[Rushy]

I support legalization because I want to sell it to people and I also realize that making it illegal is functionally impossible. If we couldn't manage to stop alcohol, a product you have to build vats to produce in large volumes, how are we going to stop a plant that can grow in someone's backyard? It is nonsense. It also fills jails up with people who are non-violent offenders.

Besides, Thork, if weed were legal everywhere, then Amsterdam wouldn't have a problem with tourists, then, would it? It looks more like their problems are coming from assholes that travel to the country just to weed up.

[spoon]

There are cigarettes in joints.

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

Wow, THORK, you've just taken the Taco for, well, silly posts. I don't even know what to say at this point. Enjoy your Taco prize, is all I can say.

I support legalisation of Marijuana for a few reasons. One, what is on the market now is not your father's Mexican Green. It's a lot more potent, like 60 times as potent, and unless regulated, has the potential to do some serious fucking damage to someone who doesn't know what they are getting. I know, I've messed with some of it. I think if regulated, you can know what you're getting, and it would be better for your own health, both physically and mentally. Two, it gets A LOT of non-violent "offenders" out of the jails and penitentiaries. The United States, per capita the population, has more people "locked up" than any other nation on Earth. This includes such luminaries of human rights in our world as China, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and even North Korea.

There is absolutely no logical reason on Earth that Marijuana should be considered ILLEGAL while alcohol is considered LEGAL. Alcohol does far more social damage every year to society than marijuana ever thought of doing. The situation is absolutely absurd. Obviously, they need to establish legal places to use the stuff, and legal places where you can and cannot be when you are under its influence. Going carte blanche, as they did in Colorado, was just straight up stupid.

[Particle Person]

I support legalization because I want to sell it to people

You want to open a dispensary, or just grow your own terrible weed in your closet and sell that?

[Rushy]

I support legalization because I want to sell it to people

You want to open a dispensary, or just grow your own terrible weed in your closet and sell that?

Whichever one would have the higher profit margin and volume. Besides, why would I grow it in my closet if it was legal?

[Tau]

I support legalization because I want to sell it to people

You want to open a dispensary, or just grow your own terrible weed in your closet and sell that?

Whichever one would have the higher profit margin and volume. Besides, why would I grow it in my closet if it was legal?

Presumably there will be expensive and annoying regulations to follow, even if it is legal.

[Particle Person]

I support legalization because I want to sell it to people

You want to open a dispensary, or just grow your own terrible weed in your closet and sell that?

Whichever one would have the higher profit margin and volume. Besides, why would I grow it in my closet if it was legal?

Why marijuana, specifically? You could open a bar right now if you wanted to sell a legal drug. Or sell 40oz bottles to homeless people.

[Rushy]

Presumably there will be expensive and annoying regulations to follow, even if it is legal.

I will pay B Franko to lobby for me. I hear he is all up in those politicians assholes.

Why marijuana, specifically? You could open a bar right now if you wanted to sell a legal drug. Or sell 40oz bottles to homeless people.

Alcohol makes people angry and want to fight other people. Weed makes them calm and hungry. Plus, alcohol already has so much competition. Bars are everywhere. Legal weed dispensaries are a new frontier.

[mister bickles]

"cannabis" is a harmless plant with many medicinal properties and many other uses (paper, cosmetics, rope, clothing &c).....
its a total outrage that its been criminalised and can only be attributed, like most other outrages, to an international criminal gang of a certain sinister ethnicity!   

[xasop]

Thanks for bumping this thread, bickles. It's reminded me to post an update:

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-05-21/norfolk-island-medical-marijuana-calls-to-legalise/6486906

They're now allowing cannabis to be grown in Australia for export only. This decision is fairly typical of our authoritarian right-wing administration; they're quite happy for businesses to do what they want, so long as it doesn't come at the expense of liberating the Australian people.

However, despite the situational absurdity, I still believe this is another step in the right direction. The fact that cannabis may now be legally grown in Australia can only serve to put pressure on Canberra to allow our home-grown produce to be used locally, and maybe (most likely after the next change of government) they'll actually listen.

Meanwhile, the medicinal cannabis trial in some states can continue to pile on the evidence for its legalisation being a good idea. Abbott may not be the type who listens to scientific reasoning, but his successor just might be.

[Rushy]

It's like Australia reads my political trolling, says "that's a good idea" and then implements it. Hilarious.

[xasop]

It's like Australia reads my political trolling, says "that's a good idea" and then implements it. Hilarious.

Tony Abbott on a good day is far worse than your most creative trolling.

[Yaakov ben Avraham]

Well, there is no evidence that Jews have anything to do with cannabis being legal or illegal. BICKLES is just showing his unique aptitude for illogic. In fact, in the United States, I would suggest that, most Jews being Democrats (myself not among them, but that is another matter), the majority of us would support the legalisation of the stuff. And I certainly do. It seems very stupid to have it be illegal for the reasons I stated above.

[Bodysis]

Almost for three years now, I continually talk about the usefulness of marijuana and why it would be right to legalize this product all around the world. Of course, I know some cases when people got addicted to marijuana and this led to bad or even fatal effects, but using marijuana unlike alcohol, can bring a lot of helpful effects like a stress reliever or even a pain reliever.

[Iceman]

There will be a flood of countries that legalize, or at least decriminalize, marijuana in the next ten years.

Theres simply no reason not to. Look at all the examples of countries and states that have done it over the last decade. There is no rise is use, addiction, deaths, other drug use. And government control of the market leads to huge tax revenue which is being used in many cases for increased mental health support, education, or other social services, all while freeing up police to spend time on more worthwhile investigations and arrests.

The only thing slowing down the process is the slow development of a reliable roadside 'sobriety' test for pot. There are some that appear to be effective, but it's nowhere near as clear cut as blood/breath alcohol content...

[Rama Set]

Fortunately pot doesn't appear to have a strong deleterious effect on your motor skills.

[Iceman]

I agree, but I think it's one of the strongest negative perceptions people have about it. Legalization means that kids will all be driving around high...blah blah blah.

[TomInAustin]

It's humorous that a drug as 'soft' as marijuana is still restricted so heavily here, even if it isn't heavily policed. Lots of people don't really care about the issue either. I think in the very least it should be legalized for medical use.

Next up, MDMA..

What sucks, even more, is oil and edibles are still classed like heroin and coke.   A serious felony for a plant extract

[Clyde Frog]

It's humorous that a drug as 'soft' as marijuana is still restricted so heavily here, even if it isn't heavily policed. Lots of people don't really care about the issue either. I think in the very least it should be legalized for medical use.

Next up, MDMA..

What sucks, even more, is oil and edibles are still classed like heroin and coke.   A serious felony for a plant extract

You do realize that heroin and coke are also plant extracts, right? I agree that having cannabis oil, or products containing it like edibles, shouldn't be a felony. But the "it's just a plant extract" kind of argument runs into some obstacles. Heroin and cocaine are both basically just alkaloid extracts from poppy and coca plants, respectively.

[TomInAustin]

It's humorous that a drug as 'soft' as marijuana is still restricted so heavily here, even if it isn't heavily policed. Lots of people don't really care about the issue either. I think in the very least it should be legalized for medical use.

Next up, MDMA..

What sucks, even more, is oil and edibles are still classed like heroin and coke.   A serious felony for a plant extract

You do realize that heroin and coke are also plant extracts, right? I agree that having cannabis oil, or products containing it like edibles, shouldn't be a felony. But the "it's just a plant extract" kind of argument runs into some obstacles. Heroin and cocaine are both basically just alkaloid extracts from poppy and coca plants, respectively.

Yes, I thought about that 2 seconds after I posted.  But I also think that all drugs should be legal, self-solving problems.  Prohibition never stopped anything.