+Paranoid Android Posted July 10, 2013 #1 Share Posted July 10, 2013 I saw this article in the newspaper this morning, thought I'd share it for discussion. Personally, my past experiences tell me that this is a horrible idea, and I doubt it will serve the public any good. Moderator note - when posting, consider the sensitive nature of this topic, keep in mind Rule 2b (link) concerning the discussing of illegal activities such as drug-taking. This thread will be monitored and any breaches to the rules will be dealt with Thank you, ~ Paranoid Android Expert calls for marijuana to be legalised to reduce harm of binge drinking in teens THE head of Australia's leading alcohol research body has called for marijuana to be legalised to reduce the harm of drinking. Robin Room, director of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, says marijuana should be legalised under strict controls because the social harm associated with it was significantly less than from drinking. "It makes sense to legalise marijuana in a controlled market," he told the Herald Sun yesterday. "We are in a situation where we need to look ahead. I think we need to have the discussion and it makes a lot of sense in terms of, among others, cutting down government costs to have a fairly highly controlled legal (cannabis) market and, while we are at it, tighten up the legal market of alcohol in the same way we tightened up the market of tobacco." Further reading - Source Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Terreur Posted July 10, 2013 #2 Share Posted July 10, 2013 people may say it's like driving out the devil with the beelzebub, but there actually is something to that idea.... every night i go through my town you can see drunk kids shouting at each other or getting into fights for whatever reasons (that is worth another discussion....), an i know a lot of nice folks myself that can turn quite agressive when drunk. I've never met a single agressive pot smoker in my life though. Heck, the state could hit two birds with one stone by doing that: kids smoke weed anyway, wether it's legal or not. By legalizing it, you not only take it off the black market and out of the hands of criminals, but it can be taxed as well when state-provided.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Grandpa Greenman Posted July 10, 2013 #3 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Sell it, tax it, have a good time. I never saw a pot smoker get in a fight at a party, can't say the same for drunks. I think it the lesser of the two evils. 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Terreur Posted July 10, 2013 #4 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Sell it, tax it, have a good time. I never saw a pot smoker get in a fight at a party, can't say the same for drunks. I think it the lesser of the two evils. my sentiments exactly, man! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libstaK Posted July 10, 2013 #5 Share Posted July 10, 2013 What I'm reading is Lungs or Liver? Brain cells suffer from both but in different ways mind you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Terreur Posted July 10, 2013 #6 Share Posted July 10, 2013 What I'm reading is Lungs or Liver? Brain cells suffer from both but in different ways mind you. true.... but your whole organism suffers from sheer living as well: from car traffic fumes, antibiotics in meat, too much sugar in your drinks and all sorts of stuff ... i'm not advocating ANY abuse of drugs, but whenever i see a bunch of drunken drunken teens letting out their inner australopethicus, i think to myself "they should have better smoked a spilff"... 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libstaK Posted July 10, 2013 #7 Share Posted July 10, 2013 true.... but your whole organism suffers from sheer living as well: from car traffic fumes, antibiotics in meat, too much sugar in your drinks and all sorts of stuff ... i'm not advocating ANY abuse of drugs, but whenever i see a bunch of drunken drunken teens letting out their inner australopethicus, i think to myself "they should have better smoked a spilff"... There's degrees of entropy for sure ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Terreur Posted July 10, 2013 #8 Share Posted July 10, 2013 There's degrees of entropy for sure ... today's my "i don't get it" day i fear..... say WHAAAAT? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libstaK Posted July 10, 2013 #9 Share Posted July 10, 2013 today's my "i don't get it" day i fear..... say WHAAAAT? All materials things fall into decay, through wear and tear and the process of aging in living things - much of what causes this "entropy" is environmental as well as the breakdown of DNA as cells continuously replicate to replace dying cells throughout our lives. The law of entropy is inescapable for any material object, eg: that new couch you bought won't look as good in a year or two and in twenty years it will be fraying and splitting at the seams, the wooden beams will be slightly bent and the legs will be weakened, unless very well protected from environmental factors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Terreur Posted July 10, 2013 #10 Share Posted July 10, 2013 All materials things fall into decay, through wear and tear and the process of aging in living things - much of what causes this "entropy" is environmental as well as the breakdown of DNA as cells continuously replicate to replace dying cells throughout our lives. The law of entropy is inescapable for any material object, eg: that new couch you bought won't look as good in a year or two and in twenty years it will be fraying and splitting at the seams, the wooden beams will be slightly bent and the legs will be weakened, unless very well protected from environmental factors. yes....and some people choose to substances that actively speeds up the process of decaying. Everybody's free to do so and even enjoy it while they're at it. But when your decision makes you end up actively harming someone else, it's no fun anymore. And i don't know the numbers, but i think it's safe to state that alcohol induced violence is much more likely than getting beaten up by a pot smoker.... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zaphod222 Posted July 10, 2013 #11 Share Posted July 10, 2013 (edited) I don´t see the big deal here. Holland has already legalized pot, and so have some US states, haven´t they? If pot smoking reduces alcohol consumption, I will leave to speculation. My memories from my drug-addled high school days would not support that, LOL Edited July 10, 2013 by Zaphod222 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kowalski Posted July 10, 2013 #12 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Sell it, tax it, have a good time. I never saw a pot smoker get in a fight at a party, can't say the same for drunks. I think it the lesser of the two evils. I completely agree with that..... I know alcohol can turn some people into outright obnoxious a holes. Now, me, I'm a happy drunk. 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jacques Terreur Posted July 10, 2013 #13 Share Posted July 10, 2013 Now, me, I'm a happy drunk. now cheers to that! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Orcseeker Posted July 11, 2013 #14 Share Posted July 11, 2013 What I'm reading is Lungs or Liver? Brain cells suffer from both but in different ways mind you. I'm not sure if you mean suffer by loss but.. I read from a scientific study that marijuana does not destroy brain cells. The study that supports that thought is the one conducted with the rhesus monkies and they suffocated them with the THC smoke (them weren't getting enough oxygen to breathe), when you suffocate your brain cells die. So that is how that became "fact". Onto the article. I heard this as well PA being a fellow Australian. I don't see it changing much. Most drug laws against marijuana are over the top here. Big fines and jail time. This stigma against this drug causes misinformation. As how this would affect the youth? Probably not that much. There is still a lot of stigma over it and it leads people to having misinformed opinions on it. The other ones, well, whether it were legal or illegal it wouldn't matter. Though I think whether one decides to consume marijuana vs alcohol depends on what they feel like doing. One drug is primarily a retardant, passive drug where the other one is more stimulating. Though through decriminalisation or legalisation, if taken in the right direction. Could solve a lot more problems than outlined in the article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+and-then Posted July 12, 2013 #15 Share Posted July 12, 2013 (edited) Many people NEED an escape. Strictly from a stance on the public good I'd say pot will do less harm - possibly MUCH less harm than alcohol. Ideally we wouldn't need anything to help exist day to day but that just isn't nor ever has been the reality with human beings. People want to get high. Locking them up is criminal in itself. Take the money that could be saved in the penal system along with taxes on the weed and make rehab available for those who decide to get off the merry go round after awhile. Almost ANYTHING is better than the stupidity we engage in now. Edit to add: I last lit up in 1984 so I have no personal bias here Edited July 12, 2013 by and then 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shrooma Posted July 12, 2013 #16 Share Posted July 12, 2013 i'm probably the wrong person to comment on a thread like this, but bearing in mind the mod's warning i'll just say that i have "a friend" who regularly consumes illicit chemicals (and like Kowalski "he's" a happy drunk too!) and it never did me an... i mean "him" any harm. it just depends on whether you're careful or you're stoopid i guess. where ANY consciousness-altering substance is concerned, be it alcohol or drugs- just say 'know' 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Silver Thong Posted July 12, 2013 #17 Share Posted July 12, 2013 i'm probably the wrong person to comment on a thread like this, but bearing in mind the mod's warning i'll just say that i have "a friend" who regularly consumes illicit chemicals (and like Kowalski "he's" a happy drunk too!) and it never did me an... i mean "him" any harm. it just depends on whether you're careful or you're stoopid i guess. where ANY consciousness-altering substance is concerned, be it alcohol or drugs- just say 'know' To be honest the myth of lossing brain cells comes with doing stupid ass crap while drunk. The only way alcohol can harm your brain is if you drink yourself to poisoning fall on your head or open your skull and pour 100 proof on it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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