You have an interesting point. Why would we try to justify any of this? As far as I can see though we do imibibe in many forms of drugs. Alcohol, tobacco, caffeine, penicillin, et cetera. We take my forms of drugs. And each of those drugs have a certain effect on the body, some positive, some negative. To say that we normally don't take any drug at all would be a massive understatement in my opinion. I'm not trying to justify the use of marijuana, I'm merely offering my opinion as to why I find the way governments choose to legislate and regulate marijuana not sufficient.
Had a cup of coffee lately? Or a cup of tea, if coffee isn't your thing? How about an asprin tablet? If, as I assume, you're referring to to illegal drugs, what makes you think that something as relatively benign as cannabis is so bad? Is it purely the fact that it's illegal? For a vast majority of sensible adult users, having a few joints on the weekend (or maybe one or two in the week) is akin to having a few glasses of wine. They're not all filthy scabs skulking round in dark alleyways, exchanging money and tinfoil packets with elaborate gestures. Just as people can learn to control and moderate their alcohol intake, so too can people learn to control and moderate their cannabis usage.
There is a lot of narrow minded people here. Cannabis a lot of times leads to stronger drugs as not everyone is strong minded enough to control themselves. When thre craving gets strong enough they will go extreme lengths to get that drug. It effects everyone differently in some way. I spent seven years in the cops and have seen first hand experience what drugs can do to families and to there own lives. Most of the times it all starts of with cannabis or some low form of illegal drug. I have friends lives and sport careers go down the drain because of drugs. What would I do if I found my own soon with it give him one chance then next time call the cops, why you may ask because three love that I have for my own son Wonder how many of the people who see no wrong with it will smoke it in front of there parents.
I could level the same accusation of being narrow minded at you, too. The problem with relying on your experience, or anyone else's personal experience for that matter, is that it is subject to massive confirmation bias. As your own example illustrates, if you are or have been involved with law enforcement, then you're generally going to see the negative sides: those who are stealing to support their habit, those who have moved on to harder drugs, the dealers carrying shedloads of gear and hanging round outside schools, people addicted to drugs in deprived areas or living in deprived conditions, etc. You could say the very same for alcohol, you're going to see the worst situations that alcohol can cause: fights in the street, people passed out, people being abusive to their families/partners, etc. My own experience is also subject to massive confirmation bias. My experience of smoking cannabis in the past has been of smoking with friends, having a good time, etc. Sure some people take it too far, or some can't handle it and start feeling sick, but again you could say exactly the same thing about alcohol. Therefore my opinion is far less negative; of course I am well aware that it can be a slippery slope, but again you can say exactly the same about any physically or mentally addictive substance. This is why I say that you look at the evidence. The current classification system we have for illegal drugs, and indeed the legal status, is not based on science or evidence but rather political opinion. People are going to get hold of recreational drugs and take them. Doesn't matter whether they're illegal or not, it's going to happen; prohibition in America, as well as drug-related crime rates, prove that quite nicely. Instead what we are left with is the cost of criminalising the use of recreational drugs that are far less harmful than perfectly legal ones. And I'm not just talking about cannabis here; take a look at the graph I posted a page or two back and see just how many illegal substances are less harmful than alcohol. The "War on Drugs" has been a failure; an expensive failure too, both in terms of financial cost and human lives. I'm with Prof. Nutt on this one: (http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/jul/24/war-on-drugs-40-years)
Personally I'm on the pro-cannabis side of the fence. In fact, I recently recommended it to my father to alleviate the symptoms of his Fibromyalgia (After all, fibromyalgia is essentially a malfunction in the endocannabinoid system). However, being a 70-something his knee-jerk reaction was to outright refuse. So I did a little research and found that a cannabis oral-spray derivative is approved for treatment of Multiple Sclerosis in the UK, Spain, Germany, Denmark, the Czech Republic, Sweden, New Zealand and Canada. The medicine is called Sativex™ and if you're interested in how cannabis actually works, there is an overview here
When I was a kid I did - and up until I stopped smoking I used to smoke in their garden when I went to stay with them. Why? Because, my parents are not short sighted enough for them to have a problem with it. I don't drink, and I am an achiever - So in their mind there is no problem with it.
But if they are that weak minded then they are going to have problems no matter what. The "craving gets too much"... for a cheesecake so they eat a whole one to themselves, and then they get a KFC bucket on the way home too. Or they go down the pub and get hammered and then do the same the next night and the next. Before you know it he has pancreatitis and diabetes. If you insist on "protecting" people like that then what are you going to do, ban alcohol too, and fast food and puddings? What was his gateway, and what do you ban first? Mars bars? The problem with that is that people on a dark path with a self destructive streak are always going to start somewhere. You can assign all blame to whatever they start with, but it's better to assign the blame to their self destructive streak itself. I know a fella who had a terrible time, got divorced and she took off with the kids, and he lost his job and various other bad things were happening. He was always a drinker but he was drinking more and more and eventually he had a stroke. Now he spends the rest of his days in a wheelchair unable to talk, covered in his own drool. With your logic then all the blame should be put on the alcohol. The shandy he had as a lad was his gateway drug and he ended up having more and more of it and couldn't control himself. Personally I think his crappy life and inability to deal with his misfortunes was to blame, not whatever he decided to use as a short time fix to ease the pain of it all. I think banning stuff is a lazy brush it under the carpet option. The fact is, if someone really wanted to help that guy the best thing would have been to find him one night and give him a shoulder to cry on and then help him sort his life out. Encourage him to get a shave and tidy himself up and get out and find a nice new girlfriend, get his CV sorted out and find a new job. But it's harder to do that and nobody can be bothered, so banning something is the cop out option.
I'd say caffeine is a bigger health risk than THC for example...My work colleagues down multiple cups to 'cope' with the morning. If they don't they get the shakes, feel dizzy, nauseous and end up with a migrain. Oh and after they battle through their day they have a bottle of wine to unwinde in the evening. And the absurd thing? This kind of behavior is socaily acceptable dispite overwhelming evidence that it is massively damaging to your body. A science teacher of mine in high school was told she had to cut put the booze, cigs and coffee or she would burn herself out. It took her almost a full year to cut down the coffee, she was on long term sick due to her cravings and dependencies. It screwed with the judgement, inner ear function, sleep patterns. She ended up passing out in class. And this is only one of her 3 vices. So when a police man comes up to me and gives me a verbal warning for enjoying a joint on the seafront, sitting there listening to the sound of the waves. I have a really hard time in understanding what all the drama is about. Obviously one could go at it like people binge drink every weeken end and be totally shot away. But that's not the point. So where does this leave us? It's all about excess and control. And not people controlling others for their own sake, you can't force your morals on others, you just make people anxious and serious rather than sincere. The real key is self control, if you want to smoke yourself into oblivion that's fine,I'm cool with that, if its what you want to do. I dare say that all drugs can and could be enjoyed in moderation. There just needs to be a rethink in attitudes.
In some parts of the world where coffee is a big deal, people "detox" from time to time, where they focus on going weeks or months without coffee. It's a big deal for them, like quitting cigarettes.
Just found while looking on Youtube: About heroin addiction in Swansea... Somewhat graphic, but very to the point and honest about what it does to the users and their families etc. Well worth a watch.
Hear Hear, MY parents didn't approve but they tolerated. I personally think that allot of problems with family's being torn apart by drugs are down to the attitudes of the parents, rather than supporting they son daughter through it and tolerating they are demonized, but the fact that we were able to talk about it with out it turning into a massive fiasco, they accepted i was an adult and would make my own choices. Had my parents had a different approach to my behaviour god knows what would have happened to me. As for the "gateway drug" i completely agree with the comment above about obesity, where do you start with that banning penny sweets cos you get the taste for sugar (most addictive substance in the world imo) The gateway problem for me was the stuff the dealers were trying to through at me was just ridiculous i'm just glad i wasn't subject to peer pressure and was strong willed enough not to get involved with harder drugs, Im not a user now but i don't mind others doing it. but i think that regulation to control sale would assist the situation, your still going to have the underground supplying the Kids, but don;t we already have that with Alcohol & Cigies, the amount of times ive been asked as im going into the local Co-op to get smokes or booze... Im always curious about that statistics, as to where they come from how they are extrapolated, size of sample etc, i know that when i was younger i certainly could fill out a survey saying i was a toker..... I think that probably true numbers of user alot higher but because of the social stigma people keep it behind closed doors. (bit of big brother rant here) After all some one files an epetetion to legalise drugs, you fill in your name and address and bang government can keep an eye on you......
I think you make a good point. There's so many people of the generation older, and sadly, of my generation, who mindlessly apply some unwritten standard of parenting where they can not see beyond the clichéd parenting mantras, "Drugs are bad, m'kay" etc. If anything I get the feeling there are less open-minded young parents now than there were 30 years ago.
Cannabis Ecstacy Magic Mushrooms LSD Cocaine Methamphetamine etc.. In my opinion can be enjoyed in moderation; just like alchoal. Although; should be more restrictive, not substituting a glass of wine for a line. Personally, If you're spending £40 a month on alchoal for instance, I can justify it buy buying a gram of coke or another drug and using that throughout the month.
Just out of interest why do those of you who do drugs, smoke or drink do it ? Sent from my GT-I9300 using Tapatalk 2
Although I no longer do it, for me smoking cannabis was initiated through peer pressure, or wanting to fit in. Pressure is probably too strong a word, I was never positively encouraged to do it. Latterly it came down to boredom and the lingering sense of hopelessness I had after university. After all the promise of a lucrative career and some terrible life-goal management, the drug induced haze was welcome at first. Then it just took over everything, and became a contributing factor to the problem, rather than the misguided solution I thought it was.
Agreed my parents never judged me or my friends for smoking cannabis in front of them. It surprising just how prudish people are now days half of them have no idea what they are talking about, They once saw a youtube about a junkie or read a review and without any real knowledge or experience suddenly they are experts ffs Just thought I would leave this here for you drinkers.
