Sativex Legalisation UK

So Sativex (pharmaceutical form of cannabis extracts) has just become legalised within the UK. Wahey! Right?

As a long term user of the herb for depression, this little piece of news interested me a lot. However, as I have just been educating my family;

This is clearly a move to create a product that can be patented and generate revenue for big pharma.

Why?

Well, on the news it's being touted as a treatment for MS. Just MS. Cannabis has been proven effective in combating MS, Depression, high blood pressure, cancer, insomnia etc etc...

And after a little research - it seems that sativex also causes intoxication. So why not just legalise the plant right?

Penny for your thoughts guys.

i would edit the part where you claim to be a user.

if you want your thread to live.


i think its for the $$$

reply to post by the_love_revolution


Because there was nothing in the bible about weed. :p

When all the large numbers of people who believe this and other ridiculous thought patterns slowly disappear leaving the majority of less susceptible supporters, then we may have some common sense on that.

Everyone who thinks for themselves and doesn't just think what they are told, will at least admit that if you prohibit the weed, then you must prohibit the drink. The current way is far too hypocritical.

I can tell you for sure that you better believe I actually may be dangerous with a bottle of scotch in my belly legally. That is why I rarely drink and if so only small amounts.

Everyone that knows me can tell you for sure that other things make me the calmest, funniest and most caring person they know.

I merely just want parity on what is legal and what isn't.

I don't like getting really drunk but don't want to stop others using their freedom to do so.

I wish I had the same level of respect from my lawmakers.

One of the big problems for legalisation is the large scale sacking of police. It is well known and admitted by several high ranking police chiefs in Australia that 80% to 90% of funding to police goes to the doomed "War on Drugs", yet 80% to 90% of their time goes to cleaning up the problems created by alcohol.

Seems to make sense, huh?!.

What is needed is some rationality on the part of all sides of the debate and an open mind that is willing to be changed by evidence, not a donkeys stubbornness in never backing down on their point of view.

If someone can prove to me how drinking is a lot safer to me as an individual and those around me than the things I like are worse I would happily change my mind and start drinking like a fish.

Just don't be around when that happens.

Cheers,
Pabs

Don't you dare even think about growing this extremely useful, natural medicine for yourself, or you'll go to prison.

Buy a chemical version from us instead.

-your friends,
big pharma

reply to post by alaskan


I do fear that this is the scheme that has been devised.

It would take a lot of pressure of governments if they legalised it but had it as a medicine grown by big pharma.

Our government can't even organise an insulation scheme or buildings for schools.

I would probably think they would fear trying to grow, protect and distribute said product.

They might find it easier to just slug it with a massive tax and let a multinational take care of the details.

This would defeat the purpose however of legalisation, i.e. making it cheaper and driving the illegal trade out of town.

Unless that corporation were Monsanto and the like equipped to D.N.A. test the bud you just got caught with.

Sorry bit of a tangent but in the rambling are some of my fears about when we do get our way.

Cheers,
Pabs

Maybe I'll finally be able to get hold of some then. I have a chronic pain condition that is (thankfully) pretty rare. RSD/CRPS. Unfortunately this means that there is very little research done into treating it, and when something does come along which would help, like Sativex, it only gets approved for more common conditions such as MS.

What the governments of our respective nations should do is allow each person to grow four plants at a time, and allow absolutely NO sale of the produce whatsoever. Give it away, sure, but never in exchange for money. This would get rid of the criminal element in one fell swoop. WIll they do that when big pharma can get huge contracts for isolating only one of the useful compounds this plant produces and make a fortune from it? What's a little criminality and suffering when weighed against profits?

Who will want to buy those chemical Mary Jane pills, since the original stuff is way better.

Time for a little South Park:
Medicinal Fried Chicken - South Park

What a joke, that's about all I can say. Why do we need corporations to sell us something which has been growing naturally for thousands of years.
And I agree with the person above who says it is a contradiction that alcohol is legal and canabis is not.
Peace Out

I guess it's another form of control - on the profits of it, where it's going, who has it, who's allowed it and so on. Alcohol is available everywhere, on the shelves in the shops, in the church, at the pub, at a party... and it is EVIL!

Natural is always better I would say. I drink alcohol but don't agree that a chemical mixture is legal and a natural plant is not?!

I would like to know what the people who make the laws (religious? anti-freedom? no human rights? controlling? governments?) believe this plant is here for - I bet they say something like... temptation? I would say that alcohol is more evil than anything I've ever witnessed or experienced.

Note: I am not encouraging the use of any drug in my post.

reply to post by pablos


Actually in the Bible it says the grass is for the cows to eat and the every herb is for the man to use. So pot is an herb so it falls under that category i suppose. Allegedly there was some growing on the grave of King Solomon as well. Theres more passages that rastafari believe are related to mj. I wish i could remember them all.

reply to post by Destiny Curious


Ah mate sorry.

I just threw that in there as sarcasm because I have heard the lack of things being in the bible used as an excuse to decry many things.

Not into it enough to know those passages actually existed.

Do you remember what parts they were in. If so I wouldn't mind checking them out.

Cheers
Pabs

reply to post by Karilla


Karilla, sorry to hear about the pain you endure.

The herb is great for conditions that cause pain and unease through the course of the day, though I do not think it should be legal for purely medicinal reasons. I think this is one major reason that legalisation has taken so long.

I am not referring to you here, but there have been lots of people (celebrities are a perfect example) that seem to use the argument for medicinal use as a shield to hide behind and create the gateway for legalisation for recreational use. The people that use this technique I believe would be better using the massive platform they possess to just be honest and say they just want to get high. I believe there is a sense of cynacism directed towards these people by authorities.

While I do agree with you that cultivation should be allowed, I politely disagree with your point about NO sale.
Here's why.

As mentioned earlier my absolute biggest reason for less restrictions on the plant in question is the sheer hypocrisy in regard to official attitudes towards sativa vis-a-vi alcohol. I would agree with your suggestion if it were to include the same provision for alcohol, i.e. distill or brew it yourself.


Also this makes no provision for if something were to happen to plants in my possession. A bad storm, a thief, insects, or even my cat could easily do a number on them and then I am stuck for months till a new crop came in.

I also believe the Government would like a piece of the action via excise. No big problem there. We pay sales tax via goods to the Government for everything else so this would then bring it on par with alcohol as a legitimate consumable.

Imagine that. Marra-high now costs the Government millions upon millions in awareness campaigns, the fight against it through police and court action, not to mention the cost of imprisoning people, and it could overnight be a massive money earner for them bringing loads of cash into the economy. Seems they want my cash but not on my terms.

Cheers,
Pabs

Sure, you could just grow it in you're backyard, you're PROPERTY, but there is no money in that...wait, what happened to "there is no medicinal value" rhetoric the hardline drug warriors always spout on about?


More BACKWARDS thinking.

The PARADIGM of "medicinal" and "recreational" is garbage and is meant to keep a closed view on you're VERY HUMANITY and natural born rights to life.

[edit on 22-6-2010 by SmokeandShadow]

Yeah, actually I am starting to think it could be still illegal because it increases intelligence. I have a friend who was the biggest genius when I was at school, top of all classes and didn't even try. Apparently his mom smoked heavily while she was preganant. Another friend who has a 7 year old who is top 12 in the country in a test she just took and her mum smoked heavily while preganant.
Then I watched The Union And in that they are saying the most recent studies are finding canabis stimulates brain cell production. Mabye the governments of the world don't want us getting to intelligent??
Anyway just thinking..
Peace Out

reply to post by viber8


I do so agree with your answer.

I have never see 2 people who are high on Mary Jane fighting or being aggressive. I heard that the Mary Jane is way more mellow than booze.

I have also heard that lost civilizations make usage of drugs their way of life. Just look at what the Egyptians and the Mayas built on dope...

[edit on 22-6-2010 by St-Patrick]

reply to post by pablos


I totally agree with you regarding the hypocrisy issue. Ostensibly we are being protected from cannabis, but there is not one single verified case of death directly attributable to cannabis use. Obviously the same cannot be said of alcohol.

As for what you were saying about something happening to your plants, the communities that already exist (online and IRL) actually already support each other in this regard. No money changes hands, but if one person has a problem such as you describe, someone else will help them out, supplying new cuttings, expertise or sometimes even the finished product. They know that the community will be there to help them if they ever need it, so it is not even done on a direct quid pro quo basis. This sort of arrangement would simply become more universal.

I personally feel the status quo is maintained by two factors: Votes from the benighted majority of the populace who feel that because cannabis is classed as drug this automatically makes it undesirable, coupled with the difficulties in taxation and control following legalisation.

I am a firm believer in strongly advising younger people, whose brain chemistry is still in flux, to stay well away from all psychotropic substances. I have seen young people who have had no problems whatsoever, but I have also seen many who have had to deal with serious consequences. My hope is that if the "cool" aspect of cannabis, which is strongly tied to its illegality, the youth would be far less interested in it anyway.

All I really want is some common sense to be shown by the lawmakers. No plant that has been used for all sorts of things by people for many thousands of years should be banned. If anyone is interested I can list some startling evidence for its central role in our past, and also hopefully in our future. So many of the very real benefits of the hemp plant are completely disregarded because of the disinformation and falsely justified legal status of an incredibly valuable plant.