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It just came to mind that I would see what the people think of legal marijuana for recreation use, I'm personally pro legal, but there are ups and downs to that. I'm just curious to see what the average opinion of the wargamer is. Discussion start!

I'm all for legalized Marijuana..and I haven't smoked weed in over a decade.

What you do in your home is your own damn business! The less money the government wastes on victim-less crimes the better!

>Drink tons of beer, get drunk, wrap car around pole
>Smoke tons of weed, don't drive, sit in house and talk about world issues

>Alcohol is legal
>Pot isn't

Well, if it became legal, thered be less people in prison and jail, and it'd save the government a lot of money.


Automatically Appended Next Post:
However, like tobacco, I despise the smell, and wouldn't use it, so whether it's legal or not, it won't affect me any.

Well, to me its only a matter of time. The way we have it set up now, its easier for a kid in high school to get a bag of weed than a pack of smokes or some beer. People say its a 'gateway drug', well, I never wanted to try crack just because I tried weed. The problem is, people who don't mind selling weed to kids also don't mind selling them whatever else they can. When are responsible adults going to take control of this substance away from children and criminals? We could be paving roads and building schools instead of allowing all that cash to go to organized crime (I'm pretty sure the industry is worth 7 billion in BC alone).

Criminals get rich, normal people are put in jail (especially in the states), and all for a substance that intoxicates people to the point of... ravaging a box of twinkies? Probably the only crime committed because of marijuana intoxication is stealing a buddies cheetos. The debate has been long won, in my opinion, its just a matter of time before people in power wake up, which means regular people hollering until they do.

One of the biggest obstacles to Canada and Mexico legalizing it is the political pressure from the US to not do that. At the same time, the US is a huge source of demand, fuelling organized crime on both sides of the border. If the US legalized it, we would see a reduction in violent crime across the whole continent.

I don't think you'd see a big increase in stoners, or stoned drivers, or any of that. Anyone who wants to smoke weed can get it right now anyways. Lets stop making criminals out of harmless people.

In my opinion, its only a matter of time before all drugs are legal, and treated as a health issue, not a criminal issue. The war on drugs has failed. Smarter people than me have said so.

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/6/3/headlines#9

Panel: "War on Drugs" a Failure

A high-level international panel has concluded the so-called "war on drugs" has failed and that governments should consider legalizing substances, including marijuana. The Global Commission on Drug Policy is comprised of 19 members, including several former heads of state. Former Colombian president César Gaviria urged the United States to begin debate on legalization.
César Gaviria: "We want the U.S. society to make a debate on this matter. That has not been done because political leaders are a little fearful of the association between crime and narcotrafficking, and it’s very difficult to distinguish from consumers to users. But this society needs a debate. This society is spending $40 billion each year in fighting drugs — that is a lot of money — has more than 500,000 people in jail. But they are spending that money in a way that is not effective. The consumption is not being reduced."

http://www.democracynow.org/2011/6/17/headlines#12

On 40th Anniversary, Carter Calls for End to U.S. Drug War

Today marks the 40th anniversary of President Richard Nixon’s declaration of the so-called "war on drugs." Activists are marking the date with renewed calls for an end to U.S.-backed policies of criminalization. In an opinion piece in the New York Times called "Call Off the Global Drug War," former President Jimmy Carter writes that the Obama administration should heed the call of a high-level panel that declared the so-called "war on drugs" a failure, and urged governments to consider legalizing substances, including marijuana.

I think it should be legal. If nothing else, I've never seen a person that wanted to get some weed that couldn't get it - it seems impossible to effectively prohibit a drug that provide a personal supply in a potplant, that requires little to no skill to turn into a consumable product.

It doesn't seem to discourage anyone from actually doing it. It doesn't seem to stop anyone from doing it, if they're so inclined. It just uses up a load of government dollars and sometimes gets an unlucky sod busted for possession a few months in jail and a criminal conviction that's likely to feth up his future prospects.

I did smoke a bit in my teens and early twenties, but I'm not overwhelmingly in favour of the drug. I've seen it screw up a couple of people's lives, one because it seemed to trigger some psychological reactions in him, the other because he just sat around smoking all day then woke up at 30 and wondered where his life had gone. But nothing government has done has stopped anything like that happening.

I think the biggest thing with weed is that it's probably the most socially acceptable illegal thing to do. It's to the point where I barely have to look in a big city to find weed, even as a minor.

Mr. Self Destruct wrote:>Drink tons of beer, get drunk, wrap car around pole
>Smoke tons of weed, don't drive, sit in house and talk about world issues

>Alcohol is legal
>Pot isn't

Absolutely.

And some of the scenes I have witnessed in town on a Friday or Saturday night, I wish they would make it a legal requirement

sebster wrote:I think it should be legal. If nothing else, I've never seen a person that wanted to get some weed that couldn't get it - it seems impossible to effectively prohibit a drug that provide a personal supply in a potplant, that requires little to no skill to turn into a consumable product.

This is the truth, and, there's no risk of being a "bad batch", like other drugs. In fact, in today's newspaper, there was an article about a young man who died because he got a hold of some bad stuff, and it killed him.

I'd legalize it. There aren't many arguments you can make for criminalizing marijuana that you can't make for alcohol or cigarettes.

You should also note that previous topics in this area generally got locked pretty swiftly once people started posting how the enjoyed their recreational substances; so you might want to stick strictly to the posted topic (legality pros/cons) lest this suffer the same fate. Which it probably will anyway.

Ouze wrote:You should also note that previous topics in this area generally got locked pretty swiftly once people started posting how the enjoyed their recreational substances; so you might want to stick strictly to the posted topic (legality pros/cons) lest this suffer the same fate. Which it probably will anyway.

That's the problem, you can't discuss this issue without someone discussing past experiences.

BC's highest grossing import is pot.

And our reputation across Canada is this.





Feels good man.

I've never smoked it, and never will as I have respiratory problems. I also detest the smell, but I do believe it should be legal.

Have I met people that have nothing due to being stoned off their ass all the time? Absolutely, but I've met more people who have ruined their own, and the lives of others due to alcohol abuse.

Look at how available it is. If you just pay attention to people you run into on a daily basis, weather or not you know them, it's obvious who can help you get some. It's easier to find weed then it is to find a fellow wargamer, and we've found a community of wargamers here.

Really, I think the government should legalize it, then regulate and tax it. Taxes from alcohol and tobacco are a huge boost to our governments budget, it's how we pay for healthcare. Now immagine how much higher the budget could be if we did the same thing with Marijuana?

Legalise it. FFS, man, it's just weed.

Mr. Self Destruct wrote:>Drink tons of beer, get drunk, wrap car around pole
>Smoke tons of weed, don't drive, sit in house and talk about world issues

>Alcohol is legal
>Pot isn't

>greentext
>in DakkaDakka
I seriously hope you guys don't do this.

What do you think I use my air compressor for? Painting models? HAH!

I am with the crowd that says "legalize it". BUT!!! i think that if they do make pot legal, they need to regulate and tax the heck out of it, just like they do with alcohol and tobacco... They would also need to add another letter to the ATF. I think that it should be renamed Alcohol, Weed, Tobacco, Firearms... otherwise known as AWTF!

I smoked regularly for nearly 10 years, from 16 to just before I got married at 26. I have never had a bad time, got a little lazy sure but I had jobs, paid my way, have no criminal record and work with the vulnerable and elderly.
If you are out on a Saturday night and a young 'un is being loud, aggressive and obnoxious is he A: Drunk or B: Mightily Stoned..... You figure it out

BTW I think it should be legal, or at the least de-criminalised....

Cadichan Support wrote:

Mr. Self Destruct wrote:>Drink tons of beer, get drunk, wrap car around pole
>Smoke tons of weed, don't drive, sit in house and talk about world issues

>Alcohol is legal
>Pot isn't

>greentext
>in DakkaDakka
I seriously hope you guys don't do this.

>implying we're not allowed to greentext.


Anyways, back OT, I could imagine the ratings for shows like doctor who, and syfy original movies skyrocketing, as well as children's cartoons if we did legalize pot.

I would cautiosly say legalize it.

The users I know seem fine and able to handle it.

I have seen a few people get really twisted on pot but I assume that they had some underlying issue through which it triggers psychosis.

The main issue for non legalisation is the fact that most users would smoke it and since that may involve tobacco, which our government is trying to reduce the intake of, I can can see no reason why the UK would begin looking at bringing in weed as another taxable product which could (and probably would) be used in conjunction with a known carcinogen (amongst other health issues).

I don't buy the argument that 'Alochol and Tobacco are legal, why can't we have weed?'. Both the former are legal but are rapidly becoming pariah products from a UK government and social standpoint.

The Pro lobby need a smarter argument.

Marijuana and tobacco are not used together.

And concerning the comparison of marijuana to tobacco and alcohol, marijuana is much less damaging and almost entirely non addictive (physically, it is still possible to become psychologically addicted) in comparison to the legal leisure drugs.

Ensis Ferrae wrote:I am with the crowd that says "legalize it". BUT!!! i think that if they do make pot legal, they need to regulate and tax the heck out of it, just like they do with alcohol and tobacco... They would also need to add another letter to the ATF. I think that it should be renamed Alcohol, Weed, Tobacco, Firearms... otherwise known as AWTF!

It'll be the ATHF, points if you get the joke.

In my eyes I think it should be perfectly legal, I mean Im 15 and almost all my friends smoke it including me and we all do good in school and were all good kids.The sad part is that people that get caught by police get screwed over Maybe if the US government had a mind they would legalize it and tax it so that they can pay off all this debt. oh yea the saying on the above the influnce commercials "everyone is doing it" yea thats pretty true.

Mr. Self Destruct wrote:>Drink tons of beer, get drunk, wrap car around pole
>Smoke tons of weed, don't drive, sit in house and talk about world issues

>Alcohol is legal
>Pot isn't

The problem is that you are equally as dangerous driving a car under the influence of weed as you are of alcohol. From my experience of others actions the drunk are more likely to be driving home the stoned out to some other location (food/drink). There has been an increase in campaigns to highlight this danger in recent years rather thyan focusing on just drink.

I don't think that you will see widespread legalisation until such a time as the police can quickly and effectively determine usage on the spot.

I do believe that the real danger with weed is the almost casual attitude to it. The idea that it is harmless (usually vs drink) is a false one and often leads those that use it to abuse it heavily. I like another poster have had a friend who had a very bad psycological response to heavy use and eventually jump off of a shopping centre in the belief that he was Jesus.

Fortunately the main respose to weed is sitting in a room for an extended length of time and becoming a bit boring. Thats when I stopped when I realised I was in one of the best cities in the world and was sitting in a darkened room with a dozen mates on a Saturday night rather than being turned down by pretty girls in the boozer/clubs.

P.s. It's also available on the NHS, another win for socialised healthcare!

Fafnir wrote:Marijuana and tobacco are not used together.

And concerning the comparison of marijuana to tobacco and alcohol, marijuana is much less damaging and almost entirely non addictive (physically, it is still possible to become psychologically addicted) in comparison to the legal leisure drugs.

Ummm, actually in the vast majority of cases, marijuana and tobacco are mixed together to make a joint or spliff depending on your choice of language and slang. Of course you can smoke it in it's untarnished green form from a pipe or a bong, but as a rule you generally mix Dope and 'baccy to make a smoother smoke....

That is how my friends and I used to do it anyway. Hence my ownership of jeans with multi 'hot rock' burns in them!

But I do agree, there is no proof that you become physically addicted to Marijauna.

Fafnir wrote:Marijuana and tobacco are not used together.

Not sure where you get this idea.

Surfboard66 wrote:In my eyes I think it should be perfectly legal, I mean Im 15 and almost all my friends smoke it including me and we all do good in school and were all good kids.

No you're not. You're all (potential) felons. That's like saying "I may have brutally murdered a bunch of children in a church, but I'm a good guy deep down!"

If people think that the governmenet has a responsibility to protect you from yourself, then I can't imagine how you would support marijuana decriminalization. While marijuana may not be the cause of a number of ills (both social and personal), it's certainly got a very high correlation. There are loads of people who use marijuana not simply as a way to relax, but as a means of escaping their responsibilities and life. Making marijuana more accessible will make its use more widespread, which will increase the number of addicts (whether phycially or mentally).

I'm actually pretty neutral on the subject, tbh.

@biccat, you really cannot be comparing Marijuana use to homicide? Really? What does that make people who drop an 'E' at the weekend? Multi-Rapist Kiddie Fiddlers?!

It is perfectly possible to smoke dope on a fairly regular basis and hold down a decent job. I've never murdered anybody, never raped anybody, never mugged anybody and I have no criminal record. Yes, that's because I never got caught, but I never felt the need to go out and attack someone in a club cos they gave me the evils!

The reason that Marijuana is not legalised or de-criminalised is simple. The Gov't cannot tax it. I may also add that marijuana itself grows naturally, it is not a man made derivitive like Cocaine and Heroin....If you make it illegal that's like claiming that God or Mother Nature or whomever cocked up......

sarpedons-right-hand wrote:@biccat, you really cannot be comparing Marijuana use to homicide? Really? What does that make people who drop an 'E' at the weekend? Multi-Rapist Kiddie Fiddlers?!

It is perfectly possible to smoke dope on a fairly regular basis and hold down a decent job. I've never murdered anybody, never raped anybody, never mugged anybody and I have no criminal record. Yes, that's because I never got caught, but I never felt the need to go out and attack someone in a club cos they gave me the evils!

The reason that Marijuana is not legalised or de-criminalised is simple. The Gov't cannot tax it. I may also add that marijuana itself grows naturally, it is not a man made derivitive like Cocaine and Heroin....If you make it illegal that's like claiming that God or Mother Nature or whomever cocked up......

I think that biccats simile was (if a little overstated) clear.

It is against the law (certainly in the US), justifying it as "well their all doing it so what’s the problem?" is not really a defence.

You seem to have taken that and run with it.

The OPs statement does underline the casual nature that some attach to ingesting chemicals though, which IMHO is not a little dangerous.

Frankly, I think it needs to just be legalized and taxed as a source of revenue. Then allow employers to determine if the drug tests need to stay (For example, operating heavy equipment? Definitely needs testing, can't operate equipment high or drunk. Sweeping up garbage? Probably not.).