Inspired by the fact that we've just seen it made available for medicinal use under certain circumstances, how/when/if do you think recreational use will be legalised here? Personally I think we've still got a long way to go, it could theoretically happen tomorrow but we'd need either a libertariany type Tory prime minister or a centre-left Blairite type Labour one, neither of which seem likely in the immediate future.
Frustratingly, William Hague came out for legalisation a little while back. He was leader of the opposition when Tony Blair was prime minister and Blair was obviously at least low-key pro-weed (he even decriminalised it for a few minutes). If Hague was always win-round-able that means we could have legalised weed as early as 20 years ago, even on a free-vote in parliament, and led the English speaking world on the issue instead of trailing behind.
Do you even think it's a good idea? I'm not sure I do. Unlike alcohol, where even someone intentionally drinking as much as they can takes years to build up a proper habit, I've seen people go from never having touched the stuff to hardcore "smoke weed everyday" types in a matter of weeks. Obviously I believe in freedom, and would vote yes if we had a referendum on it but that doesn't mean I don't think there would be a few negative consequences. I'd be interested in hearing from anyone who has experience of Colorado or wherever else it's already legal.
Also there's the fact that it's already as good as legal in some places and for some people but not in/for others. This is a generally agreeable state of affairs to the authorities because it means they don't need to hunt down every fucker with a joint but at the same time have a great excuse to do anyone they want to do but hasn't actually done anything they could get done for. Personally I think this is a terrible injustice but I've met a lot of people who smoke a lot and know they will definitely never get caught who don't give a shit that someone else might be.
How would things look practically if it actually happened? Would we have special dispensaries or could I just pop to my local off-licence and ask for a pack of twenty pre-rolled joints the same way I buy cigarettes now?
>>8165 >Do you even think it's a good idea? I'm not sure I do. Unlike alcohol, where even someone intentionally drinking as much as they can takes years to build up a proper habit, I've seen people go from never having touched the stuff to hardcore "smoke weed everyday" types in a matter of weeks.
From everything I know of weed use where it is decrimalised/ legal. Don't expect a massive boom in users, it will just be the exact same people who use it anyway.
>>8168 You're probably right, I was thinking more of low-level users who suddenly have no reason not to blaze all the time. I've had T-breaks in the past (a long time ago now) that were imposed upon me from above purely by the fact that I had trouble finding a connect, this would disappear if there was absolutely no risk whatsoever to the acquisition of the stuff and it was available from the same place I get my weekly shop. I would never have chosen to stay off the grass for a bit during those days, it only ever happened when I was unlucky, but in retrospect I'm glad I was occasionally forced to take a few days off here and there.
Honestly I would say it should be at very least decriminalised, along with most other drugs. I''m not sure if I am in favour of full legalisation but I would lean towards yes.
I mean I smoke a fair bit of the stuff myself but fuck ME I cannot stand the stoner lifestyle type cunts. Just imagine it. Russell Brand hosting his own weed based talk show, where Seth Rogen is always on it with his own special segment about how to rip the FATTEST FUKKEN BONG DUUUUDE jesus christ.
It's easy enough to get weed that making it legal would have next to no impact for me, I'd still only have a quiet toke every other night like most people would have a bottle or two of beer. But you wouldn't catch me dead trying to tell people it's GOOD for you.
>>8170 But once it gets legalised or decriminalised it stops having that cult aspect to it, right? So you wouldn't get that kind of niche, weedlad, cultural dystopia.
Also finding a thing a bit annoying isn't a reason to ban it. Outside of .gs of course.
The tedious weed cunts are basically just real ale bores. FREE THE WEED is just a slightly more pretentious version of I don't drink that piss-water you call lager. In both cases, it's just a thin veneer covering functional addiction.
Cannabis is so half-heartedly policed that decriminalisation would scarcely make a practical difference. Most people who get caught for possession get a caution, most people who get caught with a small-scale grow op get a small fine or community service. Very few police forces make any proactive effort to enforce the law, especially since the austerity cuts. Unlike the US, we don't have huge numbers of people serving long sentences for non-violent drug offences.
We've seen from the Netherlands, Portugal and the US that decriminalisation or legalisation don't have a significant long-term effect on the number of users.
It's entirely plausible that we could see decriminalisation or legalisation within the next decade; the latter is made more likely by Brexit, because we might desperately need some extra tax revenue. We'd probably have specially licensed outlets, made to look as clinical and bland as possible to assuage fears that the government are promoting drug use.
>>8173 According to 420chan while the de jure price may remain similar the de facto price is much lower because you have someone to complain to over light bags, can guarantee good quality etc.
>>8165 > Unlike alcohol, where even someone intentionally drinking as much as they can takes years to build up a proper habit
I know it's only tangentially related to the discussion but I'm going to have to pull you up on that one. You can drink yourself into fatal DTs in under a month, easily.
DT in a month? Seems highly unlikely. That requires a level of tolerance, kindling and addiction that I don't think you could possibly develop that quickly. You'd need to somehow go through repeated withdrawals from heavy drinking then be drunk constantly for weeks before going through for 3 to 6 days of acute withdrawal.
Alcohol poisoning, would seem far more likely cause of death.
Well, no, frankly. Just the opposite. Once it's legal it's kosher to market with and use to sell whatever shitty brand your ad agency is trying to make cool to 18-30s.
That assumes that advertising would be legal, which almost certainly wouldn't be the case. We'd likely see equivalent regulations to tobacco - no advertising, plain packaging, stark health warnings.
I'm sure there'd be marketing regulations. If they copy what they're doing in the US, there'll be no external advertising, you'll just go in to a little shop and maybe see a poster for Girl Scout Cookies and that.
I think most weed smokers know at least a little about strains and stuff so the only way a specific company could market themselves is by making some new strain, which is already what happens with growers right now. It'll be more of a cottage industry than you're imagining. Head shops and preexisting growers are already poised to take over a legal market, it's not like marlboro grows dope in California now.
>>8177 Precisely, then it's not cool and no one's going to bother trying to look cool doing it, which is where the "weed lmao" stereotype comes from.
And might I add, the people moaning about that stereotype seem much more prominent than the one's actually doing it. Weed's so commonplace what I said in my original post has basically come to pass.
You don't need kindling to induce DTs, DTs are just a symptom of highly acute alcohol withdrawal; kindling just makes having to go through heavy withdrawals more likely, and the severity of said withdrawals worse with each recurring abstinence.
The tricky bit would be getting the person to drink enough, and repeatedly enough, to induce down-regulation of the GABA receptors, once that's done you're fucked whether you're on booze, benzos or GHB. Essentially get them on about 40-60 units a day for three weeks with some nice strong bloody marys to cure the hangover each morning and cut them off sometime in the fourth week. They'll be having a conversation wit h their toaster within 72 hours or I'd buy a hat and eat it.
Pretty sure it will. Common logic is that it will cease to be "cool" but I don't think that's really the thing any more, especially amongst da yoot. It's almost a dad drug, they see it as just completely vanilla, and are interested in things like MDMA instead because that's actually drugs.
Really I think it will just be like how you don't feel the temptation to drink twenty cans every night, and if you do, people start to ask serious questions about your wellbeing; people who currently smoke all the time as a lifestyle choice will have their activities more openly questioned.
Frankly with the strength of weed we have nowadays, people are taking the piss when they say stuff like "oh I just have a smoke like you'd have a beer after work", because if we're somparing it to alcohol, smoking a bowl full of stardog or girlscout is more like necking half a bottle of tequila.
