Weed = The Answer?

[Shane]

I've just read a good few articles stating that if Weed was legalised then Governments would be able to Tax it.
Now not only would this end a lot of Drug related Crime but it might also help our Nations to steer clear of Recessions and Credit Crunches, putting more money into the Economy to help with other things.

And I know there are Pros and Cons to Smoking/Eating Weed but aren't there with everything? Alcohol and Smoking take Millions of Lives, hell, even Driving kills plenty of people, that's still Legal. Smoking Weed just makes you find everything funny, makes you happy and makes you hungry, ergo more tax from more food sold. ;)

[Trollface.jpg]

how can you tax the distrobution of a very easily grown plant
its called weed because left unchecked it pretty much is
and if a tax was put on it the old dealers would continure to sell at the previous price and their actions would be greatly legalised from drug dealing to sale without a licence
(Y)
good times

[Leon]

I've just read a good few articles stating that if Weed was legalised then Governments would be able to Tax it.
Now not only would this end a lot of Drug related Crime but it might also help our Nations to steer clear of Recessions and Credit Crunches, putting more money into the Economy to help with other things.

And I know there are Pros and Cons to Smoking/Eating Weed but aren't there with everything? Alcohol and Smoking take Millions of Lives, hell, even Driving kills plenty of people, that's still Legal. Smoking Weed just makes you find everything funny, makes you happy and makes you hungry, ergo more tax from more food sold. ;)Yeah and they tax the hell out of all of those things because of that, if alcohol drinking, drink driving and smoking weren't being discouraged they wouldn't be taxed as much. So imagine what they'd tax you on weed.

And how on earth could they then make that point work by introducing it as legal, that would be the opposite to discouraging it's use in many people's eyes.

[tehfincheh]

On a personal level, it doesn't bother me. I'll get my hands on it whether the law wants me to or not.

But I do think Holland has the right idea when it comes to dealing with these social stigmas.

I spent a week in Amsterdam, and I might as well have spent it flying in the sky 'cause thats where I was most of the time. But you notice immediately that there's no trouble, less crime and a much more liberal attitude to looking after yourself.

I think putting responsibility on the individual is always the way forward. I'd love to see weed legalized but it just ain't gonna happen anytime soon.

[ficti0n]

I wish it would but I don't see it realistically happening in this country ever. Politicians that support legalisation get so much grief for it, it's actually quite interesting.

[Leon]

Politicians that support legalisation get so much grief for it, it's actually quite interesting.They've pretty much taken our country that much downhill to a point where this topic shouldn't even be thought about.

[tf_arl_90]

The drug trade is an extremely profitable business. If it's widely available and legal, not only is it regulated and safer, but the so called "bad guys" don't make as much money off of it, because the value goes down.

Look at the days of prohibition in the US. That didn't work so well. Sure, we still have alcohol problems, but the vast majority of people who drink alcohol do it responsibly.

There is a huge social stigma against marijuana. Personally, I wouldn't have anything to gain from legalizing it (I don't drink or smoke or anything), but yeah, I think someone should be able to sit in their house and smoke it if they so desire.

[Tami]

It shouldnt be legalised,
but it smells good.
everybody would be high 24/7

[Leon]

but yeah, I think someone should be able to sit in their house and smoke it if they so desire.Somehow I think if that were the case in 5 years tinme we'd be talking about another teen problem on the rise, to go with smoking, drinking, pregnancy etc....

Drug use.


It would just, in the same way as parents smoking make their children more likely to, make more and more children/teenagers do it.

[tf_arl_90]

Somehow I think if that were the case in 5 years tinme we'd be talking about another teen problem on the rise, to go with smoking, drinking, pregnancy etc....

Drug use.


It would just, in the same way as parents smoking make their children more likely to, make more and more children/teenagers do it.

It's already a problem. So is alcohol. Should we outlaw that? How is it really any different?

A lot of parents already smoke it. Fuck, I have a friend who recently got high with his mom (I know, I thought this was incredibly weird too lol)

[Leon]

It's already a problem. So is alcohol. Should we outlaw that? How is it really any different?

A lot of parents already smoke it. Fuck, I have a friend who recently got high with his mom (I know, I thought this was incredibly weird too lol)Yeah I was just saying the problem will escalate,especially in england where we seem to have the worst everything in Europe haha.

Most Obese
Most Underage Drinkers
Most Underages people having Sex, hence;
Most Underage/Teenage Pregnancies

etc etc, we might as well add Drug use to that list.

[zakarius]

weeds my answer

[Shane]

Yeah I was just saying the problem will escalate,especially in england where we seem to have the worst everything in Europe haha.

Most Obese
Most Underage Drinkers
Most Underages people having Sex, hence;
Most Underage/Teenage Pregnancies

etc etc, we might as well add Drug use to that list.
If it wasn't for Amsterdam we would be top of the list for that too. :P

[Leon]

Pretty much, ok illegal drug use :party:

[Trollface.jpg]

drug use is a much more widespread thing than people think
literally about 90% of the people i know smoke weed
and about 45%-50% of the people i know take 'harder' drugs
if cannabis were to be legalised the govornment would not be in controll
the trade links and heirachy of supply is already in place
it would only allow for these people to become legitimate(to some extent)
there would be no possibility of taxing it properly

and like i already said it can be grown so easily
if tobbaco was as easy to grow and make smokeable it think i would do it

[Dan.]

You can overdose on cocaine and even alcohol. It's impossible to OD on weed, you will just go unconscious.

Weed does not also kill more brain cells than extacy or alcohol do, for example. I don't know why weed is still illegal....

[Nammy]

How do you tax something that can easily be grown in your closet? That's why it's illegal.

[ficti0n]

How do you tax something that can easily be grown in your closet? That's why it's illegal.

You can grow most herbs and spices, vegetables and fruits 'easily' in controlled conditions. People just don't do it because it's easier to buy it.

[Nammy]

You can grow most herbs and spices, vegetables and fruits 'easily' in controlled conditions. People just don't do it because it's easier to buy it.
True but something like weed would be an exception once people figure they can beat the high tax that would end up on it.

[ficti0n]

True but something like weed would be an exception once people figure they can beat the high tax that would end up on it.

In the UK the duty (tax) on cigarettes is very very high. This tax could be avoided by growing your own in greenhouse conditions (the same sort of conditions you would need to grow cannabis).

But I know no one that grows their own tobacco.

[Nammy]

You can grow most herbs and spices, vegetables and fruits 'easily' in controlled conditions. People just don't do it because it's easier to buy it.


In the UK the duty (tax) on cigarettes is very very high. This tax could be avoided by growing your own in greenhouse conditions (the same sort of conditions you would need to grow cannabis).

But I know no one that grows their own tobacco.
That's because growing and curing tobacco is 10x more difficult than weed. Which is why you don't see people doing it. It's not as easy to do.

[nyx]

I'm yet to see an argument for legalizing cannabis which doesn't stem from personal greed at some level.

The majority of people argue for it, because they just want to smoke it. Fair enough, I won't judge, hell I've smoked enough of it in my younger years.

Then there's the economic argument, this is still greed, but at a more structural, capitalist level. Its about the government getting tax for it to then waste in some way or another bailing out failing banks, and why are they failing I wonder? Our economy and capitalist system and society is based purely on greed. But the trials and tribulations of capitalism is definitely something for another thread, and not to be dwelled on here.


The only acception to this trend in arguments for legalization is the medical issue, it has postive effects ya da ya da ya da. But if this is what you are going to base its legalization on then surely it has to be treated as other medicines/remedies are, and should be prescribed, or at the least sold in chemists/pharmacies etc. with limitations on the quantities you can buy and not on general release. I don't know quite what the medical issues are and I can't be assed to look them up, but I know its not a simple case of 'Well actually its not that bad for you lets legalize it', there's slight technicalities and practical issues to deal with.




That being said I'm not against legalizing it, I personally couldn't give a damn, there are far more important and interesting topics to be worried about. I', just putting my onservations out there.

I guess the point is, I can't see whats to be gained from legalizing it. Don't fix what ain't broke.




EDIT: Oh in fairness I forgot to say, in the Netherlands cannabis is legal in order for the government to crack down on hard drugs. If that was the aim in legalizing it then fair enough, thats a good idea. But even if the government was to ever legalize it, I can't see them having the balls to tackle the hard drug industry.

[zakarius]

"finally da 'erbs come around"

anyway i was thinking the other day, that if weed was legalised, then it would be such a common thing to have that the prices would rocket down, i dont think it could ever be taxed as it is too easy to grow.
if it was legal hell id grow the plants, and then stop going to dealers for it, if alot of people did that then the dealers would have to increase their deals or decrease the price, and if someone got a shady deal then they would definalty never go back,

if people could grow their own then this would put down all the crime rates that are related to weed, people would not steal for money for it or whatever as it so cheap to produce.

obviously it would fuck some people up as there are always those who dont know when to call it a day etc.. but the "stoned" effects are far better for society than the efects of being drunk..

the only downside is the mental health part of smoking too much weed, turning able people into vegetables, but this is down to stupid people going over the top with it and biased pieces of evidence from both sides of the argument

anyway my two cents