Should cannabis be made legal thread

[SugarRayRussell (PBK)]

Cannabis is the World’s most used illegal drug even though it isn’t illegal in many parts of the World.
There are medical experts who support it being made legal for medical purposes like MS sufferers, or people with pains from certain cancers.

While there is evidence to suggest that it can increase the chances of someone becoming depressed this is not conclusive.

It can however be proved to have medical benefits. It can also be proved that it is less harmful and less addictive than alcohol and let’s face it when will you ever see a bunch of stoners fighting at 3am in a city centre?

I used cannabis for recreational purposes in the past but I don’t drink. I started using it for medical purposes when I started getting pain in my back from my job as a gardener 4 years ago. I’ve been on 12 different types of painkillers none of which have worked. I’m now 26 and need the a walking stick to walk at times. Because I don’t claim disability benefits I can’t get an operation on the NHS and it’s far too expensive to go private.

With it being so widely available and easy to buy is there any point in it being illegal and given it's medical benefits is it not time it was at least made legal for medical purposes?

[Guest]

Thread disclaimer (as confirmed with Kev)
Please note that any members who encourage other members to use the drug will receive an immediate ban. (i.e. promoting illegal activity)
The debate is just about whether it should be legal or not.

[Fists of Fury]

Got to rush out, but in short YES it should be made legal. Causes far less problems than alcohol does on average, I'd say, and is shown to have the odd health benefit (though people do often over-egg these).

Go over to Amsterdam where it is legal and you'll see no trouble there because of it - in fact I had a great time when I was over there.

[greybeard]

YI, fair enough, but could you clarify would someone be just as likely to get a ban for encouraging someone to take it for medical reasons (arthritis, say) compared to someone just saying "This'll get you bombed"

I'm unique amongst all my friends in that I've never tried it. I'm 36, did the college thing, did the living in a house with a load of stoners thing, all that good stuff, but I've never been interested. Having said that I think that if there are medical benefits, and it seems there are, then it's sensible for a reasonable society to at least debate legalisation.

But it's not just a case of legal/illegal, there's also the prescription route. Which I think I'd be in favour of.

[Guest]

greybeard,
We can not allow anyone to encourage other members to use it for any reason. (and besides, there is no reason to go down that route, the debate is whether it should be legal, not about trying to get people on here to use it)

[Guest]

From my own experience, I grew up in a small town where drugs were rife. Unfortunately I saw the bad side to drugs, so full on legalisation gets a no vote from me.

But I have no issues with the prescription route if it does indeed help in that respect.

[Cari]

As a tobacco it wont get legalised for medicinal purposes because the medical profession would not encourage smoking. If they wanted to consider it, then it would have to be produced in another form - a pill or a drink for example.

As a general rule though, no I don't think any drug should be legalised. Regulating and legalising drugs doesn't prevent or reduce the problems associated with them - look at alcohol.

[SugarRayRussell (PBK)]

Cari some drugs that aren't fit for purpose are legal though and people get hooked on them.

Personally I can't get painkillers that work but in a State like California I would be able to get medicinal marijuana preventing me from breaking the law.

Surely legalising it for medicinal purposes would make sense. I had an Aunt who had cancer and I had to get it for her making me a dealer at the time. all for easing my Aunts pain when she was ill.

[Cari]

Cari some drugs that aren't fit for purpose are legal though and people get hooked on them.

Wow, you like getting on my case today don't you? That was the point I was making. Just because it's legal it doesn't mean to say it will benefit people.

[SugarRayRussell (PBK)]

It seems like that let's be friends!

I think I may have mis read you sorry.

[Adam D]

I have added a poll to the thread as per Kev's request.

[ReallyReal]

A few facts about cannabis:
It is no more harmful than alcohol and far less so than tobacco and if ingested instead of smoked it is miles safer than either and it's far safer than many prescription drugs too.
It is very cheap to grow and would generate billions of pounds every year in taxes if it was legal, it would remove a large chunk of the black economy and give legal employment to many thousands, which would in turn generate even more money in taxes.
Legalisation would make it safer for users too, as regulation of its growth would prevent unscrupulous people from using pesticides and fertilisers that are harmful to people, I doubt if they care ATM.
Being a green plant and being so easy to grow (it's called weed by many for a good reason) it would automatically increase oxygen levels in the atmosphere, though this would obviously be a negligible increase.
...but most importantly, what right does any government have to arbitrarily ban something if it only affects the person who does/uses it, once we become adults surely we have a right to make our own decisions if they don't affect others, isn't this called personal choice?

[Scott is Back]

Picking up on a few things ReallyReal has just said, i voted no, as im completely against drugs, but now thinking about it, legal or not, these drugs are going to be around whether we like it or not, so why not make it legal, let it be grown properly under a certain set of standards and be sold the same as cigarettes. Im sure the current economy would welcome billions of £££ in tax, the creation of 100,000's of jobs!

[BALTIMORA]

Legalise it. And mushrooms too.

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