Marijuana - Legalise It

[Osborn F Enready]

Since 1969, government-appointed commissions in the United States, Canada, England, Australia, and the Netherlands concluded, after reviewing the scientific evidence, that marijuana's dangers had previously been greatly exaggerated, and urged lawmakers to drastically reduce or eliminate penalties for marijuana possession.

Source: Advisory Committee on Drug Dependence, Cannabis (London, England: Her Majesty's Stationery Office, 1969); Canadian Government Commission of Inquiry, The Non-Medical Use of Drugs (Ottawa, Canada: Information Canada, 1970); The National Commission on Marihuana and Drug Abuse, Marihuana: A Signal of Misunderstanding, (Nixon-Shafer Report) (Washington, DC: USGPO, 1972); Werkgroep Verdovende Middelen, Background and Risks of Drug Use (The Hague, The Netherlands: Staatsuigeverij, 1972); Senate Standing Committee on Social Welfare, Drug Problems in Australia-An Intoxicated Society (Canberra, Australia: Australian Government Publishing Service, 1977); Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs, "The classification of cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971" (London, England, UK: Home Office, March 2002), available on the web from http://www.drugs.gov.uk/ReportsandPu...ugsAct1971.pdf ; House of Commons Home Affairs Committee Third Report, "The Government's Drugs Policy: Is It Working?" (London, England, UK: Parliament, May 9, 2002), from the web at http://www.publications.parliament.u.../318/31802.htm and "Cannabis: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy," report of the Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs (Ottawa, Canada: Senate of Canada, September 2002).


The Canadian Senate's Special Committee on Illegal Drugs recommended in its 2002 final report on cannabis policy that "the Government of Canada amend the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act to create a criminal exemption scheme. This legislation should stipulate the conditions for obtaining licenses as well as for producing and selling cannabis; criminal penalties for illegal trafficking and export; and the preservation of criminal penalties for all activities falling outside the scope of the exemption scheme."

Source: "Cannabis: Our Position for a Canadian Public Policy," report of the Canadian Senate Special Committee on Illegal Drugs (Ottawa, Canada: Senate of Canada, September 2002), p. 46.


The United Kingdom officially downgraded the classification of cannabis from Class B to Class C effective Jan. 29, 2004. The London Guardian reported that "Under the switch, cannabis will be ranked alongside bodybuilding steroids and some anti-depressants. Possession of cannabis will no longer be an arrestable offence in most cases, although police will retain the power to arrest users in certain aggravated situations - such as when the drug is smoked outside schools. The home secretary, David Blunkett, has said the change in the law is necessary to enable police to spend more time tackling class A drugs such as heroin and crack cocaine which cause the most harm and trigger far more crime."

Source: Tempest, Matthew, "MPs Vote To Downgrade Cannabis," The Guardian (London, England), Oct. 29, 2003.


UK Home Secretary David Blunkett announced in July 2002 that "We must concentrate our efforts on the drugs that cause the most harm, while sending a credible message to young people. I will therefore ask Parliament to reclassify cannabis from Class B to Class C. I have considered the recommendations of the Home Affairs Committee, and the advice given me by the ACMD medical experts that the current classification of cannabis is disproportionate in relation to the harm that it causes."

Source: "'All Controlled Drugs Harmful, All Will Remain Illegal' - Home Secretary," News Release, Office of the Home Secretary, Government of the United Kingdom, July 10, 2002, from the web at http://213.219.10.30/n_story.asp?item_id=143 last accessed July 31, 2002.


In May of 1998, the Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, National Working Group on Addictions Policy released policy a discussion document which recommended, "The severity of punishment for a cannabis possession charge should be reduced. Specifically, cannabis possession should be converted to a civil violation under the Contraventions Act." The paper further noted that, "The available evidence indicates that removal of jail as a sentencing option would lead to considerable cost savings without leading to increases in rates of cannabis use."

Source: Single, Eric, Cannabis Control in Canada: Options Regarding Possession (Ottawa, Canada: Canadian Centre on Substance Abuse, May 1998).


"Our conclusion is that the present law on cannabis produces more harm than it prevents. It is very expensive of the time and resources of the criminal justice system and especially of the police. It inevitably bears more heavily on young people in the streets of inner cities, who are also more likely to be from minority ethnic communities, and as such is inimical to police-community relations. It criminalizes large numbers of otherwise law-abiding, mainly young, people to the detriment of their futures. It has become a proxy for the control of public order; and it inhibits accurate education about the relative risks of different drugs including the risks of cannabis itself."

Source: Police Foundation of the United Kingdom, "Drugs and the Law: Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Misuse of Drugs Act of 1971", April 4, 2000. The Police Foundation, based in London, England, is a nonprofit organization presided over by Charles, Crown Prince of Wales, which promotes research, debate and publication to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of policing in the UK.


According to the federal Potency Monitoring Project, the average potency of marijuana has increased very little since the 1980s. The Project reports that in 1985, the average THC content of commercial-grade marijuana was 2.84%, and the average for high-grade sinsemilla in 1985 was 7.17%. In 1995, the potency of commercial-grade marijuana averaged 3.73%, while the potency of sinsemilla in 1995 averaged 7.51%. In 2001, commercial-grade marijuana averaged 4.72% THC, and the potency of sinsemilla in 2001 averaged 9.03%.

Source: Quarterly Report #76, Nov. 9, 2001-Feb. 8, 2002, Table 3, p. 8, University of Mississippi Potency Monitoring Project (Oxford, MS: National Center for the Development of Natural Products, Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 2002), Mahmoud A. ElSohly, PhD, Director, NIDA Marijuana Project (NIDA Contract #N01DA-0-7707).


"Statements in the popular media that the potency of cannabis has increased by ten times or more in recent decades are not support by the data from either the USA or Europe. As discussed in the body of this report, systematic data are not available in Europe on long-term trends and analytical and methodological issues complicate the interpretation of the information that is available. Data are stronger for medium and short-term trends where no major differences are apparent in Europe, although some modest increases are found in some countries. The greatest long-term changes in potency appear to have occurred in the USA. It should be noted here that before 1980 herbal cannabis potency in the USA was, according to the available data, very low by European standards."

Source: European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, "EMCDDA Insights - An Overview of Cannabis Potency in Europe (Luxembourg: Office for Official Publications of the European Communities, 2004), p. 59.


"Although marijuana grown in the United States was once considered inferior because of a low concentration of THC, advancements in plant selection and cultivation have resulted in higher THC-containing domestic marijuana. In 1974, the average THC content of illicit marijuana was less than one percent. Today most commercial grade marijuana from Mexico/Columbia and domestic outdoor cultivated marijuana has an average THC content of about 4 to 6 percent. Between 1998 and 2002, NIDA-sponsored Marijuana Potency Monitoring System (MPMP) analyzed 4,603 domestic samples. Of those samples, 379 tested over 15 percent THC, 69 samples tested between 20 and 25 percent THC and four samples tested over 25 percent THC."

Source: US Drug Enforcement Administration, "Drugs of Abuse" (Washington, DC: US Dept. of Justice, 2005), from the web at http://www.dea.gov/pubs/abuse/7-pot.htm last accessed Jan. 27, 2005.

[Osborn F Enready]

Now, would anyone like to carry out INTELLIGENT debate of fact on this topic?

[asterix404]

HEHE DAMn you are good... btw, I can't spell for shit if you have a problem with this PM and i'll gladly give you a few reasons why. For now be safe to assume that I am a computer geek and have had more then my fair share of learning disablilities that prevent me from spelling correctly though that doesn't seem to make my mind stop racing around. I speak clearly and elaquentily and if I can't spell half the big words I write so be it... ::shrugs:: I don't have a spell checker, and honestly I don't have the time nore care to even bother about it.

For non-beleavers out their as well... pick up a book called marajuna 20 myths and facts... an excellant book about many studies that have involved and proved most of Osborn's points.

Also yea, sure I smoke weed, not regularly, been off and on for about 2 years, I have gotton b's and a's, want to make 200k US a year 5 years after I graduate... so far I haven't had a nervious break down and been adicted to anything and I use it recreationally. This is of course opinoin stright from ther person, not from someone whos a friend who has a friend who did drugs and now is miserable. How about this... I have a friend, and he has a friend that whenever she wakes up and gets out of bed... she hates life...and people and work and is the clerk of a shitty job. I have a friend who smokes weed, a lot of it, sure he works at a shity job but realizes that he is really happy when hes high. I have a friend who a brilliant enginear and smokes like a chimny. I am rather good with computers... I smoke sometimes... ehh...

[Osborn F Enready]

Asterix said:
HEHE DAMn you are good

I say:
Thanks, I really love shooting down propagandists, especially when they are hellbent on removing RIGHTS OF ALL to please their own agenda.

[Osborn F Enready]

Now that facts come out, suddenly all the naysayers get tounge-tied, and their opinions aren't quite so provable anymore.

I didn't think there would be anyone willing to play devils advocate to the point of looking like a fool in the face of overwhelming factual data.

Now if we could just get the Republicants and the Democrips to try it. Accepting facts, that is.

[iamhaneef]

1960's weed was softcore. What around 2% thc? But either way weed is about 10 times stronger. If we legalized the herb, we would have to set THC limits.

[asterix404]

The thc hasn't changed more then 2% since you smoked it in the 60's. Coke on the other hand has become extreamly pure and very dangerious. Mainly becasue of what it's cut with... not really the fact that it is pure. To cut 70% pure coke down to street which is around 6-10% you put less shit in it... to get something from 100 to 10 you have to put in a lot more. Some of the cutting shit is very very bad for you. Sides there was a study done with people who took 500MGs of pure THC and nothing at all happend... actuilly NOTHING happens... there was no high, there was no low... not even a head ache. BTW 500MG is more THC then most people get ever in a year. Again you have been lied to, sorry....

[Osborn F Enready]

Great post Asterix, and true also! Kudos.

[Badger]

Quote by: Logjam I believe that you are correct. I had a pal in elementary school who was brilliant. He started using grass when he was in middle school. You know, the days where people were saying, "It's good for you". He ended up using horse and his life has been trashed. Last I heard he was living in a hovel in New York City somewhere. Sure, some guys who use grass don't become herion users, but almost all herion users start smoking dope.

And almost all dope smokers start using alcohol or smoking tobacco. And almost all tobacco smokers and people who drink alcohol started off on caffeine...the "gateway" theory no longer holds any weight with people who actually know what they're talking about.

People become addicted to heroin because of their pyschological problems - they need an escape, and heroin is perfect. Addiction to any drug is a symptom - not a cause. Cannabis has fuck all to do with it.

[Badger]

Quote by: Waychel Drug use and abuse (as an issue) affects more than the people using the drugs, because we (the tax payers) will be the ones having to shoulder all of their medical costs in the future. The future of Medical and Medicaid is more important than providing people with the "right" to slowly poison themselves and put further strain on what is already an economically burdened agency of social welfare.

This is a textbook example of someone who doesn't under the issue of cannabis, or drugs generally.

YOU CANNOT STOP PEOPLE SMOKING CANNABIS.

PROHIBITION DOES NOT REDUCE USE.

Considering this to be true, how can you not argue for legalisation? You moan about the supposed burden to social welfare (by the way, cannabis as a cause of lung cancer is unproven, and there is some evidence which suggests no or little correlation, and that in fact cannabis serves to actually clean & filter the lungs which counters the effect of free radicals and carcinogens) so why not plough the tax from legalised cannabis into social welfare?

It's all perfectly logical.

In the UK, the issue of actual public health can only be correctly interpreted as a reason for legalisation, more so than the US, because much of our hash is badly polluted with all sorts...even over here, people are still completely ignorant. It's an utter disgrace.

[Osborn F Enready]

The funny thing is, I think she is a lawyer.