17 June 2012

If America's running up the white flag on drugs how long will the madness last here?

| johnboy
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Cracked’s Adam Tod Brown has written an excellent piece on just what is involved in getting marijuana in California these days (and a rapidly growing number of American states).

I recommend reading it, but basically if you’re willing to tell your doctor a white lie (hello ritalin and oxycontin) you can buy weed as readily as booze and cigarettes.

Which is probably as it should be.

For years we too have been waging an unwinnable conflict against the recreational choices of our own citizenry, mostly at the request of US authorities.

But if they can’t be arsed anymore why should we?

Is it time to revisit drug law reform in the ACT?

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HenryBG said :

Proboscus said :

Jim Jones said :

HenryBG said :

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

Not sure what you think you’re adding to this discussion.G’day mate – when are you free for me to pick up the treadmill?..
.

It’s another one of those narcissistic comments: “I’m so awesome I don’t need drugs”.

Generally made by inanely tedious people who you have to avoid at parties.

Are you for real? Junkies are the most narcissistic entities on the planet – other than your good self. They let their families struggle, let their kids go hungry and show contempt as they thieve from or assault (often the elderly or disabled) while thinking only of themselves and their next hit.

So – are you saying that if we ban drugs, there won’t be any more junkies – is that it?

Do *try* to catch up….

No, he’s saying that all people who use drugs are junkies and neglect there kids while assaulting grannies. Just like all people who put a single dollar in a pokie machine starve there children and embezel millions from their employer and commit welfare fraud.

Don’t look now, there is a straw man behind you.

Proboscus said :

Jim Jones said :

HenryBG said :

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

Not sure what you think you’re adding to this discussion.G’day mate – when are you free for me to pick up the treadmill?..
.

It’s another one of those narcissistic comments: “I’m so awesome I don’t need drugs”.

Generally made by inanely tedious people who you have to avoid at parties.

Are you for real? Junkies are the most narcissistic entities on the planet – other than your good self. They let their families struggle, let their kids go hungry and show contempt as they thieve from or assault (often the elderly or disabled) while thinking only of themselves and their next hit.

So – are you saying that if we ban drugs, there won’t be any more junkies – is that it?

Do *try* to catch up….

Proboscus said :

Jim Jones said :

HenryBG said :

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

Not sure what you think you’re adding to this discussion.G’day mate – when are you free for me to pick up the treadmill?..
.

It’s another one of those narcissistic comments: “I’m so awesome I don’t need drugs”.

Generally made by inanely tedious people who you have to avoid at parties.

Are you for real? Junkies are the most narcissistic entities on the planet – other than your good self. They let their families struggle, let their kids go hungry and show contempt as they thieve from or assault (often the elderly or disabled) while thinking only of themselves and their next hit.

Someone who smokes a cheeky joint at a party is not a junkie.

How about you move on from your ridiculous stereotypes and actually allow people with sensible opinions on the best way to regulate the production and sale of cannabis to debate the merits of various policy positions based on actual facts instead of a hysterical strawman argument that has little basis in reality?

As for actual junkies… they would be better served (as would society) if they were treated as people with serious health problems, not criminals.

People who support the war on drugs are doing little more than support organised criminals who benefit from the prohibition, and they are doing little more than help create the social conditions that make escape from drug addiction almost impossible for serious addicts.

Supporters of prohibition can blame themselves for the civil war in Mexico that has led to the deaths of tens of thousands of people, they can blame themselves for every overdose death that occurs because a street drug has been laced with poisonous chemicals, and they can blame themselves for drug related crime that occurs because of the way drug production and use is pushed to the peripheries and underworld of society.

You cannot legislate away natural human behaviour, but you can certainly create legislation that makes natural human behaviour have worse consequences than it needs to.

Jim Jones said :

johnboy said :

They rarely get invited to that sort of party

That’s right, they’re too busy ‘not drowning out reality’ in front of the TV.

Given the number of posts on this threat from Jim Jones, who is obviously spending a lot of time in front of a computer screen, perhaps he’ll realise the irony.

PrinceOfAles10:31 pm 22 Jun 12

HenryBG said :

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

Not sure what you think you’re adding to this discussion…

Lots of people abuse alcohol. Lots of people die on the roads as a result of alcohol. Lots of people end up in hospital as a result of alcohol.
The prohibition on alcohol was an abject failure which boosted organised crime and was abandoned.

Similarly, prohibition on cannabis has been an abject failure with a great many negative consequences.
At some point, we will need to break free from the USA’a psychotic and dishonest objections to cannabis and make our own evidence-based policies on cannabis.

I agree with you Henry. Prohibition will be remembered as one of the great failures of history.

Jim Jones said :

HenryBG said :

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

Not sure what you think you’re adding to this discussion.G’day mate – when are you free for me to pick up the treadmill?..
.

It’s another one of those narcissistic comments: “I’m so awesome I don’t need drugs”.

Generally made by inanely tedious people who you have to avoid at parties.

Are you for real? Junkies are the most narcissistic entities on the planet – other than your good self. They let their families struggle, let their kids go hungry and show contempt as they thieve from or assault (often the elderly or disabled) while thinking only of themselves and their next hit.

This article gives some creditable insight into America’s “war on drugs.”http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/17/magazine/how-a-mexican-drug-cartel-makes-its-billions.html?_r=1&pagewanted=all

On a tangential note…. how would the average TRA-er feel about the idea of billing “patients” who are brought to hospital purely because of the effects of ethanol, ice, etc. ?

Jim Jones said :

Jim Jones said :

johnboy said :

They rarely get invited to that sort of party

That’s right, they’re too busy ‘not drowning out reality’ in front of the TV.

I rarely remember such parties.

Well, not much of them anyway.

I probably know you IRL then.

I probably would know you, if my memories weren’t all blur and full of weird gaps.

Jim Jones said :

johnboy said :

They rarely get invited to that sort of party

That’s right, they’re too busy ‘not drowning out reality’ in front of the TV.

I rarely remember such parties.

Well, not much of them anyway.

I probably know you IRL then.

Jim Jones said :

johnboy said :

They rarely get invited to that sort of party

That’s right, they’re too busy ‘not drowning out reality’ in front of the TV.

I used to live in Forrest next door to a guy who had several quite nice cars, each with a numberplate “CC…”.

We used to call him “CC”.

I always wondered why he needed personalised numberplates. Obviously, somebody who feels the need to put his own initials on his cars numberplates has some issues.

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

I don’t need sugar, coffee or fatty foods either, but they make me feel soooo good!

johnboy said :

They rarely get invited to that sort of party

That’s right, they’re too busy ‘not drowning out reality’ in front of the TV.

HenryBG said :

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

Not sure what you think you’re adding to this discussion…
.

It’s another one of those narcissistic comments: “I’m so awesome I don’t need drugs”.

Generally made by inanely tedious people who you have to avoid at parties.

They rarely get invited to that sort of party

PBO said :

Slice said :

I’m hysterically and stubbornly against this, why not legalise automatic machine guns and incest while you are at it!!!!!!

I am facinated by these “automatic machine guns”, what are they?

Metal Storm

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

Not sure what you think you’re adding to this discussion…

Lots of people abuse alcohol. Lots of people die on the roads as a result of alcohol. Lots of people end up in hospital as a result of alcohol.
The prohibition on alcohol was an abject failure which boosted organised crime and was abandoned.

Similarly, prohibition on cannabis has been an abject failure with a great many negative consequences.
At some point, we will need to break free from the USA’a psychotic and dishonest objections to cannabis and make our own evidence-based policies on cannabis.

PBO and LSWCHP

Did not register the sarcasm in the comment.

Did not read further comments describing the sarcasm in the comment to Poetix.

You will be Ewokian pleasure slaves………

With all the drugs that get siezed each and every year, why can’t we get heroin addict, pot users etc on a register of some kind and give it to them for free.

I know this goes against the grain of some poeple and I for one have no time for druggies but:
– giving people “clean” drugs will reduce the burden on our health system, particularly the Ambos
-reduce property crime as they won’t need to break into houses to sell items for a few dollars to support their habit
-reduce the police man hours spent on getting people to Court only to see the cost of prosecution higher than the penalty given
-put the dealers out of business, and forcing them to have to pay back their suppliers without any means of income
-reduce the occurances of people stealing power to run grow houses, in essence pushing up the price for the rest of us. It would also mean no non taxable income for a lot of those people who think growing a few kgs each year is acceptable.

Lets not draw a line in the sand and say this is good and this is sort of ok but this is bad, you won’t stop people doing what they want to do, but you can stop a lot of the misery (burglary victims etc) by giving it away in a regulated and registered manner.

Slice said :

I’m hysterically and stubbornly against this, why not legalise automatic machine guns and incest while you are at it!!!!!!

I hate to nitpick (well, actually not) but there’s no such thing as a non automatic machine gun. Wait, am I missing the point here….??

Slice said :

I’m hysterically and stubbornly against this, why not legalise automatic machine guns and incest while you are at it!!!!!!

Can you explain why you are so against legalisation of marijuana? What did it ever do to you?

and also,

I am facinated by these “automatic machine guns”, what are they?

you guys realise cracked is a humor website, right?

Slice said :

Who seriously self describes hysteria and stubborness?

Me, sometimes (-:

Who seriously self describes hysteria and stubborness?

At least have a trial, ACT seems to be the place for trials these days.

We only do trials once we know what it is we want to do.

Slice said :

I’m hysterically and stubbornly against this, why not legalise automatic machine guns and incest while you are at it!!!!!!

I assume you’re trolling?

I’m hysterically and stubbornly against this, why not legalise automatic machine guns and incest while you are at it!!!!!!

well for a start guns and incest hurt *other* people.

Felix the Cat10:37 am 18 Jun 12

Jethro said :

I’ve written extensively in the past why cannabis should be legalised, so won’t rehash it.

I see what you’ve done there…

While alchol leaves you feeling much worse the day after, Mary Jane leaves you with a “stone over” for many many days after. It actually took me weeks to get my thinking back to normal after pot.
From my experience (I’m no scientific type) alchol is a body high but pot is a brain high.

I agree that pot is more mild on the body than alchol but you are more likely to lose the plot of life on pot.

Skidd Marx said :

So just to get this straight, anyone who isn’t just like you has something wrong with them?

Otherway around, I think you mean.

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

So just to get this straight, anyone who isn’t just like you has something wrong with them?

Hehe, I’m smoking some right now 😀 I love me some of that funky skunky smelly green shit, and anecdotally i can say that my excessive use of alcohol leaves me feeling worse than my use of marijuana.

There’d be some great cake shops opening up if weed was legalised. Nothing beats a piece of spacecake to get the appetite going!!!

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

If I didn’t do that I would have issues, ever heard of a mental health beer or two?

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

Drowning out reality or having a slightly different perspective on reality? Personally, I think that those who worship sobriety have ‘issues’. Often being excessively boring. But I do speak as one who often enjoys a hearty breakfast of two Panadol, grapefruit juice and a sprinkling of paranoia. So there’s obviously something wrong with me…Sips vodka, which just happens to be legal, while other indulgences are not.

Bizarre.

The link is incorrect.

I wouldn’t mind reading the article.

An olde farts view.

Having lived in countries where the grass grows into trees (about 10 ft high), the rough at the local golf course is pure grass, and the poppy fields (stunningly beautiful) extend for miles, a couple of thoughts.

We have been coerced into the US way of thinking, a result of finding a bogy after Prohibition was defeated.

The UK had no real problem with heroin at the turn of the 20th century. It was not a problem.

I have never tried these substances, but from reading, grass is less a problem than alcohol.

I will never forgive the head man of the Salvation Army for backing that twerp Howard in totally forbidding any arguement which might decrease the penalties applied to drug use.

We have been led by our political masters, but greater thought is needed. Enough of being a lap dog.

c_c said :

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

If someone really *needs* to do that, then yeah, I agree with you. But if someone simply chooses to drink more than a glass of wine with dinner I don’t think that means they’re heading for hell in a handbasket. At least I hope not, otherwise I’m in trouble (sips a little more Birks 2008 Tempranillo).

And if that same someone also wants to spark up a little reefer every now and then (you can tell I’m old fart) then what the hell. As long as they don’t harm anybody else then I don’t give a rats.

You’ve opened up a can of worms here John. Perhaps we should start by decriminalising all drugs so that we can assess the impact before we go down the path of legalisation!

Legal, not legal, really couldn’t care. I just think if you need/want the stuff there’s obviously something wrong with you.

Same goes for those who smoke nicotine or drink excessively (which is to say more than a glass with dinner).

If you really need to alter your mental state and drown out reality, you’ve got issues.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd said :

It’s so dumb pot is not sold the same as alcohol. In fact I would say its ar safer than booze.

That’s not an opinion. It’s a fact. Study after study has shown that the long and short term impacts of cannabis on the user and society are lower than alcohol. It doesn’t mean that it’s a harmless drug; it certainly isn’t. However, something being harmful doesn’t mean it should automatically be banned. A strongly regulated system of legalisation would be a far more effective way of trying to reduce harm.

I remember hearing somewhere that ACT Labor discussed the issue of medical marijuana at a meeting sometime last year. Don’t remember where I heard it, whether or not its true, and if it is, what ever came of it.

I think it’s past time to maybe try a new approach to drugs. I’ve written extensively in the past why cannabis should be legalised, so won’t rehash it.

Comic_and_Gamer_Nerd6:01 pm 17 Jun 12

It’s so dumb pot is not sold the same as alcohol. In fact I would say its ar safer than booze.

I’ll back anything that removes the Government from our individual choices, if those choices only affect the individual.

peter11 said :

I can’t see the difference between alcohol and marijuana ( in terms of damage to society )

Why not sell it and tax it. You will not only get the tax but cost savings from not having to enforce.

Since we have lost our title for porn and fireworks, lets make Canberra the weed capital.

I second that, it would generate huge amounts of revenue for the government and would create a tourism boooooooom maaaan!

Our local government likes to prattle on and on about how progressive it is, well come on, be progressive and do something about it.

I will personally guarantee that you will find no marijuana pills on the school-ground and no pot-needles or used hash-enema’s littering children’s sandpits. In fact i think that we (meaning all pot smokers) all will make that promise to you, our MLA’s.

I can’t see the difference between alcohol and marijuana ( in terms of damage to society )

Why not sell it and tax it. You will not only get the tax but cost savings from not having to enforce.

Since we have lost our title for porn and fireworks, lets make Canberra the weed capital.

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