Hahaha, busted

[All uphill]

I'm very much in agreement . I don't smoke the stuff myself since the couple of puffs I sampled back in the day didn't do much for me. For that matter I don't smoke fags either. Now that said I don't think it's harmless and smoking too much of it doesn't seem to do those who do any good at all, but you could say the same for beer, which is arguably a lot worse both the the individual and for society. In my view the main harm from cannabis is not from the substance itself but the gangsterism and criminality arising from its prohibition. If it were legal, licensed, controlled like alcohol or fags, you'd get rid of all that at a stroke, and you'd avoid all the problems of users getting caught up in the criminal justice system. OK you might get a few more people using it and hence more of those problems, but it doesn't seem to be a disaster in the Netherlands

Granted It would need a bit more thinking through, but I'm inclined to think the same logic for legalisation would apply to more harmful drugs too, since I think the harm from associated criminality may be greater than the harm from abuse. At least the users would get a clean product and it might be easier to help them if they were not outside the law. The gangsterism would be done away with.

And governments could raise taxes on the sales, supporting our services, rather than the profits going to the crooks.

 

[BrumJim]

So, you finally got a quiet grief less neighbour, so you all dobbed them in.?
😂

There have been quite a few nasty incidences around here with Cannabis farms. It appears as though the criminal element are raiding each other's property, sufficiently tooled up to address any resistance, in order to reep what others sow.

Notwhithstanding the Cannabis farm very close to us that went up in smoke recently. Terraced property, so in danger of structural damage to adjacent properties at the least. And try to claim on their insurance....

 

[Chromatic]

That wouldn't put me off, as most things we do these days are traceable,big brother and all that. My concern would be if i bought the solitary seed would it actually grow into a healthy plant. I'm just looking up sun lamps on fleabay.

Sneak it in with your palm tree when you take that up the sunbed shop.👍

 

[BoldonLad]

It's high time Cannabis was legalised, all making it illicit has done is make money for organised crime in much the way prohibition did in America. The benefit to the country would be immense not only for the tax collected but also the profits made by takeaway food shops.

Agreed.

Legalise the lot, put a tax on on, just like tobacco and alcohol.

Change the law(s) so that being under the influence of any self administered substance/drug is not an acceptable excuse for anti-social or criminal behaviour.

 

[snorri]

When the police catch a ne'er do well with some ganja they should do what my Dad did when he caught me with a pack of Bensons - make them smoke the lot!

spent the night sat in their living room smoking (tobacco!) and watching all the latest films.

 

[raleighnut]

Agreed.

Legalise the lot, put a tax on on, just like tobacco and alcohol.

Change the law(s) so that being under the influence of any self administered substance/drug is not an acceptable excuse for anti-social or criminal behaviour.

They're already part way there on legislation with the newly introduced driving limits.

As for the argument of "Oh it's so much stronger nowadays" that's tosh, I was smoking dope back in the 80's that was far stronger. Maurice used to come up with Cannabis Oil and there was some Weed came from Malawi that fair sent you dizzy and as for the Opiated 'Temple Balls'

 

[Drago]

I don't have a problem with it if folk do it at home behind closed doors, and don't then go driving with it in their system.

Conversely, I don't think legalising it will suddenly make all these criminal gangs go legit and start paying tax on their profits, corporation tax, business rates. Indeed, legalisation could inflate demand and give them even more incentive to keep at it.

Remember, the US is a strange situation. It is still against Federal law, even in states where it has been decriminalised (not legalised), so it's tolerated on pain of hefty retribution if businesses step out of line. The criminals are still merrily at it and are largely unaffected. Its a different product, in a different time, with different social customs, with a differnt culture around its use to that of alcohol and prohibition, so comparisons between the two carry no credence. Certainly the limited efforts to normalise it's use in parts of the US aren't stopping the villains.

 

[Milkfloat]

This is worth 2 minutes of your time https://www.marketwatch.com/story/h...the-impact-of-legalizing-marijuana-2019-04-09

 

[steveindenmark]

We did regular raids in the Avenues area of Hull. In winter it was easy. Just look for the roofs without frost or snow on. ❄️😊

 

[slowmotion]

As for the argument of "Oh it's so much stronger nowadays" that's tosh, I was smoking dope back in the 80's that was far stronger. Maurice used to come up with Cannabis Oil and there was some Weed came from Malawi that fair sent you dizzy and as for the Opiated 'Temple Balls'

Moroccan Soapbar, a widely available hash in the 60s and 70's, had a THC content of about 3%. Today, some strains of weed (eg Gorilla Glue) have a content of over 30%. They will render the unwary entirely helpless, as can be seen by the pitiful state of some youthful foreign tourists on the streets of Amsterdam.

 

[raleighnut]

Moroccan Soapbar, a widely available hash in the 60s and 70's, had a THC content of about 3%. Today, some strains of weed (eg Gorilla Glue) have a content of over 30%. They will render the unwary entirely helpless, as can be seen by the pitiful state of some youthful foreign tourists on the streets of Amsterdam.

'Soapbar' appeared in the 90's and was crap made in Amsterdam by crushing and melting 'Slate' and then adulterating it with gawd knows what, you could even find little bits of the plastic wrapper where they hadn't even bothered to take it all off before they messed about with it. Maybe I just had good dealers but it was 'Red Seal' or 'Gold Seal' (mainly Afghanistan and Pakistan) or 'Slate' Moroccan with the odd bits of various Weed (mainly African or Jamaican but some 'Thai Stick' a couple of times)
I remember the first 'Skunk' arriving in the 90's too and not being impressed cos it stank and really wasn't as good as what was around before