nice one!
October 23, 2001 8:12 AM   Subscribe

nice one! Cannabis laws to be relaxed, maybe...
posted by twistedonion (23 comments total)
 
About time too.
posted by walrus at 8:34 AM on October 23, 2001


that guy in the picture looks like he is enjoying the new relaxation.
posted by Qambient at 8:36 AM on October 23, 2001


Private posession of marijuana/hashish has been decriminalized in Spain since 1983. Things have gotten no better or worse in any significant way regarding the use of these drugs. However, it reduces the burden for the police and the judicial system to focus on other crimes (which include illegal drug trafficking).
posted by mmarcos at 8:40 AM on October 23, 2001


An excellent link Walrus, thanks

if it were a company, British Cannabis plc would be almost twice as large as ICI, or bigger than Stagecoach, Iceland, Airtours and Eurotunnel combined.

mmarcos - I think decriminalization's purpose is not to fix the problem but rather an admission of failure as to previous policy. The war on drugs was lost a long time ago, I think government needs to just trust it's citizens.
posted by twistedonion at 8:45 AM on October 23, 2001


Of course we can never expect this sort of sane treatment of weed smokers here in the good’ole US of god-fear’n A! Not with the new up and coming drug czar, John Waters. He’s been paying lip service to treatment advocates – but this is the same guy who equates drug use with moral loss… so I’m personally skeptical of him. Maybe you should oppose him to.
posted by wfrgms at 8:47 AM on October 23, 2001


I too work in DC, in the Russel Senate Office Building. I tell you last week as the news about the anthrax started coming in, we were all concerned. We received numerous pep-talks stating that our job functions were extremely important to the function of the Senate, that if we backed down that we'd be succumbing to the terrorist intent. On Wednesday I was personally very sick to my stomach with the thought that it was unsafe to be working in that building. I'm not normally a worrier, and was relieved that we were relocated. I did not realize how much it was affecting me until I was in a different building, in a different city, breathing great big full breaths. I didn't know that I wasn't breathing right until the relief came in the form of new environment. I'm sure it has affected everyone in different ways, but this is my point-of-view.
posted by TuxHeDoh at 8:48 AM on October 23, 2001


too much pot!!!
posted by TuxHeDoh at 8:50 AM on October 23, 2001


just as the brits are relaxing their laws, the americans are tightening theirs.

DEA Bans Consumption of Hemp Foods (link from SVN)
posted by o2b at 8:54 AM on October 23, 2001


breathing great big full breaths
of marihuana I assume?
posted by ginz at 8:55 AM on October 23, 2001


wfrgms: I find it funny that you mis-typed John Walters' name as John Waters.

The famed director of Hairspray and Pecker is going to be the new drug czar? Cool!
posted by o2b at 8:56 AM on October 23, 2001


Curses! I should lay off the pipe!
posted by wfrgms at 9:06 AM on October 23, 2001


Qambient - David Blunkett looks that way because he is blind, not because of a weed habit.

This announcement is still a long way from decriminalisation and the legal, controlled trade that such a move opens the way to. The major accusations of cannabis being a 'gateway drug' centre around the argument that 'pushers' get 'the children' (won't sombody pleeease think of the children!!!) to try harder drugs. Government sanctioned and taxed sales would undermine the illegal trade in the drug, though prices would have to be competitive to entice most people away from their regular supplier.
If the price including tax were too high (and based on the 'street values' of drugs seizures claimed by the police they have a pretty strange idea of the street value of any drug, even allowing for exaggeration) then most people would continue to get their smokes from the place they do now. We've already seen what the tax on cigarettes has done to black market sales.
I suspect though that this is a tester for the government, I don't think this will be the last move they make on the matter.
posted by Markb at 9:32 AM on October 23, 2001


hey, if all the liberals are stoned, they wont argue as much!
posted by asok at 9:53 AM on October 23, 2001


Let me guess...The government will legalize consumption, but in order to maximize tax revenue, it will declare growing marijuana for private consumption illegal.
posted by alumshubby at 11:46 AM on October 23, 2001


If this happened earlier in the year, then maybe the S Club 7 boys wouldn't have gotten in trouble. Such a shame.
posted by marq at 12:43 PM on October 23, 2001


If this happened earlier in the year, then maybe the S Club 7 boys wouldn't have gotten in trouble. Such a shame.
posted by marq at 12:43 PM on October 23, 2001


the snack cos have been working towards this for a long time. gotta watch out for the snack tax tho! govt gets its cut.
posted by kliuless at 12:59 PM on October 23, 2001


Ironic considering the song that's at number one in the British pop charts...
posted by feelinglistless at 2:52 PM on October 23, 2001


Woo!

Too bad they didn't find that smoking weed cured/prevented Anthrax! that would be great.
posted by BlitzK at 3:59 PM on October 23, 2001


it cures anthrax for me. i just can't take it when i'm high. call me old-fashioned but i'll take the butthole surfers when i'm commiting class 'c' felonies.
posted by danOstuporStar at 5:59 PM on October 23, 2001


Feeling listless: Er, your link took me somewhere completely different. What is number one in the British charts? I haven't taken any notice of them for, ooh about 15 years.

The headline in The Sun today is fantastic. Along with the downgrading of cannabis, the IRA announced that they have decommissioned some of their weapons. So the headline is: Peace, Man!

Notice how at the end of the BBC story, it's obvous that the Conservative Party hasn't got a clue how to react? They'd like to comdemn it but on the other hand they want to appear more open and in tune with today's Britain. So they're stuck in a sort of no man's land. I personally love watching them flounder like this!
posted by salmacis at 1:11 AM on October 24, 2001


Perhaps it's a plot to prevent the growth of a Libertarian party in the UK.
You've all heard of them, right?
They're the right wing Republicans who smoke pot.
This action would take their major platform plank right out from under them (legalize pot.)
Cheech Marin for President!!!
:)
posted by nofundy at 5:00 AM on October 24, 2001


They're the right wing Republicans who smoke pot.

What color is the sky on your planet? :) ^_^ ;-) @--'--,--
posted by thirteen at 7:57 AM on October 24, 2001


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