell from a gas pipe bridge. He habitually smokes weed and has done for many years.

He has a spliff on the way to work. The way from work. On his lunch break... Infact he took all of his driving lessons and took his test whilst high!

Despite all of this he has a house that he shares with his lovely girlfriend, a car, a decent job that he is very happy in and has a very active social life.

and yet he is a major nob

[PH XKR]

AH33 said:

PH XKR said:

for you maybe, I wouldnt know the first place to go look or ask so I presume you live in Brixton or somewhere similar

Depending on how old you are, there's someone smoking at every party, at every bar, in every street.

You just have to ask. Weed smokers tend to be friendly people.

perhaps if you live somewhere like the North, but it is very rare I get a whiff of the stuff. Hardly old myself, go out regularly just not to some skank joint which attracts the sort of dole scum that feel the need to smoke it in a public place.

[PH XKR]

xjay1337 said:

On the actual subject -

Weed should be legalised
It's less dangerous than Alcohol.

How do you come to such a conclusion?

[Aphex]

PH XKR said:

perhaps if you live somewhere like the North, but it is very rare I get a whiff of the stuff. Hardly old myself, go out regularly just not to some skank joint which attracts the sort of dole scum that feel the need to smoke it in a public place.

you're the sort of person that can't be reasoned with. I hope one day you can look at such subjects with a more open mind

[vsonix]

DuncsGTi said:

So a large group of people openly break the law and the police shouldnt react?

The whole point of the event is to draw attention to the fact that the law is outdated and needs to be changed, which many officers also agree with. As long as no harm is being done to others, why should police be expected to react? Their purpose is to protect the public, not to beat on them.

[eybic]

PH XKR said:

xjay1337 said:

On the actual subject -

Weed should be legalised
It's less dangerous than Alcohol.

How do you come to such a conclusion?

In the horizon link posted earlier, their figures say that 1% of alcohol users die from it (40k deaths for 40m users compared to 0.000033333333333333335
% of weed smokers, the alcohol percentage is very similar to the tobacco percentage at 1.14%)

[PH XKR]

Aphex said:

PH XKR said:

perhaps if you live somewhere like the North, but it is very rare I get a whiff of the stuff. Hardly old myself, go out regularly just not to some skank joint which attracts the sort of dole scum that feel the need to smoke it in a public place.

you're the sort of person that can't be reasoned with. I hope one day you can look at such subjects with a more open mind

Oh heres open minded for you, I think weed should be legalised but the penalties for using it in public should be high. Hows that? Thats what I feel, I feel legalisng it would help to lead to better quality than the tyre filled resin bars or the purple hazed laced with dodgy LSD that put me on a whitey back in the day. I just think the idea it should be permitted in parks is a bit bloody daft and these campaigners are probably, and I suspect are 100%, trustafarians or on benefits.

Now I do find it hard to know where I can buy it, I dont look for it as a result, I dont socialise in places where it seems to be smoked regularly - this is pubs and clubs but then I moved from the north many years ago and well, its just better down here.

[Aphex]

PH XKR said:

Oh heres open minded for you, I think weed should be legalised but the penalties for using it in public should be high. Hows that? Thats what I feel, I feel legalisng it would help to lead to better quality than the tyre filled resin bars or the purple hazed laced with dodgy LSD that put me on a whitey back in the day. I just think the idea it should be permitted in parks is a bit bloody daft and these campaigners are probably, and I suspect are 100%, trustafarians or on benefits.

Now I do find it hard to know where I can buy it, I dont look for it as a result, I dont socialise in places where it seems to be smoked regularly - this is pubs and clubs but then I moved from the north many years ago and well, its just better down here.

I actually agree with you completely on all of that, except the benefits bit.

[anonymous-user]

PH XKR said:

this is pubs and clubs but then I moved from the north many years ago and well, its just better down here.

You seem really focused on the north

Pick a bit of the SE and I can likely tell you where to get it if you want

Surrey posh enough for you? Kent? SE London? Central London?

[Devil2575]

PH XKR said:

xjay1337 said:

On the actual subject -

Weed should be legalised
It's less dangerous than Alcohol.

How do you come to such a conclusion?

Well Professor David Nutt has

https://braindecoder.com/post/david-nutt-alcohol-m...

http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/11/...

Edited by Devil2575 on Friday 22 April 13:51

[HRL]

Cannabis is no more a gateway drug than a shandy is to an alcoholic.

If you suffer from addictions then whatever you drink or smoke is liable to get out of control.

I used to run a business, as a not-so-powerfully-built director, and I'd still have the odd spliff. I preferred it over a few beers or a bottle of wine.

The only downside was the munchies, but that's better than getting rowdy at 2am and smashing someone in the face, which appears to be a popular pastime for the drinking crowd on Thurs\Fri\Saturday nights.

It's funny that the people that speak loudest against legalisation are those that have never even tried it. Perhaps you should go out there and get stoned just so that you can see the issue from both sides rather than standing on your soapbox, spewing ignorant comments.

My sister runs an A&E department and the only thing she tends to complain about at work are drunks, not potheads.

/wanders off to look for some Pringles...

[PH XKR]

Devil2575 said:

PH XKR said:

xjay1337 said:

On the actual subject -

Weed should be legalised
It's less dangerous than Alcohol.

How do you come to such a conclusion?

Well Professor David Nutt has

https://braindecoder.com/post/david-nutt-alcohol-m...

http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/11/...

Edited by Devil2575 on Friday 22 April 13:51

Dr Jeremy Clarkson said "You are not a petrol head until you've owned an Alfa"

[Devil2575]

PH XKR said:

Devil2575 said:

PH XKR said:

xjay1337 said:

On the actual subject -

Weed should be legalised
It's less dangerous than Alcohol.

How do you come to such a conclusion?

Well Professor David Nutt has

https://braindecoder.com/post/david-nutt-alcohol-m...

http://www.economist.com/blogs/dailychart/2010/11/...

Edited by Devil2575 on Friday 22 April 13:51

Dr Jeremy Clarkson said "You are not a petrol head until you've owned an Alfa"

Do you know who Professor David Nutt is?

I'll give you a clue, he's been published in the Lancet, so his opinion might just have a bit more credibility than Clarkson's.