Should Canberra legalise marijuana?

Reply

bundah said :

Az said :

(Evidence is purely anecdotal – but when you’ve been offered a scoob in the PM’s courtyard during a Corridor Party, it’s hard to form the view an impenetrable anti-pot barrier surrounds the Steward Flats.)

Ah yes they’d have many a Steward passing joints around in the PM’s courtyard….

Of course you meant the Stuart flats.

Indeed. Cheers.

PBO said :

Were you offered some Senatesimilla?

Nah they’re a very seedy lot in the senitalia….

Az said :

“Ahhh, weed, the preferred entertainment for 9 out of 10 housos.”

And judges, politicians, media personalities, and many EL1 and above public servants.

(Evidence is purely anecdotal – but when you’ve been offered a scoob in the PM’s courtyard during a Corridor Party, it’s hard to form the view an impenetrable anti-pot barrier surrounds the Steward Flats.)

Were you offered some Senatesimilla?

Az said :

(Evidence is purely anecdotal – but when you’ve been offered a scoob in the PM’s courtyard during a Corridor Party, it’s hard to form the view an impenetrable anti-pot barrier surrounds the Steward Flats.)

Ah yes they’d have many a Steward passing joints around in the PM’s courtyard….

Of course you meant the Stuart flats.

“Ahhh, weed, the preferred entertainment for 9 out of 10 housos.”

And judges, politicians, media personalities, and many EL1 and above public servants.

(Evidence is purely anecdotal – but when you’ve been offered a scoob in the PM’s courtyard during a Corridor Party, it’s hard to form the view an impenetrable anti-pot barrier surrounds the Steward Flats.)

astrojax said :

Tooks said :

davo101 said :

Grimm said :

Ahhh, weed, the preferred entertainment for 9 out of 10 housos.

Nice theory, shame it not supported by the data. The poorer someone is the more likely they are to have never used cannabis.

I don’t have time to read your link at the moment, but I find that hard to believe based on how many housos I come across who are cannabis users. It’s a cheap drug which is easy to get, which is why it is so popular, particularly with the fiscally challenged.

you’ve not time to read the supplied data, but nonetheless provide us with your opinion based on your interactions with a vanishingly small percent of the population you happen to know. thanks, we’re indebted…

Not asking you to be indebted. Just mentioning that my experience having dealt with many hundreds of this demographic is that a high percentage use cannabis. Didn’t say the research was wrong, didn’t say I was right. Just my observation.

Thanks for your useless comment though. I’m sure everyone else is indebted to you for making it.

PBO said :

Grimm said :

Ahhh, weed, the preferred entertainment for 9 out of 10 housos.

Nah, we already have enough brain-dead, jobless, no hoping losers around. It seems smoking weed creates them, and we really don’t need any more.

Your 1950’s style demographic sounds awesome. None of the devil’s lettuce around to turn the local children into satans little helpers, because that’s what happens. Pot kills, just ask Colin Winchester. We must think of the children because there is an evil, child killing pot dealer on every corner and “ALL” of their profits directly support terrorists, and they are not the fun type like Die Hards Hans Gruber, They are the ethnic foreigners from Farawayistan who all look like sterotypes of eachother who pirate DVD’s to support the drug production which supports the terrorist activities which directly supports the reason for our war effort because we have to justify our end of the war.

I’ll bet that a friend of a cousin of yours knew someone from bible class whose child died of a pot overdose as well.

Errrr, no. I just don’t know anybody who smokes that crap that isn’t a dole bludging loser.

Smoking weed, sitting around on the couch eating home brand corn chips and watching daytime TV rather than getting a job is pretty SOP for housos. Then you have the non-houso types who smoke and think they are special and creative rather than annoying wankers.

Smoking weed makes you a derro and a loser. I have a better opinion of casual cocaine users than bong heads.

PBO said :

Hell, if you want the truth just follow the discarded orchy bottles and hose cuttings and see where they lead you.

If my high school was anything to go by, it probably leads to bored middle-class teenagers.

and relevantly from davo’s link:

In 2010, there appeared to be a relationship between a person’s cannabis use and his or her mental health (Table 6.7). For people in Australia aged 18 years or older:
? those who had reported using cannabis in the previous 12 months (18.7%) or in the previous month (20.5%) were more likely to have been diagnosed or treated for a mental illness than people who had not used in the previous 12 month (11.3%)
? those who had used cannabis in the previous month (19.1%) or previous 12 months (16.3%) were more likely to report high or very high levels of psychological distress compared with those who had not recently used cannabis (9.1%)
• those who had used cannabis in the previous month were more likely to assess their health as fair or poor than those who had not used in the previous 12 months.

so while there appears to be a correlation, causality for same is not discussed, so my earlier comment stands.

Tooks said :

davo101 said :

Grimm said :

Ahhh, weed, the preferred entertainment for 9 out of 10 housos.

Nice theory, shame it not supported by the data. The poorer someone is the more likely they are to have never used cannabis.

I don’t have time to read your link at the moment, but I find that hard to believe based on how many housos I come across who are cannabis users. It’s a cheap drug which is easy to get, which is why it is so popular, particularly with the fiscally challenged.

you’ve not time to read the supplied data, but nonetheless provide us with your opinion based on your interactions with a vanishingly small percent of the population you happen to know. thanks, we’re indebted…

Tooks said :

davo101 said :

Grimm said :

Ahhh, weed, the preferred entertainment for 9 out of 10 housos.

Nice theory, shame it not supported by the data. The poorer someone is the more likely they are to have never used cannabis.

I don’t have time to read your link at the moment, but I find that hard to believe based on how many housos I come across who are cannabis users. It’s a cheap drug which is easy to get, which is why it is so popular, particularly with the fiscally challenged.

I agree with Tooks, boots on the ground are a better source of knowledge than words and numbers on paper written by some uni student who has probably never stepped foot in a housing complex.

Hell, if you want the truth just follow the discarded orchy bottles and hose cuttings and see where they lead you.

davo101 said :

Grimm said :

Ahhh, weed, the preferred entertainment for 9 out of 10 housos.

Nice theory, shame it not supported by the data. The poorer someone is the more likely they are to have never used cannabis.

I don’t have time to read your link at the moment, but I find that hard to believe based on how many housos I come across who are cannabis users. It’s a cheap drug which is easy to get, which is why it is so popular, particularly with the fiscally challenged.

Grimm said :

Ahhh, weed, the preferred entertainment for 9 out of 10 housos.

Nice theory, shame it not supported by the data. The poorer someone is the more likely they are to have never used cannabis.

Grimm said :

Ahhh, weed, the preferred entertainment for 9 out of 10 housos.

Nah, we already have enough brain-dead, jobless, no hoping losers around. It seems smoking weed creates them, and we really don’t need any more.

Your 1950’s style demographic sounds awesome. None of the devil’s lettuce around to turn the local children into satans little helpers, because that’s what happens. Pot kills, just ask Colin Winchester. We must think of the children because there is an evil, child killing pot dealer on every corner and “ALL” of their profits directly support terrorists, and they are not the fun type like Die Hards Hans Gruber, They are the ethnic foreigners from Farawayistan who all look like sterotypes of eachother who pirate DVD’s to support the drug production which supports the terrorist activities which directly supports the reason for our war effort because we have to justify our end of the war.

I’ll bet that a friend of a cousin of yours knew someone from bible class whose child died of a pot overdose as well.

Ahhh, weed, the preferred entertainment for 9 out of 10 housos.

Nah, we already have enough brain-dead, jobless, no hoping losers around. It seems smoking weed creates them, and we really don’t need any more.

Az said :

Where do ACT political parties stand on the issue? I assume it’s Greens for decriminalisation/legalisation(?) of dope use …

Nope.

From the Greens web site:

The Greens support:

Ending criminal sanctions for personal drug use, instead focusing on treatment and counselling.
Criminal penalties for importers, manufacturers and suppliers of illegal drugs.
Increased funding for drug treatment, rehabilitation and counselling.
A system of sanctions for drug-dependent habitual users. These include fines and enforceable treatment orders to compel drug dependent people into treatment rather than gaols.
Increasing harm reduction programs, such as needle exchanges and medically supervised injecting centres.
The regulated medicinal use of drugs with proven therapeutic or palliative benefits regardless of their current status.
Using the tax from alcohol sales to fund alcohol and drug education and treatment.
Banning donations from drug, tobacco and alcohol industries to political parties.

As far as pot is concerned, I’d like to see it regulated as a prescription drug or something equivalent, where you need to consult with your doctor first, then have regular checkups to ensure that your use of the drug is not causing you harm.

This will of course require growers & distributors to be regulated, and regular product testing to be done. Hopefully it will also lead to lower THC levels since you’re not trying to hide the volume of product anymore.

I’d then like to see heftier penalties for people attempting to produce, consume, import or export without license.

farnarkler said :

We could have some really cool imaginative coffee shops here if they did.

And listen to Hipster’s bitch about Hipster Hipster’s who bitch about when they went to Amsterdam before it was cool. But I would like it if they had coffee cart style “weederies” (it’s a word now, deal with it) where you could have a business style “on the go” Barvarian style cone while watching the cart vendor play a Hurdy-Gurdy dubstep style for a monkey dancing .

I can say that most Canberrans would find this entertaining.

astrojax said :

or are the people likely to have psychotic episodes, etc, more likely to use this drug? ‘self medication’ is a classic response to the symptoms of many mental health issues…

My understanding is that research suggests that cannabis use can be a major cause of psychotic illnesses in those who are genetically vulnerable. Hence my comment that it has potential negative consequences for some but not the majority it would appear.

bundah said :

Research by the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands shows that people who smoke cannabis are nearly three times more likely than non-users to develop a psychotic disorder like hallucinations, paranoia, manic depression and even schizophrenia – and that the risk increases with the amount smoked.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-135025/Cannabis-trebles-risk-mental-illness.html

While I support legalisation the simple reality is that there are potential negative consequences for some more so than others so inhale or ingest at your own risk.

or are the people likely to have psychotic episodes, etc, more likely to use this drug? ‘self medication’ is a classic response to the symptoms of many mental health issues…

Antagonist said :

dungfungus said :

Do you inhale and injest hash brownies also, bundah?

If you are trying to inhale brownies then you are doing it wrong.

Injest? It sounds like you are grinding the brownies up and injecting them, which is also doing it wrong. Or is ‘injesting’ what happens when you try to ingest brownies while you have got the giggles?

Trust me to get a bagging from someone who has never made a spelling mistake.

dungfungus said :

Do you inhale and injest hash brownies also, bundah?

If you are trying to inhale brownies then you are doing it wrong.

Injest? It sounds like you are grinding the brownies up and injecting them, which is also doing it wrong. Or is ‘injesting’ what happens when you try to ingest brownies while you have got the giggles?

dungfungus said :

While I support legalisation the simple reality is that there are potential negative consequences for some more so than others so inhale or ingest at your own risk.

“psychotic disorder like hallucinations, paranoia, manic depression and even schizophrenia”
It would appear a lot of contributors to this blog are users.
Do you inhale and injest hash brownies also, bundah?

Hell no dungers it would only dull my superior elitist thinking…..

bundah said :

Research by the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands shows that people who smoke cannabis are nearly three times more likely than non-users to develop a psychotic disorder like hallucinations, paranoia, manic depression and even schizophrenia – and that the risk increases with the amount smoked.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-135025/Cannabis-trebles-risk-mental-illness.html

While I support legalisation the simple reality is that there are potential negative consequences for some more so than others so inhale or ingest at your own risk.

“psychotic disorder like hallucinations, paranoia, manic depression and even schizophrenia”
It would appear a lot of contributors to this blog are users.
Do you inhale and injest hash brownies also, bundah?

Tool said :

Marijuana is very different to alcohol. There is proven research into the prolonged use of alcohol, the various dosages over periods of time, and the pros and consfof the substance. We all know using it in moderation at small levels causes negligible damage to the body and may actually assist in certain circumstances. Marijuana however does not have the same research and proven results. Yes there is an obvious medical benefit for pain management which I support, but there is also significant ongoing research to show those who are prolific users are likely to develop mental health issues.

At the end of the day we have had weak as water laws that have hardly proved a deterrent, and now it is impossible to backtrack. Are we now facing the result of the sins of our fathers? There is a lot to be gained from militant rule, civil libertarians dont actually care what their cause is or how it impacts on society, they are issue focused only and we somehow entertain their ideals….

You’re picking and choosing “research” that suits your agenda. For every article that discusses supposed benefits of alcohol consumption, there are another 5 articles that discuss the impact of alcohol on violence, on degenerative brain injuries and on social issues.

If you’re going to be critical of cannabis legalisation, the hair-brained claim that alcohol=good, pot=bad claim is a non-sensical argument.

bundah said :

Research by the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands shows that people who smoke cannabis are nearly three times more likely than non-users to develop a psychotic disorder like hallucinations, paranoia, manic depression and even schizophrenia – and that the risk increases with the amount smoked.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-135025/Cannabis-trebles-risk-mental-illness.html

While I support legalisation the simple reality is that there are potential negative consequences for some more so than others so inhale or ingest at your own risk.

And similarly, for every piece of published literature talking about the supposed negative detriments of cannabis use, there’s another piece of published literature that supports what I’d initially said – psychosis or schizophrenia is largely on a consequence in people who already have some sort of pre-disposition to it.

http://www.recoveryonpurpose.com/upload/Effects%20of%20Marijuana%20Use%20on%20the%20Risk%20for%20Schizophrenia.pdf

The only way we’ll ever truly know if is a government is open minded enough to actually run some clinical trials into the use of medical marijuana. I’d like to think that our own ACT government was progressive enough to look into it – but I suspect that if they were going to do it, it would’ve happened by now.

Research by the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands shows that people who smoke cannabis are nearly three times more likely than non-users to develop a psychotic disorder like hallucinations, paranoia, manic depression and even schizophrenia – and that the risk increases with the amount smoked.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-135025/Cannabis-trebles-risk-mental-illness.html

While I support legalisation the simple reality is that there are potential negative consequences for some more so than others so inhale or ingest at your own risk.

Tool said :

Marijuana is very different to alcohol. There is proven research into the prolonged use of alcohol, the various dosages over periods of time, and the pros and consfof the substance. We all know using it in moderation at small levels causes negligible damage to the body and may actually assist in certain circumstances. Marijuana however does not have the same research and proven results. Yes there is an obvious medical benefit for pain management which I support, but there is also significant ongoing research to show those who are prolific users are likely to develop mental health issues.

I don’t agree with this at all. EXACTLY the same argument can be made for marijuana (moderation and “negligible damage to the body and may actually assist in some cases”) as you make for alcohol. Likewise, both can be harmful if abused.

Az said :

I know a few Young Liberals who love a puff, but I’d doubt they’d admit it openly.

“… but I didn’t inhale”. Alexander Downer and Tony Abbott (both Liberals).

Nice contributions and some thoughtful debate.

If the above is any indication of general attitudes (anecdotal evidence suggests it is), then this seems to be a discussion the wider community should be having.

Where do ACT political parties stand on the issue? I assume it’s Greens for decriminalisation/legalisation(?) of dope use, Liberals opposed and Labor split down factional lines, but that’s probably too simplistic.

I know a few Young Liberals who love a puff, but I’d doubt they’d admit it openly.

Marijuana is very different to alcohol. There is proven research into the prolonged use of alcohol, the various dosages over periods of time, and the pros and consfof the substance. We all know using it in moderation at small levels causes negligible damage to the body and may actually assist in certain circumstances. Marijuana however does not have the same research and proven results. Yes there is an obvious medical benefit for pain management which I support, but there is also significant ongoing research to show those who are prolific users are likely to develop mental health issues.

At the end of the day we have had weak as water laws that have hardly proved a deterrent, and now it is impossible to backtrack. Are we now facing the result of the sins of our fathers? There is a lot to be gained from militant rule, civil libertarians dont actually care what their cause is or how it impacts on society, they are issue focused only and we somehow entertain their ideals….

At least make it a government run monopoly. That’ll give jobs to all the put of work pubes.

MMR said :

Canberra sure has its fill of dumb people, such as those above suggesting this drug should be legalised. Go and have a talk to mental health staff about the effects of using this crap or take a visit to a mental health facility and see for yourself the damage it does. But I guess if you didn’t have much of a brain to begin with……

I’ve spoken with many MH workers. Don’t try to speak on their behalf because I guarantee you that plenty are pro legalisation.

MMR said :

Canberra sure has its fill of dumb people, such as those above suggesting this drug should be legalised. Go and have a talk to mental health staff about the effects of using this crap or take a visit to a mental health facility and see for yourself the damage it does. But I guess if you didn’t have much of a brain to begin with……

If keeping it illegal actually stopped people from using it, then the problems you’ve described wouldn’t exist.

MMR said :

Canberra sure has its fill of dumb people, such as those above suggesting this drug should be legalised. Go and have a talk to mental health staff about the effects of using this crap or take a visit to a mental health facility and see for yourself the damage it does. But I guess if you didn’t have much of a brain to begin with……

Can I talk to the same person about tobacco and alcohol as well?

MMR said :

Canberra sure has its fill of dumb people, such as those above suggesting this drug should be legalised. Go and have a talk to mental health staff about the effects of using this crap or take a visit to a mental health facility and see for yourself the damage it does. But I guess if you didn’t have much of a brain to begin with……

Or we could just go off our own personal experiences of not having these impacts?

The whole argument is crap when we have legalised alcohol which causes more social problems than pot ever could – more violence, more addicts, more broken families.

Pork Hunt said :

I’m in the pro legalisation camp however, how would law enforcement agencies, armed services and the airline pilots federation (just to give an example), deal with legal marijuana if they woke up tomorrow morning and it was so?

Again – the same way they deal with alcohol.

MMR said :

Canberra sure has its fill of dumb people, such as those above suggesting this drug should be legalised. Go and have a talk to mental health staff about the effects of using this crap or take a visit to a mental health facility and see for yourself the damage it does. But I guess if you didn’t have much of a brain to begin with……

You would find the same response from mental health workers no matter what substance you were talking about, whether that be alcohol, weed, mushrooms, opium based prescribed medications, or just about any other substance for that matter. But medicinal marijuana serves a purpose, and it actually works. It is also far less dangerous than the majority of the legal alternatives. This is why so many countries are legalising it. There is a shedload of evidence coming from the medical community that supports this view.

It is not the supporters of legalisation that don’t have much of a brain to begin with, MMR …

** I do not drink or smoke.

Canberra sure has its fill of dumb people, such as those above suggesting this drug should be legalised. Go and have a talk to mental health staff about the effects of using this crap or take a visit to a mental health facility and see for yourself the damage it does. But I guess if you didn’t have much of a brain to begin with……

Of course it should. What a silly question.

as use of weed is pretty broad, i would like to see some stats on what sort of usage increase we’d expect to see from its legalisation; what sort of revenue would be drawn for the community from its legalisation; what economic and social benefits (more judicial system time for crime with a victim, for example, and dismantling of some criminal structures currently premised on this illicit product) would flow from its legalisation; and some analysis of social disruptions and costs compared to licit drugs [booze and fags] that would flow from its legalisation and compared to its current use.

i anticipate that legalisation would be the obvious choice if these analyses were undertaken and the legislature took due recognisance of them. but i’m not holding my breath under the current abhorrent [federal] government…

Pork Hunt said :

I’m in the pro legalisation camp however, how would law enforcement agencies, armed services and the airline pilots federation (just to give an example), deal with legal marijuana if they woke up tomorrow morning and it was so?

It would be no diff to alcohol, all those mentioned work places would outlaw its use. You would however see an increase in enforcement targeting drug driving, it would be a win win, all those who feel a need to smoke it can; they will then pay tax on their purchase, pay fines when they drive under the influence, and boost public transport use…

Why not, perhaps we could introduce similar criteria as has been adopted by Colorado recently?

http://edition.cnn.com/2013/12/28/us/10-things-colorado-recreational-marijuana/

A 10% GST on weed? Sounds fair.

I’m in the pro legalisation camp however, how would law enforcement agencies, armed services and the airline pilots federation (just to give an example), deal with legal marijuana if they woke up tomorrow morning and it was so?

astrojax said :

nice pic, btw

I thought so, too – reminded me of a Peter Dombrovskis close-up.

Legalise it and invest the tax revenue back into the canberra economy.

farq said :

If the ACT goes first, Canberra will be full of stoned tourists year round.

That would be fantastic news for the local café and restaurant owners.

Personally I think the jury is out on recreational use, but there is a very strong case for legalising medicinal marijuana (refer post #3).

Tooks said :

I’m pro-legalisation and have been for a long time. When I smoked it in high school it cost $20 for a stick (1g). Fast forward to 2014 and it costs…$20 for a stick and is ridiculously easy to get. So illegality has not changed its price or availability so what’s the point in keeping it illegal?

What I object to is people trying to convince themselves and others it is a harmless drug when it is anything but. Legalise it, collect tax, and make sure people are properly educated about the potential harm in using it. That’s the way to go imo.

Agreed. Additionally, prohibition is a massive boost for criminals.

Just reading a book, “Cosa Nostra” by John Dickie:
“The single most important turning point in the history of organized crime in America was…the approval of Prohibition…At one stroke, one of the country’s most lucrative industries was handed over to criminals….Prohibition is estimated to have put $2 billion into the illegal economy before it was abolished in 1933”.
And that’s $2 billion at a time when you’d earn $1,000pa and a house cost $5,000.

Any politician who objects too strenuously is either a mad wowser or is in the pocket of an organised criminal. In either case, they should be ignored.

Im not a user myself but have no real issue with seeing it legal. If its good bad or indifferent its still up to people to make their own life choices.

I do see comparisons with cigarettes etc as something of a non-sequiter though. Its needs to be argued on its own merits not trying to draw a comparison with something else as justification. If cigarettes were illegal would you then stop campaigning for pot?

In other parts of the world where these drugs have been legalised, what has been the effect on the drug suppliers. Have they happily become legitimate business and paid tax, or given up and gone out of business, or adapted by trying to push their customers onto harder drugs that are still illegal?

From an economics perspective it’s a no brainer.

As others have pointed out, making it illegal doesn’t actually stop people from using it and its readily available.

By making it legal you can regulate and tax it, it’s a clear win for people with chronic pain/health conditions, you eliminate the crime associated with illegal drug dealing, and you eliminate the cost to the police and court system of trying to catch and prosecute people for using it.

In terms of addictiveness and the physical harm it causes, alcohol and tobacco are far, far more dangerous, and yet no one would seriously suggest that we should make either of those illegal.

If it works for them, it could work for us:

http://www.smh.com.au/travel/travel-news/high-tourist-numbers-expected-as-us-states-colorado-and-washington-legalise-recreational-marijuana-20131231-303po.html

Might be a (small) economic offset to the federal cuts (and the lost fireworks revenue) – although we couldn’t quite match Denver’s “mile high” claim…..

nice pic, btw

We could have some really cool imaginative coffee shops here if they did.

If the ACT goes first, Canberra will be full of stoned tourists year round.

Also I don’t think the current federal government would approve.

On the other hand it would be nice if the people making money from pot were forced to pay some tax and had to comply with health/safety/workplace protections.

I’m pro-legalisation and have been for a long time. When I smoked it in high school it cost $20 for a stick (1g). Fast forward to 2014 and it costs…$20 for a stick and is ridiculously easy to get. So illegality has not changed its price or availability so what’s the point in keeping it illegal?

What I object to is people trying to convince themselves and others it is a harmless drug when it is anything but. Legalise it, collect tax, and make sure people are properly educated about the potential harm in using it. That’s the way to go imo.

Of course it should be legalised. It’s incredible that we’re a more conservative country than a place where you can buy guns at Walmart.

There is increasing evidence that the schizophrenia or psychosis risk is negligible in people are not already genetically pre-disposed to those conditions. Perhaps we implement a system where you need a mental health check from your doctor before you can buy it – but it’s not a “why you need to use it” test, it’s “are there any reasons you can’t use it.”

Depending on the time of year, Canberra is either extraordinarily easy, or extraordinarily hard to score in. At this time of year it’s not too bad – in a few months it will be difficult. Quality is a bit of a crap shoot in Canberra.

I obviously do smoke it, only recreationally. When I can get it, great. When I can’t get it, that’s fine too.

I was previously a bit ambivalent to the whole legalisation argument, because I’ve never had trouble getting it. So I don’t really care whether or not it’s legal.

What led me to believe in legalisation so strongly was watching a good friend develop a crippling back injury following a workplace injury; watching his condition degenerate; watching him go through the awful side effects of narcotic medication when he’s starting it, stopping it, increasing it, or decreasing it.

This is a ridiculous situation. In what universe are narcotics better for you than pot? In the case of my friend, he knows that narcotics aren’t “better” for him in terms of side effects, but particularly in terms of his pain.

Narcotics make him unable to crap, sleep or exercise, and they don’t really improve his pain much at all.

Pot makes him able to crap, sleep and exercise, and it’s better for his pain as well.

I’m sorry, but in that instance it’s f**king madness that it remains criminalised here. Every time I see my friend his pain has gotten worse, but he’s fighting a brave fight to not increase his reliance on largely ineffective narcotics.

If I didn’t live in a rental place, I’d grow it for him myself.

Actually NZ just passed some laws leaglising “synthetic high” drugs, ie those developed and tested with quality control and no side effects or health issues.
I’m a firm believer the only way to control many of these things is to legalise and tax it.

The problem with these kinds of social issues is those against will use all kind of unproven what if scenarios which scare the politicians into not doing it. Just look at the gay marriage debate and the irrational unproven arguments against it. Drug reform laws are also similarly debated with unproven debate about how everyone will get addicted to illegal drugs.

Yeah I like to have a joint on Sunday arvo before I crack a beer & watch the footy. I’d prefer a bong but the stigma is too great.