Phoenix Network Forums

Less people using drugs after it's legalized? durr...

Maybe in Netherlands

Yeah, you're probably right that legalizing will lead to higher abuse rates, but on the plus side we'll save a ton of money in the "War On Drugs". My feeling is that if what people want to do to themselves doesn't hurt anyone else, they have every right to do so.

I'd say defenitly legalize it. Countless studies have proven that Hasjies and Marihuana are not addictive and I can vouch for this myself aswel. After living twelve years in the Netherlands and smoking almost daily for the past 12 months I'd thought I would find it hard to stop using it (I dont smoke sigarettes and only drink once in a while). Since some time I moved to the Carabean to take an internship and thus I don't take drugs anymore however I do not feel any need to try and obtain drugs (even though ive been offerd weed several times on the streets!). While I am just one person I can say that atleast it is not addictive, its just very nice to have a joint when your relaxed.

In Netherland we have a system that allows softdrugs (hasj, weed, mushrooms) to be solled. The goverment does not support it (no taxes either) and do not allow commercial growth of plants (you are allowed to have 5 plant for personal use). So the coffeeshops that sell the weed are acting illegaly (though the goverment officialy tollerates them selling it) because you are not allowed to sell it. Also coffeeshops are forced to ask for identification of custommers (some shops use biometrics for this, if interested I can look it up since we are computer people after all ), others ask for identification on purchase/entrance (you are not allowed to be in a coffeeshop even if you dont take anything under the age of 18).

So as softdrugs are very accessible in Netherland there are hardly problems regarding people taking softdrugs as far as I know. People are always relaxed (people who'm you don't like suddenly act nice when you meet them in a coffeeshop) and there are never fights in coffeeshops (lots of fights in places that sell liqour though!).

Seeing as weed/hasj (never had mushrooms so I wont speak about this) I dont see any reason for not legalizing it. When it is legalized people do not need to go on the streets to find a dealer who sels weed (and as it goes often also harddrugs like coke). People can simply go to a safe enviroment where everything is controlled, no harddrugs/alchohol is allowed and but their weed. This way less people will get in touch with harddrugs via the dealer they are using and thus less people will start using harddrugs.

So yeah, defenitly legalize it, this way you (the gouverment) can control atleast a bit of the distribution and keep control of what your citizens buy (in Netherland their are restrictions to how strong the weed may be/how much THC their can be). When you don't accept it people will per defenition involve them selves with criminals just to get something that is _not addictive nore damaging to the brain_. And people will use weed/hasj, no matter if its legal or not, if people want it they will get it!

Anyway's thats how I think about legalizing the sales of softdrugs. Weed/hasj are a good thing, they aint like sigarettes/alchohol which are highly addictive and still allowed!

I don`t care about us citizens but i`m against legal marihuana...because we still don`t know what does it cause, what kind of mental changing it can do...and i really don`t like people who use any kind of narcotics..i don`t like their manner, way of speaking, and so on. I think this is the first step of being a narcoman..when u try marihuana u will want something stronger..and finally cocaind and some others ..which will kill u

uzunov wrote:I don`t care about us citizens but i`m against legal marihuana...because we still don`t know what does it cause, what kind of mental changing it can do...

Hahaha, your a politician ore something?

We know it causes shit!, Marihuana is not addictive, official studies have proven this, don't stick your head in the sand, smoking and drinking alchohol cause way more damage! If its so damn bad, why would there be such a thing as medical weed?

uzunov wrote:and i really don`t like people who use any kind of narcotics..i don`t like their manner, way of speaking, and so on. I think this is the first step of being a narcoman

Most people including me wil call that discrimination, please get your facts straight, enough 'top-level' people use marihuana, I see people with decent jobs in a 3part suit more then often in coffeeshops.

uzunov wrote:when u try marihuana u will want something stronger..and finally cocaind and some others ..which will kill u

Sounds like you tried it and had a bad trip, sorry dude but don't come up with this crap, that people use both soft and harddrugs is their own choice, enough people don't make that choice.

You do know that alchohol and nicotine kill way more people then weed does I hope?

rootland wrote:You do know that alchohol and nicotine kill way more people then weed does I hope?

I know weed can not kill you, but I will point out that you're comparing two legal substances on the open market to an illegal black market drug (in the rest of the world).

Samppa wrote:

rootland wrote:You do know that alchohol and nicotine kill way more people then weed does I hope?

I know weed can not kill you, but I will point out that you're comparing two legal substances on the open market to an illegal black market drug (in the rest of the world).

The fact that nicotine and alchohol are legal does not make then safer. The whole point of this thread is why we think it should (not) be legalized, how am I going to point that out without comparing things?

Legal != Safe, remember that!

Yes, I know, I'm saying the substances are incomparable, even though it makes no difference.

only for clinical purposes! smoking is a form of druging, creats adiction, but it is not transforming you as a person! I`m against! NO definitivelly

rootland wrote:We know it causes shit!, Marihuana is not addictive, official studies have proven this, don't stick your head in the sand, smoking and drinking alchohol cause way more damage! If its so damn bad, why would there be such a thing as medical weed?

What are you on and were can I find some.

1. I don't know where you found your studies, but I know *real* people who have started on weed and ended up on the streets with their brain fried up from the drugs they ended up taking.

2. Just because something is used for medicine doesn't mean that it's safe to use liberally on your own. That's why they have perscriptions. For example, I'm on a medicine for ADD is almost the same as crack. The only difference is that it's a much smaller dose. They don't sell that stuff at the corner store for a reason.

trick wrote:1. I don't know where you found your studies, but I know *real* people who have started on weed and ended up on the streets with their brain fried up from the drugs they ended up taking.
.

I doubt they ended there just by smoking weed, drugs like heroine are physicaly addictive, weed is not. If weed was realy a danger to health then no goverment would allow it, simple as that.

So many people who used to be frequent pot smokers just 'grow over' it. With a real addiction like heroine you dont grow over it, thats the whole point of an addiction. And please tell me, Holland allows you to smoke/buy small quantities of weed yet I wont describe Holland as a country where much people live on the streets. You talk about about people selling stuff on the corner, as I said before, chances that your corner dealer also sells other stuff is alot bigger then when you buy your weed in a controlled enviroment like a coffeeshop.

Legalizing and controlling weed creates a better enviroment then just banning it and discarding the problem. People will buy it, no matter if its legal or not!

And once again, I seriousle doubt people will be actualy addicted to the THC. To the sigarets they use for their joints, maybe, to other drugs they buy from their dealer, perhaps but show me proof that people are actualy addicted to weed and not some other substance, till then I will beleive that controlled sailes are the way to go just like in Holland (or perhaps even more liberal cause the Dutch system doesnt make sense but meh, it works and keeps weed related crimes low).

I'm a bit confused with all the different studies about cannabis, though I believe it should be at least legalised for medical issues since it helps people with cancer.

I am a pot smoker so I would like to see it get legalised in Slovenia - the country would get nice money from the sell and the merchandise would be a lot better than now. And the prices would be pretty much the same. A heaven for me But this is just my point of view as a user.

The prohibition of the substance does significantly more damage than marijuana itself. when people have to get involved with drug dealers, and the world surrounding the purchase of drugs, it's what leads them into other things.

"hey, lemme get a 5 sack"
"dont have any, but here, have soem of this"

etc etc.. and really.. why not? it's your descision if you wanna or not.

xorbit wrote:The prohibition of the substance does significantly more damage than marijuana itself. when people have to get involved with drug dealers, and the world surrounding the purchase of drugs, it's what leads them into other things.

"hey, lemme get a 5 sack"
"dont have any, but here, have soem of this"

etc etc.. and really.. why not? it's your descision if you wanna or not.

Do you have studies and examples to support your claim? Not all users, but a lot would waste their lives away being "high." If marijuana was legalized is would be just be another step towards moral and social anarchy. I do support the use of marijuana for cancer patients and people that need it for real and serious medical reasons though.

DaysAreDone wrote:Do you have studies and examples to support your claim? Not all users, but a lot would waste their lives away being "high." If marijuana was legalized is would be just be another step towards moral and social anarchy. I do support the use of marijuana for cancer patients and people that need it for real and serious medical reasons though.

I've seen people waste their lives because of WoW, computering, watching TV, having uprotected sex or simply by being lazy. And none of that is illegal. On the other hand we have cigarettes and alcohol legalised. It's a strange world we live in and I believe it's only getting worse on daily bases. The truth is there are many studies about marihuana but little of them are on a really scientific bases or soon get forgotten. It's a question that in my opinion can not be really answered. Some like meat, others don't touch it - some say it's basic for a human body development, others that it is a poison. AND there have been studies made that confirm both none and meat eaters. Hell I don't know what to think about. I am a student and am doing ok in life and I do smoke pot. To me it is only a way to brighten my mind, to some it probably really is a drug. Unfortunately we don't make laws, the people that think they know what's good for us make them.