Dope or Dopey (Should cannabis be legalised?)

Member Name: ILoveJackDaniels

Product:	Should cannabis be legalised?
Date:	14/07/01 (34 review reads)
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Advantages: Control of the drug, Maybe less crime, Medical Uses

Disadvantages: It's a drug

I am in a distinctly unique position on this one and with this subject in the news so much over the last few months, I would be foolish not to put my point of view across.

First of all, I will tell you a little about my background. My parents are what puts me in a good position to speak out about this. They are both doctors, and we'll start with the old man. He's a consultant anaesthetist, which basically means he gets paid a fortune to put people to sleep and his medical opinion is of some value. My mother suffers from rheumatoid arthritis (and is also a doctor, dealing with kids with leukemia primarily). Her condition has deteriorated recently, and she now struggles to walk up stairs. Or walk generally. Or drive. Or even cook.

Now that that's out of the way, I'll put across the pros and cons as I see them, from my parents and my point of view. First, the cons...

Nobody can deny that at the absolite heart of this arguement lie two simple issues. The first is that cannabis use is so wise spread (I would ask anyone who has NOT tried it to post a comment saying just that so a rough percentage can be guaged) that to legalise it is the only way to control it at this stage. The second issue is the detrimental effects of cannabis use, for example the question of addiction, harder drugs etc...

On one hand, nobody can actually defend the law as it stands. It is outdated and enforcement is not only ridiculously expensive, it is also relatively pointless, as possession is now viewed (though not legally) as grounds for only a warning. Whatever you believe, cannabis is a drug, and once you have broken that own personal taboo inside your mind and tried it, who knows what you could try next?

The main things that those opposed to cannabis (like my Dad) focus on is the risk of users moving on to harder drugs. It has been proven that this does happen, and this is cause for concern. Addiction is a worry as well - anything c
an be addictive, and drugs doubly so. Chemically it is NOT addictive, but that means nothing - mental addiction or dependancy is common with everything, and it is the same with cannabis.

People who are opposed to cannabis generally use arguements like 'legalising it will make it accessible to children' and 'legalising it will mean more crime'. These are valid points, when backed up with evidence.

Sadly, they are not. It is already accessible to children, if they want it, and drime is going to occur whether it;s legalised or not. Whether more drug-related crime occurs or not depends on prices, at the end of the day.

Now for the Pros. First of all, for medical purposes, Cannabis has uses. My mum has said (and remember whe is a doctor who deals with cancer every day) that if it was legalised she would take it. She is in constant pain and the effects would help her. That in itself is not a reason to start opening hash bars, but is food for thought nonetheless.

In favour of cannabis are almost all of the facts. Keeping it illegal is insane - it is so widespread that the police generally ignore it when they see it in small quantities, because of the time and resources it takes to do anything about possession.

Controlling it also gives the goverment a way to keep people away from the dealers. Dealers would not be able to compete - government prices would (believe it or not) be MUCH lower than street prices are now. This means that people would be kept away from the harder drugs to a degree. With the police able to put more time into finding people who deal in harder drugs, this would surely help solve more serious crimes such as heroin abuse and serious drug dealing.

I am going to quote a 'journalist' from the Mail on Sunday (8/7/2001) here: "It means 12 year olds drugges out of their skulls. It means an unending and uncontrollable plague of burglary and theft as sub-teen users pay for their
pleasure with dishonesty". This is the mentatlity stopping a very real problem being dealt with ina reasonable, productive and intelligent manner. Legalising it is pretty much the ONLY way to stop 12 year olds getting hold of it. Legalising it will bring prices down and should LOWER burglaries. "It means unhinged joyriders careering round housing estates in the small hours". He goes on.

Half a page is devoted to his drivel, and I don't use that word lightly. Common misconceptions are the only thing stopping reasonable and intelligent politicians resolving a simple problem.

The most important point to be made here is that it is OUR choice. Why the hell shouldn't I be able to smoke a joint when I want to? Because I might jump in a car and kill someone? Fair enough - so why not ban beer? Because it might lead on to harder drugs? So can cigarrettes, alcohol and my friends, so why not ban them as well?

I have tried to put across both sides of the coin here. There are valid reasons for keeping cannabis out of hash bars and making possession less of a serious offence. Keeping the law as it stands is frankly pointless. Something needs to change.

It seems the students of this generation may have something to fight for after all!


********* Note *********

The article I quoted from was part of a page written by Peter Hitchens of the Mail on Sunday on the 8th of July this year. It is a VERY funny read, simply because of his biased views and unresearched articles. I was going to link to his articles on the Mail's website (look at that for a real laugh at www.dailymail.co.uk), but I couldn't find it. If you would like a copy of his article, please email me.

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