Should cannibis be legalised? (Should cannabis be legalised?)

Name: Donnabroom

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Product:	Should cannabis be legalised?
Date:	06.01.08 (317 review reads)
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Okay, I have wanted to tackle this subject for a while but it is a bit controversial so I have waited but I think I can add something to the on-going debate.

Firstly I have to admit to partaking in cannabis on a daily basis. No doubt this will come as no surprise to many members but it may shock some people and I hope no one is offended by my honesty.

I suppose we all now know what side of the fence I sit on so all I need to do is explain why. I'd like to point out at this point that I am not going to quote all manner of statistics etc because I don't think they actually mean anything. This is going to be based on MY experiences and opinions without trying to belittle anyone else's opinions.

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Now I have depression and agoraphobia, both of which have not responded to medication, (you get given anti-depressants, well SSRIs to be exact). I find it hard to get through the day without anything and in my opinion cannabis is better than alcohol.

I want to explain exactly what cannabis does but it's a little tricky so bare with me.

You could say that my default setting is panicky and afraid. I am practically afraid of everything like the dark, being alone, leaving the house, bridges, stairs, being attacked etc etc and these things go through my head constantly. This constant fear prevents me from working, sleeping and just about everything a "normal" person does during a "normal" day. Un-medicated I simply stay in bed waiting for something terrible to happen and crying constantly which is as bad as it sounds.

So now you know what I am like I can explain why I smoke pot. Basically the cannabis calms me down and levels me out. When I am smoking I am able to get up and dressed and even be alone in my own place during the day. I can get on with house work and stuff like dooyoo and ciao which I just can't manage when I'm "sober".

All the worries are still there but they are quieter and I am able to cope with them. I suppose the smoke numbs everything. It doesn't however numb it as much as something like vallium which I have been offered and taken before. Vallium is like being in a coma but still awake if you know what I mean.

Well that's what I get out of smoking pot and it all sounds pretty positive but there are definite drawbacks.

Firstly it costs me so much money to keep myself going this way. I smoke everyday and keep myself in a steady state so I can keep going and this really does hit the pocket hard. I probably spend £30 a week on pot + £10 on tobacco + £2.00 on rolling papers, so that's about £42.00 a week gone which would really come in handy for other things.

Secondly I KNOW that smoking is bad for my health, I get more chest infections than most people and I cough all year round. I get out of breath quicker than I think I would if I didn't smoke. Then there are the things that I can't tell, I might get cancer or heart disease or some other hideous illness all because of my smoking.

Personally I don't think the reported links to psychosis are at all accurate. I don't think cannabis causes these problems I just think messed up or mentally unwell people are more likely to smoke pot because of the effects it has. There are plenty of drugs that are prescribed that have hideous side-effects like kidney failure, suicidal thoughts, mood swings, violence, in fact all those are possible side effects of anti-depressants!

I know some people claim that smoking pot makes you more likely to try harder drugs but I think this is a case of statistics being used to devastating effect. Quite simply most heroin addicts smoked pot prior to taking heroin however how many drank alcohol before trying cannabis or smoked cigarettes before trying alcohol or had coca-cola before trying cigarettes? Using figures like this you could easily prove that breast milk leads to heroin addiction! The real question is how many people take cannabis and DON'T end up taking heroin.

Thirdly is the social aspect of smoking pot. I hate having to hide the fact from people when they come round and having the ever present worry because I am breaking the law. Some people will think less of me because I smoke pot.

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So the real question is do I think pot should be legalised. Well yes I do - no surprises there really but it goes deeper than I like it and want to be able to buy at my local cornershop.

The main reason I think cannabis should be legalised is so that all the people that cannabis helps where nothing else will are no longer "criminals" - what is criminal about trying to lead a normal life?

Legalising cannabis would cost the criminal world SO much money. A lot of criminal activity and the cushy lives of some disgusting people are funded by selling pot, (I'm not saying that all drug-dealers are involved in organised crime or make big money mind you). However you could argue that they would just find another way to earn their livings but that's always going to be the way.

Then there's the fact that the government could make plenty of money from taxing the sale of cannabis. It would more than cover the medical costs of the people who get ill from smoking it.

The cannabis industry would probably employ loads of people like farmers growing it, pickers, packers and retailers. There would also be the boost to the manufacturing industry making the equipment needed. Just think of all those new jobs.

Then there's the moral aspect; I personally don't think it's right to deny people something that could greatly improve the quality of their lives. So many people could benefit from taking cannabis, in my opinion far more than would suffer because of it.

The last reason I think it should be legalised is so that the quality and strengths could be regulated. I am in no way a fan of super-strong varieties of "Skunk". These are not designed to help anyone but merely exist to get people off their faces. I find that thy give me headaches and make me more panicky than normal. I could completely believe that super-skunk could make people go crazy. If it was legal there could be a maximum strength, (like the tar levels in cigarettes), and it would have to be of consistent quality. This could actually prevent some of the ill effects of cannabis consumption.

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I know some people have been adversely affected by cannabis but I really believe that for every one person who has a bad experience there will be several who had a positive experience.

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Well that's my two-pennies worth; undoubtedly there are things I have not mentioned etc but hopefully this adds something useful to the debate.

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May appear on other sites under the name Donnabroom.

Summary: My thoughts on this subject