Gorden Brown is making it so easy for me

[Del Lardo]

When he came to (unelected) power I started thinking who I would vote for in the next election, Gordie or Dave. Now I inherently distrust Dave but seeing as in the last couple of months Gordie has doubled my car tax and now ignored a panel of experts and reclassified a drug that makes me want to giggle and watch TV to Class B massively increasing my chances of getting a criminal record should I get caught in possession which in turn would end my career as I could no longer travel to the US I think that next time round Dave will be getting my vote.

It's also good to see that the BBC is providing impartial reporting in this article entitled Split opinion on cannabis debate. That's not split opinion FFS that's two people who have both had bad experiences with a drug that for everyone I know who has taken it (30+ people) has been a very pleasurable experience.

The best bit of the article for me is

"He was smoking eight or nine ounces a week to the point where he had gone beyond using his cannabis to self medicate," said Anita.

That's like saying your husband was drinking 3 bottles of Vodka a day and ruined your lives! Of course he ****ing did he was abusing it to a stupidly high level yet Vodka is perfectly legal.

[Jonny69]

Yes but skunk dissolves your brain. Fact. I've seen plenty of my mates end up as morons because of it long term. My brother thankfully saw sense and got himself off it and stayed off but he's still an unemployed bum as a result.

[Del Lardo]

What sort of levels of abuse are you talking about for that effect? Drink half a bottle of vodka a day and see how long your brain lasts.

There is a very simple way of solving the problems associated with canabis IMO and that is to legalise it as it seems to answer most of the main issues associated with the drug.

Kids smoke it and it makes them go mad - Regulate it like alcohol so that kids cannot buy it
It is a gateway drug - Take it out of hands of dealers so that they can't tempt people with stronger drugs when they pop in to buy some weed
There is lots of crime associated with canabis - Take it out of the hands of the dealers
Skunk rots your brain - Contrary to media opinion most users I know are quite happy with weed but buy skunk because that is all that is on offer much in the same way that they would prefer to buy a pint of beer but would drink ansynth if that was all that was on offer

And last but not least they government could then tax the ****e out of it and use that money to reduce the amount of money they want for my car tax.

[SidewinderINC]

I have an uncle that smoked a lot of cannabis on a regular basis, developed schizophrenia, was committed to a mental institute, became withdrawn, couldn't accept the real world, committed suicide.

I have another uncle who has the same story except he was not sent to a mental institute, still just as dead.

I'm all up for the reclassification, and all in favour of the stricter charges that will ensue if people get caught - their own fault.

[Justsomebloke]

In my day the first drugs you got your hands on were weak which gave you a chance to build up tolerances & get used to the whole Out of your head experience leading to a more gentle intro to drug taking.
Nowadays kids first drug experience is with top draw hydroponic skunk which Rips them from there safe little world where Mummy will save them & chucks them into a Whole world of potential mental issues.
If we was talking about the hash & weed of 20 years ago I'd agree with you mate but not these days with the factorys knocking out hydro by the lorry load.

[semi-pro waster]

I'm not sure that cannabis needed to be reclassified or what it will achieve doing so other than potentially criminalising more people. I've got quite a few mates who smoke it, some very regularly and some only occasionally, of them most are still perfectly fine with only one mate finding that he got very paranoid due to the smoking.

I don't think that cannabis creates mental issues per se but I do think it is more likely to highlight issues that might already be there and perhaps would lie dormant indefinitely without a trigger factor.

I wouldn't vote Cameron over Brown on this issue but then I don't smoke cannabis and have never really been tempted to do so - I'm pretty sure I can do enough damage to myself with alcohol alone.

//edit oh and having lived with some mates who smoked regularly you get used to getting up to find no bread, no milk and no cereals because they've got the sodding muchies.

[LeperousDust]

Originally Posted by Position69

Yes but skunk dissolves your brain. Fact. I've seen plenty of my mates end up as morons because of it long term. My brother thankfully saw sense and got himself off it and stayed off but he's still an unemployed bum as a result.

That's not true, some people are just less inclined to work, or not be morons naturally, cannabis may heighten this uselessness, but they'll still be like this without it.

[SidewinderINC]

Originally Posted by Del Lardo

The best bit of the article for me is

That's like saying your husband was drinking 3 bottles of Vodka a day and ruined your lives! Of course he ****ing did he was abusing it to a stupidly high level yet Vodka is perfectly legal.

To add to my earlier post

I drank the same in pints per day as my friend had in joints per day (most days) during my second year of uni, pretty much for the whole year - He's dropped out of uni (after repeating his first year, and then not turning up to any of his second year) because he didn't ever go. He lied, stole and screwed up a load of friendships to get weed.

I was always able to get up, go to uni and pass and if I needed to stop drinking I could have done easily which I did do when my exams were on, and when I had coursework. He just didn't stop, and claimed he didn't have a problem.

Weed ruined his life, yet I've got through fine with my drinking.



I also don't see how legalising it to "stop kids getting it" would work, if they already get it now then what would stop them getting it when it's legal?

[Flibster]

I can't do either anymore.
Bollocks.

Bye bye Brown though.

[Del Lardo]

Originally Posted by SidewinderINC

I have an uncle that smoked a lot of cannabis on a regular basis, developed schizophrenia, was committed to a mental institute, became withdrawn, couldn't accept the real world, committed suicide.

I have another uncle who has the same story except he was not sent to a mental institute, still just as dead.

I'm all up for the reclassification, and all in favour of the stricter charges that will ensue if people get caught - their own fault.

That obviously sucks for your uncle and your family but IMO you could easily replace canabis with alcohol and see similary disasterous results.

Serious question for you.

I know you don't know me particulary well but I hold down a good job, I pay a bin full of tax and apart from occasionally going over the speed limit and enjoying smoking a substance that has been growing natually for 1000s of years I am law abiding. I have never been aggressive in public or convicted of anything more serious that an SP30. Yet because of a change in the law I could loose my career and potentially end up in prison for 5 years because I enjoy a using (not the word using not abusing) a substance that makes me and my friends talk rubbish, drink tea and watch TV.

In the grand scheme of what's wrong with the UK does that make sense?