Legalising cannabis in UK 'would raise hundreds of millions'

More importantly, it would save lives. Its one of the most medicinal beneficial herbs on this planet, and given to the masses without any need for middle man or extortion.

a reply to: PublicOpinion

I don't think it is a good idea to legalise it in the UK. I'll be quite candid about my concerns.

1. It is proven that it can give people psychotic reactions from which they never recover. Ask any psychiatrist or mental health nurse about that.

2. It is a pain killer for those of us who are struggling with mental pain in our lives (and physical pain).

3. It will take all the fun out of it. It is actually a safety valve as it is for some of us who are a bit rebellious to be channelled harmlessly and have a little place of our own without the state being up our ass as they are in all other walks of life.

4. It will really mess up the economy of it. The big boys will take all the custom and the cottage industry will be messed up good and proper.

I would prefer that the media and people just shut up about it and stopped being such control freak busy bodies. Everything they touch turns to messy brown smelly stuff.

Lastly, # money. So what if it raises taxes. Isn't life taken up enough with "the root of all evil" as it is?

Hands off! I don't want my rebellion legalised. If you do then I'll just make another one. Hah!

originally posted by: PublicOpinion
a reply to: Vector99

The same effect led to stricter laws in the Swiss and the Netherlands due to all that potourism. An easy solution would be to legalize it everywhere else as well. Nah, we better forget about that. It's way too easy, innit?

Making sense doesn't always make sense when you have sycophants, err, I mean politicians running the show.

Funny thing is us the little guy always says here's how it works

The herp derps go, um nope that's not how it works.

We say why?

They say herp derp

originally posted by: Revolution9
1. It is proven that it can give people psychotic reactions from which they never recover. Ask any psychiatrist or mental health nurse about that.

Funny, because I have never known a person to have this happen to them. The incidence out of everyone who uses Cannabis is actually very small - the NHS has only treats just over 1,000 people a year out of over 4 million regular users for this "cannabis psychosis" - which is just a label for anyone with a mental disorder who happens to use cannabis, regardless of anything else that is going on in there lives.

Compare that to the amount of people hospitalised for alcohol related problems.

originally posted by: Revolution9
2. It is a pain killer for those of us who are struggling with mental pain in our lives (and physical pain).

So? What's alcohol then?

originally posted by: Revolution9
3. It will take all the fun out of it. It is actually a safety valve as it is for some of us who are a bit rebellious to be channelled harmlessly and have a little place of our own without the state being up our ass as they are in all other walks of life.

Stupid argument.

originally posted by: Revolution9
4. It will really mess up the economy of it. The big boys will take all the custom and the cottage industry will be messed up good and proper.

No, it won't - see the US and it's recent tax windfalls.

originally posted by: Revolution9
Hands off! I don't want my rebellion legalised. If you do then I'll just make another one. Hah!

Maybe a lot of us do - I'd rather not run foul of the law just because I prefer a herb over alcohol. I'm doing no-one any harm and in fact I am a damned site more productive member of society than someone who goes out boozing all the time.

The worlds biggest killer drugs are available on every street corner. The amount of lives lost to the effects of tabacco and alcohol are pretty shocking. So from a public health issue, the biggest killers are already legal. So when a politician says this is about public health, they are lying.

England legalizing marijuana? Would give a whole new meaning to 'tea time'.

To quote the bard in a twisty sort of carriage: "If marriage were outlawed, only outlaws would have in-laws."

originally posted by: PublicOpinion

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: PublicOpinion

I think the muzzies would end that after they take control.

Could you please explain that to a Kraut (is it a pun? Yes it is!) in a retarded way?

Derka, derka, Muhammad jihad.

a reply to: PublicOpinion

I agree with you, it should be made legal. Marijuana was the only thing that helped my Mum through the pains of Breast Cancer. I feel that it should be made legal, not only for the reasons you have listed but also for its medicinal value. Myself and over 260,000 people believe that so strongly that we signed an online petition with petition.parliament.uk....

This is the Government’s response...

The Government has responded to the petition you signed – “Make the production, sale and use of cannabis legal.”.

Government responded:

Substantial scientific evidence shows cannabis is a harmful drug that can damage human health. There are no plans to legalise cannabis as it would not address the harm to individuals and communities.

The latest evidence from the independent Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs is that the use of cannabis is a significant public health issue (‘Cannabis Classification and Public Health’, 2008).

Cannabis can unquestionably cause harm to individuals and society. Legalisation of cannabis would not eliminate the crime committed by the illicit trade, nor would it address the harms associated with drug dependence and the misery that this can cause to families.

Legalisation would also send the wrong message to the vast majority of people who do not take drugs, especially young and vulnerable people, with the potential grave risk of increased misuse of drugs. 

Despite the potential opportunity offered by legalisation to raise revenue through taxation, there would be costs in relation to administrative, compliance and law enforcement activities, as well as the wider costs of drug prevention and health services.

The UK's approach on drugs remains clear: we must prevent drug use in our communities; help dependent individuals through treatment and wider recovery support; while ensuring law enforcement protects society by stopping the supply and tackling the organised crime that is associated with the drugs trade. The Government will build on the Drugs Strategy by continuing to take a balanced and coherent approach to address the evolving challenges posed.

There are positive signs that the Government’s approach is working: there has been a long term downward trend in drug use over the last decade, and more people are recovering from their dependency now than in 2009/10. The number of adults aged 16-59 using cannabis in the last year in England and Wales has declined over the last decade from 9.6% to 6.7%, with cannabis use amongst young adults aged 16-24 and young people aged 11-15 following a similar pattern.

Click this link to view the response online:

petition.parliament.uk...

This petition has over 100,000 signatures. The Petitions Committee will consider it for a debate. They can also gather further evidence and press the government for action.

The Committee is made up of 11 MPs, from political parties in government and in opposition. It is entirely independent of the Government. Find out more about the Committee: petition.parliament.uk...-committee

Thanks,
The Petitions team
UK Government and Parliament

Further to that, I found out this morning (as a result of checking my emails for the above text for this post) that it was actually debated in Parliament on Wednesday...

Parliament debated the petition you signed – “Make the production, sale and use of cannabis legal.”

Watch the debate: www.parliamentlive.tv...

Read the transcript: www.publications.parliament.uk...

The petition: petition.parliament.uk...

I haven't watched the video myself, just waiting till I have some quiet time from the bairns to watch it...

a reply to: djz3ro

Yeah, it was debated again owing to yet another petition - yet the response remains the same....

"Harm to communities"?

"Drug dependence?"

Repeating the same worn out, tired old nonsense which flies in the face of mountains of scientific evidence and common sense.

And if the "independent" Drug Advisory Council disagrees? They fire them...Link

I always figured since none of ya'll had guns, you were all just a bunch of potheads anyway.

It is unbelievable that no-one has mentioned the money the drug trade is already circulating to an army of private companies tasked with controlling it. Taxpayers money is being laundered at an incredible rate and all in the name of 'drugs kill'.
Prisons are full, more money for private companies who provide that service. Drug rehab. etc. The services connected to drug use are turning massive profits. Why would they want us to grow our own and cut off a revenue they already control.
Pharma are making billions in substitute heroin and treating drug dependency. Just give them the real thing which is cheaper than a substitute

The US plan is to let the states legalize it. Then when the shop owners are going good the Feds come in and take everything and clear out their bank accounts. Because the Feds still say it's illegal. It happened in Colorado a few times. A friend of mine is going through that in Colorado and now the feds want more money because they say he should have made more than he says he did so they took everything that he had even before he opened his shop.

a reply to: PublicOpinion

I can just see it now through £70 quid for the same amount you pay a local dealer £20(£50 added tax). Then you would most lightly also get all the crap added that makes its way into our Tobacco products just to make it safe.

Any time our government touches something it turns to crap!

Probably more chance of Cameron introducing a national Dead Pig Head Humping holiday imho.

Don't be stupid, Oinky cameron bound to have some best bessie mate who want to make max profit by opening even more private prisons to be funded by tax payers money, run on a half length shoe-string budget and needs drug offenders. They probably make up the majority of people in jail.

Oinky would only give this revenue away in foreign aid or to his delightful cousin queenie as an extra bonus or allow even more of his MP's like non-com Goldsmith etc not to pay their tax bills for the last 10 years alongside other corps bigwigs he and Osborne have to dinner and share the odd snort with.

Although in fairness some of the main reasons for the criminalisation of cannabis was to allow the release of products like aspirin and because the Du Ponts didn't want the competition of cheaper hemp damaging their nylon industry. Perhaps we are past those two opposers and might ditch the self-interest that has been the tool to criminalise so many people in the West.

a reply to: andy06shake

A quick view of the last Max Keiser report on RT (independent of RT's views though) is worth it as he and Stacey Herbert itemise exactly what Oinky cameron has talked about doing something about and the result of his interference is never to the benefit of the public and its inevitably turned into a worse mess than before.

a reply to: Unity_99

Sadly common sense and truth isn't a part of our governmental efforts today, only the self interest of those who seek to exploit us.

a reply to: PublicOpinion

It's not just the earnings from directly taxing it, but also the rise in tax revenue on associated consumables.

The REAL money 'earned' though, would come from significantly reduced policing and court / prison costs associated with pot.

Besides the financial incentives of course, there is the added bonus of freeing the Police to go after serious crime..a legalised pot industry in Britain would have many beneficial knock on effects, financially and socially.

It might even cut down on the numbers of death and diseases from alcohol and Tobacco usage too.

a reply to: MysterX

The REAL money 'earned' though, would come from significantly reduced policing and court / prison costs associated with pot. 

Indeed!
Especially when you think about the fact that all those people in gaol (?) didn't hurt a soul!

originally posted by: butcherguy
a reply to: MysterX

The REAL money 'earned' though, would come from significantly reduced policing and court / prison costs associated with pot. 

Indeed!
Especially when you think about the fact that all those people in gaol (?) didn't hurt a soul!

It's disgusting isn't it...entire lives blighted for absolutely nothing done to anyone, including themselves.

a reply to: PublicOpinion

Damn right it will. I support my brothers across the pond in trying to legalize this plant! Marijuana shouldn't be illegal ANYWHERE!