Everyone likes to get high, but.... (Should cannabis be legalised?)

Member Name: jesika_jay

Product:	Should cannabis be legalised?
Date:	06/08/02 (71 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: smells good, tastes good, getting high

Disadvantages: leads to other things, bad for kids

This has been a hot topic with the good ol' government for as long as I can remember. It's the hippies versus the right-wingers in the fight to legalise the drug. But is it really that simple?

I have mixed views on this subject; whilst I like to get high once in a while (who doesn't?) I am undecided as to whether it would be a good thing for this drug to be available to buy from the shops just like any ordinary old tobacco. Here are my mixed views...

For one, legalising it would spoil the excitement for a start! I take smoking cannabis as a treat, a reward for working so hard, something I look forward to as this is the only time I can really "chill out". Call that sad, but that's life! If I knew that it was accepted to smoke dope and that you could just walk into your nearest Tescos and order an eigth over the counter, it just wouldn't be as appealing...

...which could certainly be taken as a good thing, a pro for the legalisation of weed; considering that I am an average human being- one who likes things in moderation, one who knows what's hot and what's not- I thrive on the excitement of doing things I'm not supposed to be doing. Call that childish, but it's just the way my mind- like lots of other peoples'- gets its required dosage of adrenalin. Now, if the same naughty thing I was doing wasn't actually naughty, maybe I wouldn't do it. So, the point is, legalising cannabis may actually lower its appeal to young teenagers as well as overgrown kids like myself, and therefore cut down on its overall consumption.

But then again, maybe not. Look at tabacco; it is perfectly legal to smoke tabacco, even though there are many health risks, including death. People still smoke it, mainly because it is so easily accessible. If marajuana was as available and as legal as tobacco, everyone would be at it, everyone would be high all the time...

... but wouldn't that make
the world a better place? I mean if everyone was high, they would all be happy, and there wouldn't be any wars. As soon as these world leaders started getting all hoity-toity and power-crazed and start talking bombs, just feed them some dope and they'll all be talking peace and love, and the world will be reconciled! Ok, that was a crap argument, back to reality...

...It would not be right to legalise this drug, because before you know it, people will be campaigning for the legalisation of cocaine... then heroine... then ecstasy... oh what the heck, why not just legalise them all? What I'm saying is that one thing leads to another- oneday it is forbidden to be in possession of cannabis, the next day you see kids openly smoking it in the streets. One day it is death-defying to take an E, the next day people are taking it every morning to get themselves through the stress of a day at work. If we carry on this way, getting more and more lenient as time goes by, eventually our country will be full of druggies; Office workers will be high, bus drivers will be stoned, policemen will be hallucinating and teachers will be dishing out mid-morning E's to their pupils instead of milk. A bit over the top, I know, but you get the direction I'm coming from.

On the other hand, there is the small issue of hypocrisy to consider. Isn't it just a bit hypocritical that people are allowed to smoke themselves into an early grave with tabacco and drink themselves to a pulp every night down the pub with alcohol- yet they are not allowed to smoke a spliff, which is probably less harmful as it is less addictive (in my opinion). If the goverment doesn't want harmful substances around, then why not just ban cigarettes and alcohol? It CAN be done- it is not allowed in countries such as Iraq- you don't see drunkards lying in their own puke in every gutter over there. It is hypocritical to allow people to get hooked on smoking and getting drunk bu
t not allow them to smoke a spliff. What use is a hypocritical government?

But then again, maybe it would be a bad idea to make it legal. What kind of an example would it be setting young children who are so imressionable and copy everything they see other people do? It's alright for adults, they can make their own decisions and think for them selves, but for children, thay don't know what's good and bad for them...

...However some might say that it is the parent's responsibility to lead their children in the right direction and steer them away from things that are harmful to them- cannabis wouldn't be much of a big issue if it were legalised, it would just be like smoking or alcohol- every parent has the responsibilty to teach their kids about the dangers of alcohol and tabacco, as they do with cannabis or any other drug.

I don't think it would make too much difference to some if this drug was legal; I mean the main reason that people are considering making it legal is because so many people do it, therefore it's just a waste of police time to keep arresting everyone who smokes it. My point is, people are going to do it regardless of whether it is legal or not. The only difference in it being legal is that the police would then be able to do something more useful rather than just arresting people for having the odd spliff. So I suppose that was a pro point.

Maybe the we could come to some sort of compromise, seen as there are so many mixed views on the subject; there are going to be people upset whether it is legalised or not. Seen as I am one of those floaters (floaters?!) who can't decide whether she is for or against this, I am thinking what would I do if I could make the rules (apart from making it compulsory for everyone to eat a Mars bar every day) I would probably want for cannabis to be legal, but only in the privacy of one's home/garden. Possession of the drug would not be an offence
anywhere, but smoking it in public places where young kids can see it and smell it (mmm... the smell!) would be prohibited. So no lighting up in the shopping mall, but feel free to carry it around without any pointless arrests and enjoy the feeling of getting high in the comfort of your own home. How does that sound?

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