Legalising Cannabis

The United States is usually behind Britain when it comes to social movements of late, I mean we’ve fully legalised same sex marriage but in the US it is still going through the courts on a state by state basis, with some vehemently against it (Leviticus, huh?).. Anyway, one recent movement over there that has not even remotely happened here is the legalisation of cannabis.

Now this has only happened in a few places such as Colorado, but I think the time is right for the UK to stop criminalising this drug, because it isn’t going away and (as far as I know) alcohol is much worse for you.

First up, I don’t have a dog in this fight. I don’t smoke weed, never have and I doubt I ever will. I just don’t like the smell of it!

I’m against the nanny state when it impacts on peoples freedom. And the massive hypocrisy shown by the government and society here. They’ll happily take your tax money on top of the high strength vodka available in any supermarket, let you destroy your liver whilst getting completely drunk. They’ll also let you throw 5000 calories worth of Kebabs and Pizzas down your gullet hole, doing all sorts of bad things to your health. But the second you want to get high using a plant humans have used for thousands of years, suddenly it becomes a problem!

One man likes a good glass of wine with his meal, another likes a spliff after his meal. Is there any real difference?

Is it because if you grow your own, they can’t tax it? Is it a fear that a generation of stoners will kill the economy?

The health risks seem pretty tame compared to other stuff completely legal and accepted in society. There may even be some health benefits to cannabis use, or at least the chance to study it more.

I just struggle with it, I struggle to understand what business is it of anybody if their neighbour likes to smoke it to settle down in the evening. I’ve known people who suffer from anxiety, who then use this drug in the evening as their “quick fix” instead of prescriptions from the doctors with some shady side effects. I know another man who uses it as one of the means to treat his glaucoma!

So, would you support a government policy to decriminalise the recreational use of cannabis as well as for the medicinal use of the drug?

Another sad truth that I know is happening in America, is the private prison system there lobbies the government to keep certain things against the law!

In other words, they make a profit from people being in prison, so they don’t want cannabis becoming legal, or any other drug for that matter.

Is that happening here? Are G4S lobbying the political parties to keep as many people in the prison system?

Another thing I forgot about, is that with criminalising the drug, only criminals (gangsters) are prepared to take the risks to grow it and sell it. It is a sad indictment of this country that we have people living in cannabis grows (usually a house where all the rooms have been converted into greenhouses, powered by stolen electricity) against their will because they were trafficked for this job. So when the police finally raid the place, some poor Chinese person (or someone from another country) will usually be arrested and charged, despite the fact they’re there against their will.

Taking it out of the control of gangsters will also cut other crimes, namely trafficking and stolen electricity. I have this same view on prostitution, I think it needs to be legalised and controlled to stop the trafficking of women.

I remember when it was legalized in the Netherlands, for use in coffee bars. Within months soft drug related crime went into a nosedive.

That soft drugs are a precursor to the hard stuff is an undeniable fact, but I relate that to people own weaknesses , insecurities and various inferiority complesxes.

Soft drugs only lead to hard drugs because the guy selling cannabis also sells cocaine!

If soft drugs were sold from controlled environments, then some of the danger would be eliminated.

I wouldn't like to have it in Starbucks, but what people do in their own homes is none of my business (so long as they don't hurt others).

I also don't see a problem with designated areas for certain activities, similar to the Amsterdam idea. Where those coffee shops are all in the same area, as are the sex shops and brothels. I say legalise, control and designate to certain areas. And then tax it!!

Reading the Daily Mail leads to paranoia!