Canada close to cannabis legalisation

facehugger99

So, Canada's senate has voted to legalise recreational cannabis, putting the country on track to become the first G7 nation to permit national use of the drug.

Surely it's now only a matter of time before most western countries follow suit.

How long before Ireland adopts a similar policy?

Still could be 20 years off I think.

Hande hoche!

Good referendum fodder.

Tigger

Hande hoche! wrote: »

Good referendum fodder.

There’s nothing in the constitution to change is there ?

Hande hoche!

Tigger wrote: »

There’s nothing in the constitution to change is there ?

Think of de children....

Tigger

Hande hoche! wrote: »

Think of de children....

No dope for the kiddies only us grown ups

KingNerolives

Can't understand why we want it recreationally... Medical cannabis is obviously vital for some cases

Wanderer78

facehugger99 wrote:

Still could be 20 years off I think.

You d be surprised how quick some things change, we may not be waiting that long, but I do expect it eventually

It would be great in Ireland as it would lower alcohol consumption.

Wanderer78

Deleted User wrote:

It would be great in Ireland as it would lower alcohol consumption.

Is there any proof of this?

Wanderer78

Wanderer78 wrote: »

Is there any proof of this?

You want proof about a future event. Put down the blunt, mate.

Graces7

Deleted User wrote: »

It would be great in Ireland as it would lower alcohol consumption.

Very much doubt it. Scary to think of stoned folk everywhere..

Wanderer78

Deleted User wrote:

It would be great in Ireland as it would lower alcohol consumption.

Deleted User wrote:

You want proof about a future event. Put down the blunt, mate.

What do you base your assumption on, we have a bit of an odd relationship with alcohol, many drinkers have little or no interest in recreational drugs, some do of course?

Peregrinus

Deleted User wrote: »

You want proof about a future event. Put down the blunt, mate.

No, it's a reasonable question. Is there any evidence that increased cannabis consumption is associated with reduced alcohol consumption? Or that easing legal restrictions on cannabis use is associated with reduced alcohol consumption?

ianob7

Graces7 wrote:

Very much doubt it. Scary to think of stoned folk everywhere..

Much much much prefer people walking around chilled out and happy rather than drunk and angry + causing trouble

Wanderer78

Graces7 wrote:

Very much doubt it. Scary to think of stoned folk everywhere..

I suspect it probably wouldn't be that bad, we may have a honeymoon period, but maybe afterwards....

The Bishop Basher

Graces7 wrote: »

Very much doubt it. Scary to think of stoned folk everywhere..

I can think of few things less scary.

Drunk people ? Now that’s a different story..

sbsquarepants

Graces7 wrote: »

Very much doubt it. Scary to think of stoned folk everywhere..

In reality it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference - anybody who wants it now can get it in a few minutes as it is. Would be just a bit less cloak and dagger that's all.

Personally speaking, I don't use it, it's just not my thing - but I'm all for legalisation.

I also don't think it's as harmless as certain people make it out to be, but it's still their own choice to make. It's almost certainly not as harmful as smoking and drinking to excess and certainly far less so than other drugs I've taken in the past.

My viewpoint is I own my body - what I do to it is up to me.

ianob7

Rennaws wrote:

Drunk people ? Now that’s a different story..

Was just gonna pose this question.

Who's company would you rather keep ??

A stoner a few j's deep or a drunk a few hours into a bender ??

I'm going with the happy individual on the natural plant over drunk all day every day

smurgen

Who actually cares about this ****.when are we going to start tackling big issues in this country?

jiltloop

Graces7 wrote: »

Very much doubt it. Scary to think of stoned folk everywhere..

If you're scared by that notion then you really don't understand the drug.

P.s there are already stoned folk everywhere.

circadian

Graces7 wrote: »

Very much doubt it. Scary to think of stoned folk everywhere..

https://youtu.be/aYHDzrdXHEA

The Bishop Basher

jiltloop wrote: »

P.s there are already stoned folk everywhere.

Agreed. Weed is as common as cornflakes. Legalizing it just takes it out of the hands of criminals and saves those who enjoy it from risking prosecution.

It’s a complete no brainer. We just need our politicians to catch up and accept the inevitable reality which means we might be waiting..

sbsquarepants

ianob7 wrote: »

Much much much prefer people walking around chilled out and happy rather than drunk and angry + causing trouble

See this is the sort of false utopian vision of cannabis that people spout - not everyone who smokes a join turns into Gerry Garcia and lies in the grass in their tie died t shirt admiring the clouds.

Take a walk around the phoenix park on a hot day and there's any number of gangs of little bastards openly smoking joints and making a nuisance of themselves.

Cannabis does not turn aggressive **** into pacifist hippies!

circadian

Lived in British Columbia for years, well known for their BC Bud (it really is excellent). A colleague's husband worked in the local drug squad and I asked him about the fact that weed was everywhere there.

He said if it's someone on the street smoking a reeefer or whatever the cops are almost certainly not going to do anything about it, they just targeted dealers who were also selling harder stuff.

I seen it in a daily basis. Smoking a reeefer beside a cop, cool. Open liquour in the street. That's a fine. Vancouver is easily one of the safest cities I've ever set foot in. The amount of potheads is astounding, not surprised they passed this bill at all as from what I remember BC Bud is generating $3billion+ into the economy.

Franz Von Peppercorn

[Deleted User] wrote: »

You want proof about a future event. Put down the blunt, mate.

Yeh. The future event you said would definitely happen. We want proof of that.

Wanderer78

Rennaws wrote:

Agreed. Weed is as common as cornflakes. Legalizing it just takes it out of the hands of criminals and saves those who enjoy it from risking prosecution.

Governments would probably have to form some sort of relationships with gangs though, in order to supply the stuff

Franz Von Peppercorn

sbsquarepants wrote: »

In reality it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference - anybody who wants it now can get it in a few minutes as it is. Would be just a bit less cloak and dagger that's all.

Personally speaking, I don't use it, it's just not my thing - but I'm all for legalisation.

I also don't think it's as harmless as certain people make it out to be, but it's still their own choice to make. It's almost certainly not as harmful as smoking and drinking to excess and certainly far less so than other drugs I've taken in the past.

My viewpoint is I own my body - what I do to it is up to me.

I’ve seen quite a lot of paranoid weed users.

It strikes me that legalisation won’t change much as it will be probably banned from public places anyway.

As for your body your rules, the state is getting more prohibitive with some legal drugs and food as it is.

Wanderer78

Wanderer78 wrote: »

What do you base your assumption on, we have a bit of an odd relationship with alcohol, many drinkers have little or no interest in recreational drugs, some do of course?

Peregrinus wrote: »

No, it's a reasonable question. Is there any evidence that increased cannabis consumption is associated with reduced alcohol consumption? Or that easing legal restrictions on cannabis use is associated with reduced alcohol consumption?

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

Yeh. The future even you said would definitely happen. We want proof of that.

There are dozens of links on Google.

WAPO: Medical marijuana took a bite out of alcohol sales. Recreational pot could take an even bigger one.

Forbes: Alcohol Sales Dropped 15% In States With Medical Marijuana Laws

So while it does appear to reduce alcohol consumption and binge drinking in America, that is obviously not proof of a hypothetical situation in a different country.

I definitely think it would reduce alcohol consumption. I'm sure you'll argue with me and find fault with all the reports and articles. Enjoy yourselves.

jiltloop

sbsquarepants wrote: »

See this is the sort of false utopian vision of cannabis that people spout - not everyone who smokes a join turns into Gerry Garcia and lies in the grass in their tie died t shirt admiring the clouds.

Take a walk around the phoenix park on a hot day and there's any number of gangs of little bastards openly smoking joints and making a nuisance of themselves.

Cannabis does not turn aggressive **** into pacifist hippies!

Conversely the fact that little knackers are smoking a plant doesn't meant that the plant is evil and should be illegal. If they were drinking coffee would you be blaming coffee?

I guarantee that those gangs of little bastards were also drinking naggins as well.

I say this as someone who used to smoke weed heavily and had to give up as it started causing anxiety and motivation issues. I know more than most the negative aspects of this drug (and the positive!).

I would agree with heavily controlled legislation for recreational use but also education around the negative affects it can have on some people. The only harm that this drug can cause is to a small percentage of users themselves. It doesn't incite anti social behavior, it is not a gateway drug but we still need to be realistic about how powerful it can be (especially with the super-strains around these days).

Franz Von Peppercorn

[Deleted User] wrote: »

There are dozens of links on Google.

WAPO: Medical marijuana took a bite out of alcohol sales. Recreational pot could take an even bigger one.

Forbes: Alcohol Sales Dropped 15% In States With Medical Marijuana Laws

So while it does appear to reduce alcohol consumption and binge drinking in America, that is obviously not proof of a hypothetical situation in a different country.

I definitely think it would reduce alcohol consumption. I'm sure you'll argue with me and find fault with all the reports and articles. Enjoy yourselves.

So you can predict a future event. Cool.

This indicates that use of marijuana does go up as it is legalised but fair enough.

ianob7

ianob7 wrote: »

Much much much prefer people walking around chilled out and happy rather than drunk and angry + causing trouble

Because taking pot or being drunk are the only two options in life.

JohnnyFlash

Stoners are the only drug addicts who seem to get excited about their vice being legalised.

Wanderer78

Deleted User wrote:

I definitely think it would reduce alcohol consumption. I'm sure you'll argue with me and find fault with all the reports and articles. Enjoy yourselves.

Thank you for the links, I ll check them out later. I'm personally not convinced, but could be wrong of course, we have a very odd relationship, as I've said previously, with alcohol, our consumption has probably been steadily rising (unsure of this though), no matter what we try do about it. When you start to research mind altering substances and humans together, expect some weird outcomes, we re a strange breed

Cupcake_Crisis

Graces7 wrote: »

Very much doubt it. Scary to think of stoned folk everywhere..

I’ve never seen someone get into a fight outside a pub after 1 too many joints. Give me someone who’s as high as a kite over someone who’s as pissed as a newt any day.

It’s been basically legal in Canada for a long time now. They’re not big drinkers in Toronto but they love an aul joint. A lot of my friends gave up the booze in favor of weed while we were over there. It’s cheaper and hangover free.

Wanderer78

JohnnyFlash wrote:

Stoners are the only drug addicts who seem to get excited about their vice being legalised.

Not being a drug user or a none drinker, and I wouldn't class my reaction as 'excited', but of, 'yea this makes a lot of sense'

The Bishop Basher

sbsquarepants wrote: »

Cannabis does not turn aggressive **** into pacifist hippies!

Maybe not but give those pacifist hippies enough alcohol and they’ll likely turn into aggressive ****.

KingNerolives

We do we want to promote the stoner culture? Lazy and unproductive people aren't role models so why do we want to legalise it?

The Bishop Basher

KingNerolives wrote: »

We do we want to promote the stoner culture? Lazy and unproductive people aren't role models so why do we want to legalise it?

That’s like saying everyone who drinks alcohol is a down and out alcoholic. Complete nonsense.

Wanderer78

KingNerolives wrote:

We do we want to promote the stoner culture? Lazy and unproductive people aren't role models so why do we want to legalise it?

'productivity', what does this actually mean, and are the spoils of all this 'production' truly spread evenly around the planet? You d be surprised how many people drink alcohol, and consume other highly addictive substances, are these also poor role models?

sbsquarepants

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

I’ve seen quite a lot of paranoid weed users. .

So have I - it's far from harmless.

I think the propaganda has swung too far to the other side - we've had the nonsense of reefer madness and gateway drugs and all that bollox and we're now in the era as cannabis as health food!

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

It strikes me that legalisation won’t change much as it will be probably banned from public places anyway. .

Much like it is now.:D

Franz Von Peppercorn wrote: »

As for your body your rules, the state is getting more prohibitive with some legal drugs and food as it is.

True - where do you draw the line I suppose. We do need someone to look out for us and say you can't put this into food because it will do "x" or that causes cancer so it's banned and so on. But I think it's fairly clear that people will always look to alter their consciousness in some fashion - it's just in us as a species to do that.
Trying to stop it is the very definition of futility.

Malayalam

People who get paranoid on weed usually quit using it pretty sharpish, unless they are some kind of masochists. I have known a lot of stoners in my time and indeed been one, and if they were aggressive it was always something else that made them so. I quit many years ago when it made me suddenly anxious, having thoroughly enjoyed every joint up until that point. Right now it doesn't work for me (though I love the smell of grass burning) but I fully intend to become a totally blissed out ganja-head if I live to be old.

Pac1Man

I don't use it (but wouldn't be against trying out an edible of some sort), but the hypocrisy and ignorance in this thread is laughable.

We already have a place on every corner which sells a potentially life ending drug but is used recreationally by almost everyone.

Wanderer78

Malayalam wrote:

People who get paranoid on weed usually quit using it pretty sharpish, unless they are some kind of masochists. I have known a lot of stoners in my time and indeed been one, and if they were aggressive it was always something else that made them so. I quit many years ago when it made me suddenly anxious, having thoroughly enjoyed every joint up until that point. Right now it doesn't work for me (though I love the smell of grass burning) but I fully intend to become a totally blissed out ganja-head if I live to be old.

Mind altering substances do exactly what it says on the tin, be careful out there folks, look after your mind, but have fun to

sbsquarepants

jiltloop wrote: »

Conversely the fact that little knackers are smoking a plant doesn't meant that the plant is evil and should be illegal. If they were drinking coffee would you be blaming coffee?

I guarantee that those gangs of little bastards were also drinking naggins as well.

.

Quite possibly.

I'm not in favour of banning it at all - quite the opposite, I said I'm in favour of legalising.

Berserker

circadian wrote: »

Lived in British Columbia for years, well known for their BC Bud (it really is excellent). A colleague's husband worked in the local drug squad and I asked him about the fact that weed was everywhere there.

..............

Vancouver is easily one of the safest cities I've ever set foot in. The amount of potheads is astounding, not surprised they passed this bill at all as from what I remember BC Bud is generating $3billion+ into the economy.

My wife is from Vancouver. What did you make of Downtown Eastside with respect to drugs? I have a follow on question regarding your colleague's husband based on your answer above.

Rennaws wrote: »

Agreed. Weed is as common as cornflakes. Legalizing it just takes it out of the hands of criminals and saves those who enjoy it from risking prosecution.

It will not take it out the hands of criminals. The criminals will be able to supply drugs to the general consumer far cheaper than any legal outlet and consumers will use the cost factor as justification to buy it from the illegal source.

facehugger99

It's certainly not completely harmless as a drug and I've witnessed people abuse it, lose all motivation, become depressed and just fade away from society.

Then again, I've seen alcohol do far worse.

The vast majority of people who use it, do so in a responsible manner. The Government should seriously consider legalizing and regulating it. It would divert money away from the criminal gangs, who benefit the most from its current status, into the exchequer, where it could be used to fund health, education, infrastructure, etc.

It would also open up employment opportunities for growers and suppliers. It would be an interesting study to see what the likely benefits to the economy would be with taxation similar to tobacco and the additional workforce numbers.

Another knock-on effect would presumably be freeing up Garda resources that are currently being used to clamp down on cannabis - not to mention freeing up time in our overloaded court system.

All in all the benefits would seem to clearly out-weigh the downsides, but I'm not sure we are mature enough as a country to have an open and honest debate about it - at least not yet.

Cupcake_Crisis

Berserker wrote: »

My wife is from Vancouver. What did you make of Downtown Eastside with respect to drugs? I have a follow on question regarding your colleague's husband based on your answer above.

East Hastings isn’t the way it is because of a few joints though

Tomaldo

Members of The Beatles, Rolling Stones and Bob Dlyan used it, were they not 'productive people'

The Bishop Basher

JohnnyFlash wrote: »

Stoners are the only drug addicts who seem to get excited about their vice being legalised.

It's probably the novel idea of not having to risk arrest and prosecution anytime they want to indulge in their preferred method of relaxation.

sbsquarepants

Berserker wrote: »

It will not take it out the hands of criminals. The criminals will be able to supply drugs to the general consumer far cheaper than any legal outlet and consumers will use the cost factor as justification to buy it from the illegal source.

That hasn't really been the experience anywhere it has been legalised.
If you can walk into a shop and buy it, people will walk into the shop and buy it.

Berserker

Cupcake_Crisis wrote: »

East Hastings isn’t the way it is because of a few joints though

Really, what percentage of the addicts there used cannabis as their first drug?There were 3,000 reported overdoses over a two year period, 2015-2017, in that part of the city alone.