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Should Britain legalize marijuana?

Research has shown marijuana to have many health benefits. However, people say it kills brain cells and it has many negative effects on the body. Many other countries and states have legalized it so I was wondering if it would be a good idea for Britain to do so too, since it is getting quite common amongst our youth here.

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Original post by Ibbyyyyy
Research has shown marijuana to have many health benefits. However, people say it kills brain cells and it has many negative effects on the body. Many other countries and states have legalized it so I was wondering if it would be a good idea for Britain to do so too, since it is getting quite common amongst our youth here.


No one really knows for sure what the long-term consequences could be so I think it should stay illegal. There is research that indicates it can cause dementia, among other things.

It may have health benefits, but so does heroin and look what that does to people. A further example is thalidomide. I've gone for the extreme drugs to make a point of what happens when it really does go wrong.

Also, not many countries have legalised it; the states are all part of one country and therefore not even the US has fully legalised it as it is still banned in many states. Below shows where is cannabis actually legal; in blue.

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(edited 7 years ago)
research can show whatever the people paying for it decide they want to find...

there's also plenty of research showing the negative effects of marijuana
Yes, as a liberal I prefer the idea that people have sovereignty over what they put in their bodies.

Sadly I don't see it happening any time soon. The paternalistic conservatism that dominates Britain means most individuals want the government to make the decision for them.
Lets see if the Brexit situation does some good on this front. As the goverment will be desperate to plug the hole in loss of tax revenues , legalisation and by extension taxation of ole Mary Jane will look very attractive indeed to the exchequer.
Always so much on Facebook about this, it's good for you, it's bad for you, it'll cure cancer, it'll give you cancer. The reality is it's no different than alcohol or smoking. As far as I'm concerned if they could properly regulate it, ensure that it didn't end up in the hands of youngsters and rely on people making an informed choice about it then legalise and tax the whole lot. It has it's reputation as a gateway drug and that's probably the biggest thing standing in the way. Most people don't tend to agree with that, after all, it's the user who chooses to move onto harder substances but the drug can be controlled far easier than someones will. I think the UK will probably legalise after the majority of the US has legalised. It could even be an incentive for the next shot at Scottish independence.
Reply 6
Original post by TheCosmicWizard
Lets see if the Brexit situation does some good on this front. As the goverment will be desperate to plug the hole in loss of tax revenues , legalisation and by extension taxation of ole Mary Jane will look very attractive indeed to the exchequer.


Yep, the police and courts would also have much less work.
Original post by Josb
Yep, the police and courts would also have much less work.


Very true and is the case already , have a little dig around online , certain police forces are already not interested in personal consumption even to the extent of growing your own.
Original post by gwaggy
No one really knows for sure what the long-term consequences could be so I think it should stay illegal. There is research that indicates it can cause dementia, among other things.

It may have health benefits, but so does heroin and look what that does to people. A further example is thalidomide. I've gone for the extreme drugs to make a point of what happens when it really does go wrong.

Also, not many countries have legalised it; the states are all part of one country and therefore not even the US has fully legalised it as it is still banned in many states. Below shows where is cannabis actually legal; in blue.

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The effects of cannabis use are actually quite well understood.

More importantly, criminalization has been shown not to reduce consumption, and usually increases addiction and crime. Why do you want it to be illegal?
Original post by TheCosmicWizard
Very true and is the case already , have a little dig around online , certain police forces are already not interested in personal consumption even to the extent of growing your own.


Very true, in both areas I've lived (Inverness and Glasgow) the police are very relaxed when it comes to actually charging with possession. The only real problems I've heard people come up against has been intent to distribute when they've been carrying a more sizeable amount.
It should be illegal everywhere along with alcohol and cigarettes.
No. No, no, no. Drug users should be publicly shamed, not have their dirty little habits legalised.
Yes
Original post by gwaggy
There is research that indicates it can cause dementia, among other things.


Not seen that, thought it was the other way round.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1087544/Cannabis-stop-dementia-tracks.html


Original post by gwaggy

A further example is thalidomide. I've gone for the extreme drugs to make a point of what happens when it really does go wrong.


Thalidomide was discovered in the early 50s licensed in the late 50s and withdrawn in the early 60s , cannabis has been used by countless people throughout our existence, what was the point exactly?
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 14
At the very least it should be regulated for medicinal use. We already use drugs that are otherwise illegal (such as opiates) when it comes to pain relief and treatment and we already know that cannabis has some useful results when it comes to treating certain illnesses. I'd be interested in seeing it used to treat autoimmune and rheumatoid disorders that otherwise are treated with copious amounts of painkillers. My gf has fibromyalgia, as does her mum, and you'd be shocked at how many painkillers they require just to have a fraction of the quality of life a healthy person has. She recently started experimenting with cannabis which is unfortunately still illegal where she is and difficult to obtain for her as she's mostly housebound, but the positive effects were immediate. It doesn't just numb the pain like her other drugs do, it completely distracts her from it so she can go on to do other things. If you've never suffered from chronic pain it can be hard to imagine how difficult it really is, but to see the shift in her mood so suddenly was amazing. It gives me hope.

In my opinion all drugs should be decriminalised so that people with harmful addictions can get medical help instead of being sent to prison, but cannabis really isn't like other drugs. The risks are so much lower and the benefits greatly outweigh them. Under proper medical supervision it can give people their life back.
Reply 15
legalising it will bring more responsibilities and complications to the country, so decriminalising it may be a better option. The dutch model is good, as they have separated the markets, and the use of the drug is much more controlled. It is not legal there, it's actually illegal but tolerated to a certain degree.
yes
but either way, it doesn't really affect me seeing as I can still get mine :lol:
the war on drugs doesn't work, and I experience that fact a lot.
also, requiring a grown adult to get a prescription for a lot of pretty much harmless substances is just as insane
do I really need a prescription to have some sleeping medication for an 11 hour plane journey?if this is a problem of addiction, I only go on these journeys so many times in my life, and if it's a matter of OD'ing, what about paracetamols?!
also, I am almost certain I have ADD at the moment, and I'm purchasing the appropriate medication
apparently concerning both these two things I'm a wanted man regarding my illegal acquisitions!


and to think I can just go into a supermarket and buy 8 cans of red bull no questions asked...or booze/cigs! I've almost died from alcohol twice in my life - once via alcohol poisoning and once via a drunken bar fight
does this **** make *any* sense? I have abused caffeine WAY more than weed, and I'm sure most people have in my situation
just let adults control their lives and if they **** up then they **** up! if you give them the opportunity to succeed, you must give them the opportunity to fail. isn't that kind of the nature of our capitalist society?

(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by liberty cap
Not seen that, thought it was the other way round.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1087544/Cannabis-stop-dementia-tracks.html




Thalidomide was discovered in the early 50s licensed in the late 50s and withdrawn in the early 60s , cannabis has been used by countless people throughout our existence, what was the point exactly?



'(MedicalNewsToday) A major downside of the medical use of marijuana is the drug’s ill effects on working memory, the ability to transiently hold and process information for reasoning, comprehension and learning.

Researchers reporting in the March 2 (2012) print issue of the Cell Press journal Cell provide new insight into the source of those memory lapses. The answer comes as quite a surprise: Marijuana’s major psychoactive ingredient (THC) impairs memory independently of its direct effects on neurons. The side effects stem instead from the drug’s action on astroglia, passive support cells long believed to play second fiddle to active neurons.' - [url="www.dementia"]www.[url="www.dementia"]dementiatoday.com/how-marijuana-impairs-memory/

Thalidomide caused serious birth defects; this was identified fairly quickly due to the severity.

No one knows the full long-term effects of cannabis. For all we know it is making evolutionary changes to our brains; for example it seems to be affecting our memories which can lead to dementia.

I know that it can have medicinal effects but that does not mean it should be wide-spread legal. There is no use for the drug for people who do not have serious pain/seizures/etc that cannot be treated through other medicines.

I don't see anyone asking for the legalisation of heroin. Heroin is a drug used by many with medicinal qualities.

At the end of the day, cannabis was made illegal for a reason.

Also, your article is from the Daily Mail. Case-in-point.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by elekro
legalising it will bring more responsibilities and complications to the country, so decriminalising it may be a better option. The dutch model is good, as they have separated the markets, and the use of the drug is much more controlled. It is not legal there, it's actually illegal but tolerated to a certain degree.


what's the difference really, though? legality in practice and illegality in name? why not just legalise? doesn't that sound wayyyy less complicated and convoluted? what has been the issue legalising it in the various states of the USA? do we take this stance with alcohol, for instance?
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by gwaggy
'(MedicalNewsToday) A major downside of the medical use of marijuana is the drug’s ill effects on working memory, the ability to transiently hold and process information for reasoning, comprehension and learning.

Researchers reporting in the March 2 (2012) print issue of the Cell Press journal Cell provide new insight into the source of those memory lapses. The answer comes as quite a surprise: Marijuana’s major psychoactive ingredient (THC) impairs memory independently of its direct effects on neurons. The side effects stem instead from the drug’s action on astroglia, passive support cells long believed to play second fiddle to active neurons.' - [url="www.dementia"]www.[url="www.dementia"]dementiatoday.com/how-marijuana-impairs-memory/


Impairing memory is a little different to causing dementia.

Original post by gwaggy
Thalidomide caused serious birth defects; this was identified fairly quickly due to the severity.

No one knows the full long-term effects of cannabis. For all we know it is making evolutionary changes to our brains; for example it seems to be affecting our memories which can lead to dementia.


Would you ban artificial sweeteners, preservatives, GMO, pesticides, herbicides, how about alcohol, do we really know the full long-term effects?

Original post by gwaggy

At the end of the day, cannabis was made illegal for a reason.


That reason having very little to do with health and a lot to do with religious fundamentalism and racism.

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