Weed - should it be legal?

[i-need-a-martini]

Uruguay has just changed its legislation and is now the first country in the wrold to sanction the growing, selling and smoking of marijuana.

They have done it to put the illegal drug trade and drug traffikers out of business.

Personally I think it makes sense. If nicotine is legal than there is very little difference between the 2.

Your thoughts?

http://www.smh.com.au/world/uruguay-becomes-first-country-to-legalise-marijuana-trade-20131211-hv59x...

[imastawka]

Quoted from the article -

If it works, the legislation is expected to fuel momentum for wider legalisation of marijuana elsewhere, including the US and in Europe. Decriminalisation of all drug possession by Portugal in 2001 is held up as a success for reducing drug violence while not increasing drug use.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/uruguay-becomes-first-country-to-legalise-marijuana-trade-20131211-hv59x...

[icyfroth]

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@i-once-was-bump wrote:

Or should we be looking at making tobacco illegal?

Just because we have a legal substance that causes no end of harm is not a good enough reason to make another drug legal.

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Excellent post, bump!

[chuk_77]

my dad asked me once if I could get some for my mum for her pain. 😄 I couldnt stop laughing at the thought of my mum getting high. She did NOT find it as funny and got really angry at my dad at the mere thought of it.

[i-once-was-bump]

This is probably a really dumb question but when given for medical reasons such as pain relief do they have to smoke a joint or is it given in tablet form or added to food?

[chuk_77]

I have heard that medicinal marijuana has had the THC removed? I could be wrong though, other wise its generally smoked for pain relief, cant see why anyone would be bothered making butter for pain relief 

[imastawka]

You can smoke it or you can make a concentrated butter mix and bake with it

[i-once-was-bump]

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@i-need-a-martini wrote:

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@i-once-was-bump wrote:

Or should we be looking at making tobacco illegal?

Just because we have a legal substance that causes no end of harm is not a good enough reason to make another drug legal.

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Then where do you draw the line?

Cars are dangerous not only to ouselves but cars also kill OTHER people. Yet we keep them.

In the case of marijuana, keeping it illegal means that we support a criminal base. Which is the angle that Uruguay is coming from.

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Cars don't actually kill people, it is the drivers of the cars making mistakes that kill people.

A piece of equipment is very different to a drug. For starters you are not allowed to drive a car while under the affects of drugs.

To try to say one is the same as the other is way too simplistic.

We have legal methadone and it is still worth money on the blackmarket.

Most prescription pain killers will sell illegally for a lot higher amount than was paid the the original prescription so to legalise another drug because you think that it will get rid of criminal activity around that drug just won't work. There is no proof that anything legal is well controlled, we have underage kids in hospitals every weekend because thy drank a bottle of vodka. Well vodka is, for want of a better description, a controlled drug but just about anyone under 18 can still get hold of a bottle.

What will any government do differently with weed that will see its legalisation run successfully?

[imastawka]

If the THC is removed then it is only hemp.  The THC is required for pain relief.

Those who object to smoking, or cannot, eat the product containing the butter.

Like brownies

[punch*drunk]

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@chuk_77 wrote:

I have heard that medicinal marijuana has had the THC removed? I could be wrong though, other wise its generally smoked for pain relief, cant see why anyone would be bothered making butter for pain relief 

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I wouldnt smoke it chuk, it would have to be in a different form for me to use it medicinally

[imastawka]

bump wrote

Most prescription pain killers will sell illegally for a lot higher amount than was paid the the original prescription so to legalise another drug because you think that it will get rid of criminal activity around that drug just won't work. There is no proof that anything legal is well controlled,

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Quoting the article:

Decriminalisation of all drug possession by Portugal in 2001 is held up as a success for reducing drug violence while not increasing drug use.