Do you think cannabis should be legalized in the UK?
Posted by FriesWithMacSauce@reddit | AskABrit | View on Reddit | 333 comments
American here from California. Cannabis is so entrenched in our culture and marijuana dispensaries are just a norm for us. Many Californians prefer it over alcohol. It’s just a thing here. Do Brits want the same or is it just a non issue in the UK?
ExcitingWinter1800@reddit
Yes, and I say so as a former drugs worker who has met people who have real problems with it. Nobody's life is improved by it being illegal.
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
Thanks for your input. Hoping to visit your country soon for the first time. I’m intrigued by the UK.
AdRude6514@reddit
It was in 2018 for Medical conditions,which I think is a pilot once they have the evidence its not as harmful as they thought. I suspect it will be further declassified
photoben@reddit
If they do, there should be restrictions on where you can smoke it. Have you heard about New York? It permanently stinks of weed everywhere. Don’t want that happening in London.
Theal12@reddit
no it doesn’t 🙄
photoben@reddit
Everyone I know who has visited on work or pleasure in the last year says it does. They even referenced it on Drive To Survive!
Theal12@reddit
you have a limited group of acquaintances. This sounds like the same people who say London is a ‘hotbed’ of foreigners and unsafe to visit
photoben@reddit
London IS full of foreigners! That’s why it’s awesome. Most cosmopolitan city on the planet 🥇
Theal12@reddit
and whiffs of marijuana in the air wherever you are
Bulimic_Fraggle@reddit
Where I live, you would think it is legal. Might as well legalise, standardise, and tax the stuff, goodness knows the Treasury could use the help.
PunkRockRenegade_@reddit
Exactly. It’s not an exaggeration when people joke that two of the most common things said in the UK are:
“HOW MUCH for a Freddy?” and “Can you smell weed?”
Lost-In-The-Wood5@reddit
You're going to need to explain the Freddy comment, I don't get it.
bananaamethyst@reddit
Should say Freddo. It's a small kids chocolate from Cadbury that Brits have unofficially used as a way to track inflation over the years. When they first came out, I believe they were 2p. And the price has steadily risen over the years, I think they're up to 45p now.
RegalRoseRed@reddit
Nearly £1 now here in most places within Kent
Lost-In-The-Wood5@reddit
That makes much more sense! I thought it was slang for an amount of drugs. Like "how much for a Henry?" Henry the 8th. So 1/8th.
bananaamethyst@reddit
Hahahaha is that actually slang? If so that's hilarious 🤣
Lost-In-The-Wood5@reddit
It used to be back in the early to mid 2000s. People would ask for a 20 bag or a Henry. I believe some also ask for a Henry (3.5g) when discussing Columbian marching powder.
Oh-reality-come-back@reddit
LOL I’m going to be chucking at this one for a while
Jojo6167@reddit
Robbing bastards 🤣
OriginalMandem@reddit
It's funny, I must have missed the 'Freddos Economy' by a few years. Friends that are maybe five years younger than me think in Freddos, we used to look at CurlyWurly bars and be reassured that they were still 10p. I remember when they went to 12p, it was quite the outrage. As was abolishing the half penny so you could no longer buy a single sweet for half a p but had to go all in and buy 2 for a penny.
bananaamethyst@reddit
Haha it's funny what metrics we use to measure them! I remember in school we had an ice cream van that you could buy sweets from, it was 5p for one of those haribo strawberries about 10 years ago. I wonder how much it is now!
St_Piran@reddit
Shoulda been Freddo*
Alternative_Pie_1597@reddit
It's milk chocolate kids treat size.
VarietyResident6234@reddit
😂That’s what I thought when I was visiting London from Australia, I would just walk outside and catch a whiff straight at 9 in the morning
Oh-reality-come-back@reddit
Haha I’m in south London and it’s normal to have it in public. At Hyde park a bunch of people got together on “4/20”, (20th of April) and smoked up a literal weed cloud lol
I don’t like the smell of Amy kind of smoking though so it can be a bit annoying. I hope edible weed becomes legalised so I can get it ethically one day
Fun-Perception-666@reddit
I’ve seen people smoking it less than 10ft from a group of police officer in London. If they’re not going to bother properly enforcing the law when someone is breaking it right in front of them they may as well legalise.
xplorerex@reddit
I think you are underestimating how easy it is to get a prescription.
JustStraightUpLost@reddit
Not even that, our prisons are pretty much past capacity. If the police arrested everyone they caught smoking weed, there would be thousands of 18-25 year old non violent criminals that would all need housing and feeding at the tax payers expense. Or just legalise it and put profits into the nhs for rehabilitation and other services. It’s kind of a no brainer at this stage.
Green-Froyo-7533@reddit
It’s the paperwork involved, I think if the person other than smoking a class c substance is generally not causing harm or danger to others they’d rather turn a blind eye and save the paperwork for arrests that are needed such as violence etc.
OriginalMandem@reddit
If the cops are bored or think they can use cannabis as an excuse to find evidence of something else that is an easy bust, they will all of a sudden be very interested.
OldSkoolRaver92@reddit
Absolutely, if tons of people are already using it anyway, regulating and taxing it makes more sense than just pretending it’s not happening. At least then there’s gonna be some quality control and actual revenue from it.
QuirkyImage@reddit
I used to live near a police rehabilitation centre and a lot of its clientele used to go to local pubs and had been seen smoking cannabis on many occasions.
RegalRoseRed@reddit
No
Spare_Worldliness669@reddit
It’s a no brainer really. Given what we do legalise, how little its prohibition is enforced and the ability to control regulate and tax it that comes with legalisation.
Inzago@reddit
We smoke more dope than just about any other country. Im sure its backed up by some form of data
open-perception4@reddit
It's everywhere anyway. It would be nice if you could choose what strain you want though. 👍
parsniplab@reddit
Yes
I_ALWAYS_UPVOTE_CATS@reddit
Yes, but with the same restrictions as smoking i.e. not sold to under 18s and not permitted in enclosed public spaces.
WumbleInTheJungle@reddit
I can't stand cannabis, tried it a few times, but each time made me feel paranoid, withdrawn, anxious, absolutely no way I would be able to work or study on it or do anything productive.
That said though, that doesn't appear to be the experience for everyone (unless everyone is lying and is just pretending to get benefits from it) and the bottom line is, your body your choice.
So I think it should be legal but with the restrictions you have pointed out.
The only caveat, is i don't like alcohol either, so can we get one of my drugs legalised first, like MDMA? I worry if we make cannabis legal first all the weed smokers will be like "job done" and forget about me.
UserCannotBeVerified@reddit
Theres lots of different strains that create lots of different reactions, and even ine strain can give different reactions depending at what temperature it is burnt/smoked. Im in and from the uk and have recently been accepted for a medical marijuana prescription through a private clinic called Alternaleaf (Montu Pharmacy are the ones i buy to weed from). I get three different strains a minth, one for the morning thats a very head high/motivating/brain fog clearing/energising strain that helps me focus and engage with whatever im doing whilst still having a little pain relieving balance. I have a daytime/evening ine thats abit more hybrid-ish, so that is like a general all rounder strain that provides some pain and inflammation relief without being too heavy on the mind/body, and then i have a night time strain which is focused more on providing stronger pain and inflammation relief whilst also helping me to fall asleep and stay asleep, without feeling groggy the next day. With my night time ine for example, i start it in my dry herb vape at 190⁰c, then just before i go to sleep i crank it to 210⁰c to get that more potent body and mind heavy sedating/relaxing effect of the indica. My morning one i vape between 165-180⁰c to help avoid any anxiety that can come from being such a sativa leaning strain.
I suffer with anxiety and depression, ADHD, fibromyalgia amongst otger stuff, so i need sonething that helps with pain and inflammation, insomnia, ADHD, whilst not antagonising my anxiety etc. So far, ive found the best morning strain to be Huckleberries (THC 23%, CBD <1%), the best day tine/evening strain to be Pineapple God (THC 26%, CBD <1%), and night tine strains is a toss up between Sky Berry Kush (THC 21%, CBD ≤1%) or Pink Cookies (THC 27%, CBD <1%). I get 30g per month prescribed, and it usually costs between £165 and £235 per month. For an oz (28g) on the street, youre payong around £180 for one strain that someones grown in potentially questionable conditions and is illegal to carry. I pay £5 per month subscription to the private clinic who issue my prescriptions, which enables me to drive, carry and even travel internationally with my legally prescribed weed. The only stipulations are that you cant put a flame to it, so cant smoke in a joint or bong, if you get flower its gotta be smoked in a dry herb vape.
ThinCurrent8011@reddit
Think i need the name of your private clinic plse
UserCannotBeVerified@reddit
Jusy google Alternaleaf
Temporary_Ad_986@reddit
You cannot legally travel internationally with that. In countries where it's banned.
xplorerex@reddit
As someone with ADHD, the medication doesnt have the same effect as it might on others. So while "speed" will usually make people more active and jump around, for some people (myself included) it chills us out and can even help with sleep.
UserCannotBeVerified@reddit
I get that - i tried it for a while but it didnt aggree with me, i just used that as an analogy to show how substances that are abused on the streets are also repurposed and used as genuine pharmaceutical prescriptions for those who need it etc
Lanky-Bug-5656@reddit
This was really interesting and informative, thanks!
Oh-reality-come-back@reddit
A Jamaican is more calming or perhaps just CBD products (which are legal in the uk btw) might be better for you. Also weed just isn’t for everyone and there’s a real chance of it triggering psychotic episodes in people who are at risk of schizophrenia and other issues due to family history
Prying-Open-My-3rd-I@reddit
I used to thoroughly enjoy it. Pretty much daily for around 20 years and then out of nowhere started to feel the same way you do. I tried weaker strains and that went well for a little while and then started to feel the same way with those. It’s been a few years since I’ve tried any and don’t have any plans to do it again. All that to say, I think it’s just individual body chemistry and somewhere along the line mine changed and it’s no longer something that’s enjoyable.
Enough_Response@reddit
I feel for cannabis it should be age 25.
The human brain does not finish maturing emotionally until that age, so it would provide some protection against underdevelopment.
Opposite_Funny9958@reddit
If you’re going to set 25 as the permissible age for cannabis then the same should be done for alcohol which caused far more harm - especially in the 18-25 age group.
Enough_Response@reddit
unfortunately that ship has sailed. Alcohol couldn't be banned.
OriginalMandem@reddit
I would say that dedicated indoor spaces should be fine, like your 'coffee shop' model in NL. Otherwise you will just get everyone else complaining about people hanging out smoking in the street etc. And expecting people to stay indoors at home isn't sensible as hardly anyone lives alone these days.
ivealreadydoneit@reddit
Yes absolutely. I work in an industry where we get drug and alcohol tested on a regular basis. I would be sacked if THC showed up and was proven, even though not being under the influence at the time. I drink way too much, 1 joint after work and I'd have no need for alcohol. System stinks.
Mikeytee1000@reddit
You’d still get tested and sacked if it were legal, it’s a sobriety test not a drug test because it’s illegal
TheNewHobbes@reddit
It's not a sobriety test if you fail it because you smoked weed 3 months ago.
trainpk85@reddit
I fail my drugs tests at work because of my epilepsy tablets and because of that I have to have a partial pts which means I have to be supervised whilst on track. Loads of drugs aren’t allowed in your system for certain jobs.
Imagine if a train derailed and crashed and killed hundreds of people on board and they did a fully detailed investigation and it came out that the people who had done track maintenance had cocaine in their system from 3 days ago, cannabis in their system from last night or 3 months ago or the same morning - who could tell. Coedine in their system. Alcohol in their system from 2 pints the night before. There would be an absolute outcry. That’s why it’s a zero tolerance policy. You can’t tell a public enquiry “oh it’s fine, a joint on a night time doesn’t affect our workers and discourages them from drinking so we just let them do it but yeh sorry about the deaths”.
Mikeytee1000@reddit
Those are metrics they use, but it’s a sobriety test nonetheless. Unless you were a heavy and regular cannabis user, a joint or two would be out of your system in 4-7 days. You’d have to be a hard core bong-head to fail three months later. Similar to alcohol, where with the drug testing company our business uses, test for alcohol levels in the blood that are three times stricter than the legal threshold for a drink-driving breath test. So you could drive your car to work, get stopped by the police and pass the breath test, but get tested in work and fired for being above the company allowable limit.
OriginalMandem@reddit
Not true, check your facts. It's closer to a month.
Mikeytee1000@reddit
ChatGPT bore, you didn’t know any of that
TheNewHobbes@reddit
If you have weed that affects your sobriety 4-7 days after one joint then please can I have your dealers contact because it's a lot better than the stuff I get on prescription.
You wouldn't fail a alcohol test 4-7 days after having a drink because for it to still be detectable you would have had to drink so much you'd be dead.
Giving the same pass/fail equivalence to one-time-a-week use with chronic alcoholism isn't a test of sobriety, it's a test for those who think Reefer Madness was a documentary.
Mikeytee1000@reddit
I’m not suggesting for a moment you’ll feel any effect of the marijuana after 4-7 days, I’m merely saying their sobriety test threshold level is set very low indeed, no different to the alcohol level which is 3 times more stringent than the UK drink drive breath test.
Silvestris_incola@reddit
That because it isn't a sobriety test.
PassiveTheme@reddit
Yep. I live in Canada (where weed is legal) and work in an industry where drug and alcohol testing isn't uncommon.
If you test positive for weed (which doesn't necessarily mean you are currently experiencing the effects of cannabis), you could be fired. Most jobs I've worked don't test for it, but if you're on a work camp (most of the work involves living in the same place you work for 3-6 weeks) and you're caught smoking weed (or drinking alcohol), even if you've just finished your shift and won't be working for another 12+ hours, that's a sackable offence.
q-the-light@reddit
This is such a bad take...
I also work in a job with drug testing, where I would be fired for coming into work under the influence of a substance. That includes THC and alcohol, since it's not just a matter of legality but a matter of impairment.
Though my personal view is that cannabis should not be legalised, from an objective point of view I highly doubt most jobs would allow people to work with it in their systems even if it were to be. Just like alcohol.
If you are finding it impossible to wind down without the use of intoxicating substances, that is a matter that you should talk to your doctor about. I wish you all the best for your recovery.
Selpmis@reddit
I think the issue is that tests for alcohol concentration track impairment reasonably well, but THC tests don't. So there's no meaningful cut off amount that could determine if someone heavily smoked it days/weeks ago or if they're currently impaired.
Prying-Open-My-3rd-I@reddit
I bet the technology exists to develop something with a <8 hour testing window. The THC mouth swabs test for a shorter time frame (as low as 6 hours and up to 8 days according to Google) than urine and especially hair tests. The swabs check for actual THC and not the metabolites of what it breaks down to in your body like the other tests.
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
Wow. And here I am letting my employee smoke weed on his break. I hit the vape pen at work myself sometimes. A lot of people here do. I guess it’s a very different world.
q-the-light@reddit
If I did my job whilst under the influence of a substance, there could easily be wide-reaching legal ramifications. Very different world indeed, obviously.
likeyournamebutworse@reddit
You didn't give a reason for supporting continued prohibition. Having it be illegal achieves nothing, whereas legalisation opens up a massive tax revenue while also taking money away from criminal gangs. I honestly cannot see one logical reason that it shouldn't be legalised.
q-the-light@reddit
You cannot see one single reason?
it can have a hugely damaging impact on the mental health of longterm users, including memory issues, depression, anxiety disorders, and psychosis disorders such as schizophrenia
it is an addictive substance (cannabis use disorder), as much as its supporters like to argue to the contrary
tests cannot accurately show how recent consumption has been, making it difficult to prove if someone is actively under the influence. Imagine how complex this can be in cases of drug driving, for example.
the potent smell is widely considered highly antisocial
if alcohol or tobacco had always been illegal like cannabis, we wouldn't be considering legalising them 'for the tax revenue' despite the clear and proven health and social impacts
jake_burger@reddit
Useless advice in a country where the waiting list for mental health services is years long. Have you ever tried to ask a doctor for help with it? They are often dismissive, judgemental and unhelpful, mine just tried to fob me off. Anyway, to address the point being made without the judgement:
THC shows up on tests for weeks after the impairment has gone. It’s not an objective or comparable measurement. Alcohol tests actually correlate to impairment.
If alcohol tests positive at work then you’ve had a drink before or during work and are impaired and that’s fair enough. If THC tests positive then it means you’ve taken it sometime in the last month, you get fired for both but there’s no actual reason to sack someone for the THC test.
But no one cares about the distinction because “weed bad” - even though by every objective measure alcohol is the more dangerous substance.
Greedy_Investigator7@reddit
"In their system" is very different to under the influence/impaired by
Jlaw118@reddit
I take it medically now on occasional evenings and weekends and have a driving job. Despite the fact it doesn’t make me feel intoxicated when I take it and I have a valid prescription, I can’t tell them at work because I know I’d get sacked
StAsBy52@reddit
Yes all drugs actually. The biggest killers are alcohol and tobacco.. Do a Portuguese model fund rehab and takes away the fight on dealers.
Sonarthebat@reddit
Yes.
Ok_Day658@reddit
https://mm420bot.com/?ref=REF-4F58C4 use this link bro you will get £10 off and a free gift, research on google and tiktok and you will see these are the real deal hope you enjoy
AskABrit-ModTeam@reddit
Your post has been removed as it violates Rule 5 - No disallowed posts.
Please review the rules before attempting to submit again. If you have any questions, please reach out on modmail.
Stevebwrw@reddit
It may as well be!
StatisticianUsual471@reddit
Yes I want to retire and be like Tommy chong
importantmaps2@reddit
I've been campaigning for legal weed since the early 80's 90% of the legalise it argument is very well researched and very hard to debunk it's just that other few percent who say it's not good for people's mental health it can cause this illness that illness are keeping it illegal. Someone should tell the government that the people who grow import and sell weed are occasionally terrorists and money laundering it might get them interested god knows how much money in taxes they could make.
benroon@reddit
No because it fucking stinks! Selfish twats stinking out places
Selpmis@reddit
I hear people say it's not addictive, and it might not be as dangerously addictive as other drugs... But speaking from my own experience, I did previously develop an addiction to it.
I'm not sure if legalising it for sale for recreational use is the answer or not, but I'm more sure that it won't happen in this country.
OriginalMandem@reddit
Were you smoking joints and rolling with tobacco? From experience, even though I never smoked cigarettes (I only ever started smoking them a few years after I'd started smoking cannabis and even then it was more as an excuse to get outside the office more often) I still ended up with a nicotine habit. Even though nicotine on its own wasn't actually doing anything, but if I tried to smoke pure spliffs they didn't hit the same. I finally twigged how much i'd got hooked when I noticed I'd started prioritising making sure I always had baccy even when I had no or nearly no weed in
Selpmis@reddit
I was not, no. I had a PAX 3 vape. I'd just grind up flower and stick it in there.
I've still ended up with a nicotine habit. That's partly down to spending a lot of time in Turkey, where my husband is from, where everyone smokes and they're cheap. But Turkey has much stricter laws and enforcement with weed and it was not worth the risk of getting caught in a foreign country where I will likely want to keep visiting.
Then when we got married and he moved to the UK, we swapped to nicotine vapes because cigarettes make you stink (more apparent when no one else smokes) and health reasons but probably, being honest, mostly cost. Even with under-the-counter packets, a pack a day+ between us is just too much. We brought our tax-free allowances back from Turkey and then called it quits.
I do hope to quit nicotine one day. We have the occasional cigarette but I'd say it's more a luxury treat like a cigar.
obi-wan_kedoobie@reddit
Oh as a heavy smoker it’s definitely addictive, you have to try harder than most drugs though. I was a daily smoker go along time before I got to a point where stopping caused issues.
And those issues are usually bad sleep, night sweats and anxiety. Nothing some exercise, clean eating and keeping busy can’t help, and from watching my mates go through it, it’s a week or two
Think_Break_5072@reddit
Alcohol is extremely addictive and that is legal, for sales in public, and regulated.
Enough_Response@reddit
And If alcohol was discovered this week, there is 0% chance it ever being legalised.
Selpmis@reddit
Yes, but...
Think_Break_5072@reddit
Don't you see the parallel between USA alcohol prohibition with people making and selling unsafe alcohol on a black market creating high levels of crime and the current UK drug prohibition and people making and selling unsafe drugs on a black market laced with fentanyl and leading to high levels of crime?
Selpmis@reddit
Yes. But my point was the difference is everyone can make alcohol with very little know-how or upfront cost.
Other drugs have to be imported or made in a chemical lab. That alone is a barrier to the risks.
Likewise, we don't have the weather to just plant a seed and grow cannabis in the garden. It requires a lot more gear and knowledge to set up and grow it.
Von_Dougy@reddit
It really doesn’t take much know-how or equipment at all. Of course the pros will get better, stronger yield with expensive set-ups, but all it takes is some basic horticulture knowledge. In fact you can even legally buy seeds over the counter in the UK. They’re just packaged and presented as ‘souvenirs’.
Imd honestly say it takes more know-how to distill and brew your own alcohol.
Selpmis@reddit
Nah, I tried to grow one plant out of curiosity and learning myself. It was a pain in the arse, too much effort and I gave up.
Absolutely no way that's easier than apple juice + yeast + time. You can't grow weed in prison, but you can make prison hooch from very little resources.
Think_Break_5072@reddit
The risk with street drugs is that they are always cut by the dealers with harmless, harmful, or deadly substances.
ascarletstrange@reddit
And it leads to a lot of deaths just from people trying to quit let alone those who die from alcohol poisoning
Weird1Intrepid@reddit
When people say it's not addictive, they generally mean it's not physically addictive ie stopping smoking won't give you withdrawal symptoms.
Though that totally ignores the fact you can get mentally addicted to things just as easily
RiverTadpolez@reddit
I don't really understand this either since when addicted weed smokers stop smoking weed they can't sleep, they get headaches, they sweat profusely, they're depressed. Are those not withdrawal symptoms? Or does withdrawal only mean like with alcohol, where you might die from stopping?
SteamTrainDude@reddit
I don’t know, that sounds like withdrawals to me
RiverTadpolez@reddit
It seems that way to me too, but then why is weed not considered physically addictive?
Familiar_Radish_6273@reddit
It's more a case of many people who use weed regularly (eg me) use it precisely because they already have insomnia or depression or other issues which cannabis helps with. I wouldn't be able to sleep without it, which is why I now have it prescribed legally, thank goodness! If I came off it I wouldn't have withdrawal sweats like with heroin, but I would feel rough from no sleep and being in pain.
RiverTadpolez@reddit
I actually looked it up after I made that comment and it turns out cannabis is physically addictive which is why most heavy, regular users experience physical withdrawal symptoms (like sweats, nausea, stomach pain, headaches, insomnia, tremors) as part of "cannabis withdrawal syndrome", and the myth that it isn't physically addictive is just based on outdated science - so that clears up my confusion on the issue.
Familiar_Radish_6273@reddit
I genuinely don't think that's the case for everyone. Until last year I would regularly go without weed whenever I went on holiday, and had no symptoms whatsoever. Since getting chronically ill I depend on it more, but for about 35 years I could easily quit for several weeks with no problems.
RiverTadpolez@reddit
I didn't say everyone, I said most. :)
Familiar_Radish_6273@reddit
Fair enough, but I'd say probably not even most. But purely based on my own experience and other people I know.
RiverTadpolez@reddit
I'm just talking about the findings of medical research here, I'm not arguing that you or people you know experience this. When I was a heavy, regular user I also didn't experience of physical withdrawal symptoms, but I know plenty of people who do. As far as I can tell, it's just a fact that most regular, heavy users experience cannabis withdrawal syndrome.
ThisBiss@reddit
Psychological dependency and physical reactions arent even close to the physical dependency that can be caused by physically addictive drugs. You can quite literally die from withdrawals caused by a drug that causes physical dependency. The difference is massive.
RiverTadpolez@reddit
I'm not saying that the physical withdrawal of cannabis is anything like the physical withdrawal of alcohol or something other physically addictive drugs.
I'm saying that it turns out that cannabis is now widely considered to be physically addictive and that the idea that it's not physically addictive is outdated science.
rapidbunny4404@reddit
You become addicted in a different way than you do to alcohol due to the way they effect your brain differently. The symptoms you describe come from dependency due to your body's adapted THC tolerance. When you don't reach the level your body thinks you should be at, you begin to suffer from the things you described. Withdrawal won't kill you like alcohol or opioids or other drugs
RiverTadpolez@reddit
I've looked it up and realised that my confusion was due to outdated information. It turns out that cannabis is physically addictive which is why heavy, regular users experience cannabis withdrawal syndrome including physical withdrawal symptoms when they stop.
RiverKnight2018@reddit
I appreciate this is only my own experience, but I've smoked regularly since my teenage years, so we're talking 35+ years. But I have also gone through a few periods of up to 9 months where I have stopped smoking completely. I did not experience any of the symptoms you describe.
Should they legalise it - YES. Will they legalise it - NO.
p00shp00shbebi1234@reddit
I just used to smoke 2-3g a day, for years. When I stopped, I had all the symptoms described, the sweating at night was particularly hard, I would literally wake up in sheets so wet it was like it had rained on them. It might be amount related, i.e. if 'smoked regularly' means you smoked a couple of spliffs at night, that's not the same as going through multiple grams every day.
RiverTadpolez@reddit
That's great that you haven't experienced any of those symptoms.
I'm not intending to make any comment on whether it should be legalised or not.
I'm just sharing, from my own experience, that many people addicted to smoking weed experience physical withdrawal symptoms when they stop smoking, so I don't understand why it's considered to be not physically addictive. It clearly can be physically as well as mentally addictive, unless I'm misunderstanding what physically addictive means.
RiverKnight2018@reddit
Thank you.
I was only commenting about the legal side because of the OP.
It appears we have experience of the opposite ends of the possible addiction spectrum in relation to cannabis. Maybe it's a small percentage of people that suffer any physical symptoms, and maybe those are actually psychosomatic? I sure as hell don't know the answer, just spit balling.
MurderousButterfly@reddit
I suspect some are psychosomatic and some are because people generally mix weed with tobacco, and nicotine is VERY addictive.
You can become mentally addicted to anything though, especially if you use it as a mood stabiliser.
RiverTadpolez@reddit
I just looked it up and it turns out that the idea the cannabis is not physically addictive is just a myth based on outdated science. It actually is known to buy physically addictive - that clears this up for me. Apparently most people who stop heavy and regular weed use experience "cannabis withdrawal syndrome" for a couple of weeks, which include insomnia, head aches, stomach pain, tremors, nausea, and sweating.
Gold_Leather_8835@reddit
The withdrawal dreams are WIIIIIIIIILD
Agitated_Custard7395@reddit
You can mentally addicted to anything, even picking your nose until the inside falls out, not really a reason to ban things
Weird1Intrepid@reddit
Oh it was banned to further the interests of paper companies at the behest of the American magnates at the time. Bloody ridiculous really, pure greed
Selpmis@reddit
That's the thing though, I did experience physical withdrawal symptoms that were only relieved through using it or eventually powering through them. I was a heavy user though. Pretty much always had my vape in my hand.
I only stopped because I entered a relationship with my now-husband and he basically, for want of a better word, forced me to stop using it. Years later, I now hardly ever think about weed but the desire does occasionally still spring up.
Jacobtait@reddit
You’re completely right - it is ‘physically’ addictive and the idea it isn’t is a complete myth.
While not as physically addictive as many drugs the mechanisms are the same.
DOI: doctor and pharmacology grad
rapidbunny4404@reddit
They are still withdrawal symptoms. They're just not created in the body in the same way as alcohol withdrawal or opioids withdrawal which is why people say you don't get 'withdrawls' because they're not as extreme as other drugs but your body adapts to the quantity of THC you intake so when it doesn't get that quantity you do suffer from withdrawal symptoms
Horror-Back6203@reddit
They very much do get physical withdrawal symptoms when stopping smoking weed
Weird1Intrepid@reddit
As someone who's quit both weed and heroin at different times in my life, trust me when I say that the withdrawal from weed is, in comparison, like withdrawal from caffeine - it sucks and you'll be grumpy for a bit but you'll get over it. There's no crushing bone pain, violent diarrhea, week-long insomnia etc.
Horror-Back6203@reddit
At what point did I compare weed to heroin withdrawals
Selpmis@reddit
I did think about the best comparison probably being caffeine or even perhaps nicotine.
I did start to use a nicotine vape and haven't tried to quit for more than a day. Caffeine is much easier in comparison. I can't decide what's harder between nicotine and weed.
Obviously I can reasonably assume none are comparable to heroin and the likes, except in the comparison you've used here in terms of scale.
I greatly admire your strength for getting through that by the way. If you're strong enough to overcome heroin addiction, you're strong enough to do basically anything.
Unlikely_Villain@reddit
So is booze, and infinitely more harmful. Yet thats fine?
NowThenHowDo@reddit
Addiction is not really a good argument against weed when alcohol is legal.
Jlaw118@reddit
It is easy to get addicted to it. I’ve been taking it medically for about six months and I have to take breaks between doses because it’s not so much that I’m addicted to how it makes me feel, it’s more how angry and run down it makes me feel on the comedown and I don’t want to become reliant on it
Selpmis@reddit
Yes, I would get very irritable, snappy and short-tempered. Everything would annoy me.
Now I just get like that when I'm hangry.
Outrageous_Sink3299@reddit
I have detoxed off of heroin ( 21 year habit) benzodiazepines (30 year habit) crack (4 year habit) alcohol (30 years habit) and weed (35 year habit) morphine (15 year habit) fentanyl ( (15 year habit)
Out of all those detoxes the benzos and alcohol were the worst. The withdrawal was horrendous. I was seeing things and was mentally ruined. The pain in every joint and muscle. In my bones. It was bad. It took years for it to go away completely. I still have to take a benzo for my seizures. But I was in hospital months having fits and stuff whilst doing it. I haven't drank since ( about 14 years ago) and the withdrawal was the worst of everything.
I still have to take benzos but only a small dose. Coming off them was the single worst one. Hallucinations,siezures and pain in your bones and muscles. It lasted ages. I had panic attacks and all sorts. It was the worst withdrawal. It lasts for years but you do recover.
The rest were relatively easy. Getting clean wasn't the issue. It was STAYING CLEAN that was the problem. But I did it. A month and your more or less back to normal.
However I have an issue with my femoral nerve. Basically its splitting. Have you ever hit the artery in your groin? Its that exact pain but it doesn't stop. Its 24/7.
I'm on morphine ( was 2000 mil a week. Now its 1000mil) I've reduced my morphine at great pain to myself) and pregablin(450 mil daily) fentanyl (75 mil) and clobozam (10 mil daily)
It's somewhat ironic that I'm on a government sponsored addiction after getting clean. But due to the pain I'm in ita necessary.
But yeah, benzos were the worst withdrawal as it lasts years, followed by alcohol, lasts months.
To say that you don't detox from weed is nuts. You don't sleep, your eating becomes a problem as you have no appetite.
Yeah you definitely get addicted to weed. You need it to operate. To say its none addictive is stupid. It's not physical like opiates, it's mental like crack. But it's definitely addictive, I know people were weed is their whole identity.
Good_Lettuce_2690@reddit
If you get addicted to weed you have absolutely no willpower at all. It's NOT physically addictive.
JFK1200@reddit
I’ve said that for a long time also, I smoked it almost daily for 3 years. I’d take small breaks here and there and was strict enough to never smoke before 8pm, but I found myself looking forward to the clock ticking past 7:59 so I could light up. The usual excuses about it helping me sleep, chilling me out etc (which it did), but I think the long term effects are underrepresented.
Weed is definitely addictive.
Fit-Jellyfish1675@reddit
A moderate percentage of people that smoke weed develop a disuse disorder and it quite notably negatively effects their lives.
This video on it is quite good:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Brm71uCWr-I
People need to stop handwaving addictive things because they aren't physically addicted. Is that why people bankrupt themselves because they can't stop gambling?
alice_carroll2@reddit
Until we make alcohol illegal I cant take anyone’s opinion about how bad thc is seriously. THC never made anyone I know punch a random stranger, scream at people in public, shit themselves on a dance floor etc. all things I’ve seen drunk people do. Hell we deliver alcohol to people but when someone’s dealer shows up THAT is a problem?
Never heard anyone get prescribed vodka to deal with pain etc.
Selpmis@reddit
Can't make alcohol illegal. Too engrained in our society currently (too much demand) and there'd be widespread non-compliance because it's too easy to DIY a brew.
During Prohibiton Era US, people were, for example, still allowed to sell grape juice concentrate... With the warning label: 'Do not dissolve in water and leave in a warm place for 20 days, as it will ferment and turn into wine' *wink wink*
KagakuNinja@reddit
There has always been widespread non-compliance with cannabis, as it is easy to grow. Authoritarians don't let facts get in the way of bad laws.
Selpmis@reddit
Weed is by no means easy to grow in the UK.
Barmcake@reddit
Easy to grow indoors.
Selpmis@reddit
I tried to. No it isn't. Prison hooch can be made in prison. That's how easy it is to make alcohol from little to no resources.
VFrosty3@reddit
I lived with a guy that worked with South Wales police, about 20 years ago. Newport had a big cannabis smoking population back then (maybe still does), a few very large shipments were intercepted and the supply ran dry in the area. Antisocial behaviour increased massively in the town around that time. He said it was because people turned to drink instead of cannabis.
MonsterMunch86@reddit
Yes. The fact it isn’t just ridiculous. I honestly wonder if it’s alcohol companies lobbying the government to keep it illegal as they know they would lose business. Not to mention the tax revenue and taking the money off criminals etc.
OriginalMandem@reddit
Absolutely.
theoneandonlyvesper@reddit
NO! Stinks the whole place
Theal12@reddit
you can ingest many ways besides smoking
FearlessBanana81@reddit
Cigarettes stink way worse. I say ban those and make cannibis legal (I don't even use it so don't really have skin in this game). It doesn't need to be smoked even, there are other ways to use it. Pot brownies for everyone!!!
Magic_mousie@reddit
I hate both kinds of smoke. Thankfully cigarette smoke isn't too common these days, between the ban in public spaces and the rise of vapes. New York OTOH reeked of weed, it was vile and hung around even when the smoker was nowhere in sight (unlike tobacco). I don't want to bring that over here too. Wasn't just me who noticed either, the comedian I went to see even had a bit on it in his set!
FearlessBanana81@reddit
Oh you're not wrong. Every time I go to LA there are so many places that stink of weed, and DTLS it's weed and pee, we definitely don't need or want that here.
I'm not against cannibis for recreation use though, but there are so many other ways it can be consumed that won't bother everyone around them.
SmashedWorm64@reddit
They literally are being banned mate…
soup1286@reddit
for people who are currently kids..... not the rest of us who are... yknow... not born after 2009?
SmashedWorm64@reddit
Do you think if they are in the process of banning cigarettes they will legalise weed?
FearlessBanana81@reddit
Eventually, not now
Selpmis@reddit
Cigarettes are being banned. Currently, it's looking like they will no longer be available for sale once the last person born before 2009 dies.
So, if the law doesn't restrict cigarettes any further and just remains as it stands under the new Tobacco and Vapes Act, then effectively cigarettes will no longer be legally available for sale in the UK by ~2100.
FearlessBanana81@reddit
Which is great, but I'm not talking years and years down the line, I mean now.
A_Roll_of_the_Dice@reddit
Cool. So we're also making garlic, onions, tinned tuna, and 60% of cheeses illegal for purchase and consumption on the grounds that they stink places up and offend some folks' noses.
We're also banning 85% of all deoderants, perfumes, aftershaves, beard oils, shampoos, conditioners, showergels, and air fresheners under the same evidence.
Breakwaterbot@reddit
Last time I checked, my neighbours don't sit out in the garden all evening eating garlic, onions and tinned tuna or spraying deodorants, perfumes or air fresheners and preventing me being able to have my 2 year old play in the garden or have windows open while they're playing in the house or trying to sleep.
What a truly ridiculous comparison.
ian9outof10@reddit
My neighbours do have a lot of fucking BBQs though, which makes line-drying my clothes difficult at times.
Why does the smell of weed stop your kid playing?
RiceeeChrispies@reddit
Comparing the smell of a BBQ to weed 😂😭
Breakwaterbot@reddit
Are you an idiot??
LeTrolleur@reddit
Some smokers really do have zero awareness of how much they stink.
A smoker doesn't even have to be smoking for me to tell I'm in a room with one.
Ok_Word9021@reddit
No because those are mostly nice
Weed fucking stinks and the smell is really pervasive.
ian9outof10@reddit
I think weed smells nice. But I think the point is, legality doesn’t mean people get to be inconsiderate.
theoneandonlyvesper@reddit
That comparison falls apart because garlic and perfume aren’t intoxicants that impair judgment, driving, reaction time, or public safety. comparing cannabis to tuna sandwiches and Lynx Africa is a stretch worthy of Olympic qualification 🤣
A_Roll_of_the_Dice@reddit
See, now you're shifting the goal posts.
Look at your original comment and you'll see exactly why the comparison is relevant regardless of those facts.
Unless, maybe, I don't know... you're shifting the posts on purpose because then you don't have to try and defend a really stupid take? I don't know, maybe you're not the kind of person who'd do that and you just forgot what your original argument was?
mrshakeshaft@reddit
It’s not the same. I say this as somebody who smoked weed almost all the time (not exaggerating) into my early 30’s. The smell gets everywhere. My neighbours 2 doors down smoke in their garden and everyone can smell it From about 7 am onwards. I live in an end terrace and when my next door neighbours kid was smoking in his room my whole house reeked of it. Get high if you like, it’s really none of my business what you do but the smell is a fucking pain because it gets everywhere in a way that none of your examples do
Selpmis@reddit
Complete false equivalence. The smell of weed carries much further than anything you've mentioned.
I can smell when my neighbours from two streets away are smoking it. I can't, however, smell their deodorant. I share a wall with people who occasionally smoke weed, and it stinks up my own house. Their shampoo and cooking do no't.
I might be able to smell my next door neighbours cooking garlic and onions if their window is open and I'm near it outside. Most people like the smell of cooking. Most people who don't smoke weed don't like the smell of it.
If it was legal but a ban on smoking it through combustion, then more people would probably be on board.
Turnip-for-the-books@reddit
So would you be in favour of legalising edibles but not smoking it?
ian9outof10@reddit
You can dry vape it too, doesn’t smell much at all
Turnip-for-the-books@reddit
Overall im definitely for legalisation but would also accept legalised edibles with decriminalisation of smoking (ie so there would still be recourse in the case of repeated antisocial smoking)
LeTrolleur@reddit
I would be.
I have had neighbours who smoke cannabis, and the smell bled over to my side of the house and was awful.
Now we have a young baby and I'd be even more annoyed if our current neighbours started doing it.
Its-The-Kabukiman@reddit
My farts smell really bad too.
Should that be illegal?
mrshakeshaft@reddit
It’s not the same. I say this as somebody who smoked weed almost all the time (not exaggerating) into my early 30’s. The smell gets everywhere. My neighbours 2 doors down smoke in their garden and everyone can smell it From about 7 am onwards. I live in an end terrace and when my next door neighbours kid was smoking in his room my whole house reeked of it. Get high if you like, it’s really none of my business what you do but the smell is a fucking pain because it gets everywhere in a way that none of your examples do
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
It’s wild to me that so many people here are opposed to it because of the smell. We must be nose blind to it in the US, because even here the opposition to legalization doesn’t talk about the smell.
Theal12@reddit
and you can vape it or take a gummy.
Mobile_Falcon8639@reddit
Yes end of.
QuirkyWolfie@reddit
Yes.
I think it should obviously be regulated etc and it should carry the same restrictions as smoking ie. Not indoors or public spaces and age restriction
West_Mall_6830@reddit
The problem with the UK and cannabis is too many people want to impose their will over others, the current laws have nothing to do with health or morality or criminal actions and more to do with social control.
LazarusK27@reddit
GOD NO ITS BAD ENOUGH AS IT IS.
VFrosty3@reddit
I’ve got family in the US (they’ve lived in two legal states). We’ve spoken a fair bit about the legalisation and how much good it’s done over there. I would be all for it. We don’t know what we’re buying here, for starters. The taxation and disruption of gangs/dealers would also be a benefit.
Minimum_Lion_3918@reddit
I think cannabis selling and possession should be decriminalized but its use should be CLOSELY REGULATED. Cannabis use HARMS health period. Cannabis causes ALL the harms of tobacco smoking and more besides: what indictment could be more damning? That is why I believe that the use of this substance requires regulation in a similar way to tobacco and alcohol.
Criminalizing the selling and "consumption" of cannabis may be LESS effective in controlling cannabis use and reducing the harms experienced by users and their families. ALL drugs produce economic externalities, EVERYBODY winds up having to pick up the tab incurred by a few.
gutedvnikkn@reddit
I don’t smoke but I think weed should 100% be legalised, taxed and same laws with smoking (age/indoors).
ExoatmosphericKill@reddit
Yes.
Buying cannabis seeds here is legal, but growing them is not.
I really don't know what they were thinking.
takemeawayimdone2@reddit
Buying counterfeit money is legal, using it is not.
nodgers132@reddit
that’s not true
takemeawayimdone2@reddit
Yes it is. Look it up. Counterfeit money is sold as prop money. That’s how you legally sell it. When you try to use it as legal tender that’s the crime. My source is my uncle is a policeman.
nodgers132@reddit
it’s a criminal offence to take counterfeit money into your possession. Just because you sell it as ‘prop money’ if the real intention is for it to be counterfeit money that’s an offence.
ExoatmosphericKill@reddit
Head like a fing orange.
nodgers132@reddit
you’ve done me and you’re not even ere
Ruby-Shark@reddit
Buying knives is legal. Rather depends what you do with them.
underwater-sunlight@reddit
Buying fake ID is legal, using it isnt. We do strange things
xplorerex@reddit
It kind of is...
You can get a medical card and get it prescribed privately. You can then vape it outside in public no problem.
78Anonymous@reddit
it has been legal since 2018 .. controlled medical substance on prescription
humanityisdyingfast@reddit
Not what they mean though is it
78Anonymous@reddit
then the op remark is wholly redundant, if not anchored in reality
humanityisdyingfast@reddit
OP was talking about recreational cannabis, which is not legal in the UK. You are correct about medical cannabis though, but that’s not what OP was asking about.
78Anonymous@reddit
In the UK the legal context is medical cannabis. The end.
humanityisdyingfast@reddit
In the UK the illegal context is recreational cannabis. The end the end.
humanityisdyingfast@reddit
Dear lord
humanityisdyingfast@reddit
Not what op means though. The end.
Livewire____@reddit
No. Trash should never be legalised.
OhShitADog@reddit
Respectfully, your stepbrothers head was almost definitely already fucked before the cannabis use, just the improper use exacerbated it.
Livewire____@reddit
The Cannabis psychosis was definitely caused by the Cannabis, and didn't happen before the Cannabis use.
Pointless debate though. Legalisation is thankfully not going to happen. End of.
Japhet_Corncrake@reddit
Absolutely 100%
Jazzlike_Ad_2649@reddit
Yes. It basically effectively already is. Most people I know smoke it. At the moment all it is doing is just making criminals money.
EasyPriority8724@reddit
r/ukmedicalcannabis.
Used-Bell3038@reddit
Prohibition didn't work in the states with alcohol and being 95% of everyone who smokes cigarettes have done or do mix it with cannabis, it makes sense to legalise it and on a personal note it's never given me none of the trouble alcohols given me it's a safe drug full stop. I don't smoke it 24/7 it's purely recreational.
miemcc@reddit
No. It can cause psychosis, even booze does not do that
Suitable-Fun-1087@reddit
Withdrawing from booze can lead to delirium tremens, which frequently has a psychotic component
tishkat@reddit
I have an alcoholic mother, this is not true. Booze addiction is the worst ruiner of life in the UK.
Gro022@reddit
It absolutely can actually. Plus it makes people violent and fills up accident and emergency wards.
Admirable-Mall-9601@reddit
No. It would only worsen our obesity crisis and put more pressure on our broken mental healthcare ‘system’.
Weekly-Profit-8587@reddit
It already is. If you have a medical condition
Ambitious_Rent_3282@reddit
I'd be overhoyed but am not optimistic, especially as things could tighten up if Reform win a majority. Their manifesto is get tougher on users too.
Magic_mousie@reddit
I was on the fence until I went to New York and the whole place reeked so badly of weed that it was nauseating. No, it shouldn't be encouraged.
Pizzagoessplat@reddit
If it didn't stink so much I'd say yes but the smell of it is disgusting.
I dont want the streets smelling of it
78Anonymous@reddit
smoking does stink, but vaping and edibles do not
the health benefits of medical cannabis are not achieved by smoking, nor is smoking recommended
Pizzagoessplat@reddit
Vaping doesn't?
I think you need to get yourself checked out. Thats just as bad with all the fake flavours around
78Anonymous@reddit
you are thinking of a different type of vape
med canna vape is just 🌿 and warm air; no additives
if only a small dosage the smell is very very mild
couldn't be more different than the flavoured nicotine vapes that smell quite strong
stylesuponstyles@reddit
Vaping cannabis doesn't produce the same clouds of aromatic vapour that the vapes your thinking of do
FearlessBanana81@reddit
Brownies and edibles, it doesn't need to be smoked.
Alexander-Wright@reddit
The streets where I live are already smelling of pot.
Randomfinn@reddit
After it was legalized in Canada most people I know switched from smoking to edibles because edibles were regulated.
Spirit1969@reddit
I used to smoke it when I was happy. Then I met my future wife.
I've never been a drinker, and I don't smoke, well, apart from the bongs my mates and I would create of a weekend. We'd put tunes on in the background, there were 8 of us. We'd bring loads of cushions off chairs in each other's houses, and go to the hosts house, wed take turns. Put the cushions in a circle, and pass the bong or bongs, whilst getting shitfaced, and talking crap. That went on for a few years, they were indeed happy times, in fact the happiest of my life apart from my wife and boys, and I yearn for those days once again. But time moves on and so do people, and then the dynamic goes. They were all good lads, but the people who carried the group and made it the happiest and funniest of times was a guy I won't name and I. We naturally bounced off each other, which got the rest involved, everybody had their part to play. It was simply wonderful.
Plot Twist:
After I moved, other people in that group were also going their separate ways, that's when I met my future wife.
I was still having a puff alone at the end of the night as my work finish time was midnight to 3am. I'd go to the house and sit up for an hour watching TV whilst puffing to decompress. I needed it as my line of work needed me to be on the ball, going at a million mph. Then nothing. I'd get out of work into complete silence, but the body was still on adrenaline.
So I'd have a puff to calm me down for bed. Now my wife met me, and she'd had a very sheltered life. She definitely didnt appro e of drugs. I was given an ultimatum, give the bush up or I we can't go steady. Stupidly I opted to give up bush. That's now 32 years ago, God how I miss it.
Yes, I totally agree 100%. Cannabis should be legalised, especially for medical use given by prescription. Then the missus can't moan, can she? It's medicinal 😂
Oh, sorry. I forgot to mention. My wife worked for HMRC. She was part of a specialised Rummage Crew, working in a major dockyard in the southeast. She would search containers and all sorts of commercial stuff😂
Pootles_Carrot@reddit
Alcohol is more harmful to the individual and to society* and, unlike cannabis, brings no medical benefits. Yet we normalise regular over consumption of booze to the point it's considered part of the culture.
*I acknowledge that the illegal trade is of course harmful, but that would be significantly lessened by legalisation and regulation as well as being taxable.
i_hate_budget_tyres@reddit
Back in the Tony Blair days, gov sponsored research suggested the best way to deal with drugs was to legalise them and minimise harms. It wasn ‘t implemented because it was thought to be unpopular amongst voters.
The Green party who are gaining popularity has accepted this mantle and said they will implement the findings of this research.
BusyMancBee@reddit
Cannabis is much, much stronger nowadays, nothing like the old 'leb' & 'black' from the 80s-90s. Skunk can & does cause cannabis induced paranoia. How do I know? My son developed paranoia from years of smoking the stronger stuff. He could back me up on this but he died, aged 36 from a stress induced heart attack, caused by delusions of the voices in his head telling him that people were out to kill him & my home was riddled with hidden cameras watching & recording his every move. If cannabis was to be legalised, the stronger strains should NEVER be part of this.
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
Your son was schizophrenic. That wasn’t caused by cannabis.
BusyMancBee@reddit
Oh, are you a doctor? Have you diagnosed any people with paranoia? Or are you just ignoring the fact that many people DO have problems AFTER smoking this shit.
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
Weed cannot cause schizophrenia, and there is zero research to show that it does. It can, however, amplify the effects of it in people who were already vulnerable to it.
Dramatic-Growth1335@reddit
Legalise it all. I just drink beer now and would rather not smell weed but police won't do anything about it so may as well be legal
TheHoneyThief@reddit
Unpopular opinion time!
No, I don't think it should be legalised for the simple reason that the government don't want to pay for the consequences.
The problem with recreational substances (tobacco, alcohol, etc...) is that they have rather unintended side effects. Smoking tobacco causes cancer, impotence, etc... and has the knock-on effect of what is known as secondary smoking - being near smokers - which can cause respiratory issues. Alcohol causes liver damage when abused, and let's just say that Friday and Saturday nights in city hospitals and police stations are full of incidents that could easily be avoided if people weren't pissed enough to harm themselves, harm others, or take advantage of those who were drunk (robbery, assault both violent and sexual).
When your police and health service are funded by the taxpayer, the notion of removing behavior that is destructive to both the self and others is all the more attractive. Healthy, productive people make money for the economy and are less of a drain on government-funded resources.
Now, you could argue that if weed replaced tobacco / alcohol that the net cost would go down and you'd be right to some extent (high people are much less problematic than drunk people), but if the goal is to save NHS and police expenditure then weed still poses a problem because weed still has side effects (paranoia that would have to be diagnosed and treated by the NHS) and can still be abused to the detriment of others (driving while under the influence possibly leading to death).
So while a taxed product would generate revenue for the treasury, I don't think the income would be worth it. People will get high in public, stumble about and hurt themselves, drive while under the influence, and maybe find someone so stoned they can't defend themselves and take advantage of them one way or another.
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
Do you believe it should be legal medicinally?
TheHoneyThief@reddit
To the same extent any medication should be - that is to say that whatever chemicals in cannabis should be extracted and regulated as any medicine, and then prescribed by a qualified professional in liquid / pill form.
Basically the same way we do with opioids. Doctors prescribing cannabis in a smokable form lends itself to cannabis culture and the problems that entails.
Good questions, man :)
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
I have these little THC capsules that look like Vitamin D capsules. They’re called Buddies. They’re 25mg of THC and I mix them with my vitamin d capsules when I go to Dominican republican or Jamaica. They’re available recreationally here. Different world. That being said, I’m absolutely fascinated by the UK and I think I’ll plan my first trip there within the next couple months.
TheHoneyThief@reddit
It might be worth researching the legality of said capsules before you bring any over. Here is a handy starting point with some (though likely not all) the legal gubbins here.
Looking it over you might want to leave them at home. Hopefully I'm not being a dick - I just don't want you having a vacation truncated on account of HMRC (who are a humourless lot at the best of times).
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
Oh yeah I’m gonna bring my THC capsules to the UK. But I’ve never had an issue bringing them to the Caribbean
Cassim_Cassius@reddit
No! As someone who has half his family and friends develop serious mental health issues I believe it absolutely responsible for anyone calling for the legalising of cannabis. The constantly tweaking high THC cannabis has caused great problems.
AdoIsOnReddit@reddit
Yes, it should
Eddie_Honda420@reddit
Obviously, the Albanian population in the uk would half , so less immigrants and better weed . Should be a government election policy lol 😆
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
Why would there be less Albanians?
Eddie_Honda420@reddit
Google weed and Albanians
LaraH39@reddit
Yes.
Legalise it.
Regulate it.
Tax it.
G2022B@reddit
I think it should be legalised in the UK, rather than legalized, because that's not a thing. 😉
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
We spell it the way it sounds, which makes more sense. 😘
G2022B@reddit
Can you please reiterate that sentiment regarding Kansas/Arkansas 😃
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
😂
Glittering_Win_5085@reddit
I am in favour of decriminalisation, with cannabis production being limited to non-profit, community interest companies, co-operatives etc/not big business.
I smoke weed as is, although I do obviously try and be respectful to my neighbours. (I'm not smoking out in my garden when the kids are out playing etc). I think the best way to do this though is to ensure there are different spaces with different rules and expectations.
Any_Weird_8686@reddit
My experience is that it's both widespread and accepted, so much so that it functionally is almost treated as legal anyway. I personally haven't seen anything that makes me think it's any worse than alcohol or tobacco. So yes, I think it may as well be legal (and thus subject to both safety standards and tax).
NowThenHowDo@reddit
100% for the full legalization & sale of weed and all THC products.
But ive always wondered how it would work with driving.
Seems as it stays in your system much longer than alcohol, someone could be completly sober having had a joint the day before and test postivie for it in the system on a roadside test.
How does that work in USA? do they have roadside test kits?
Dennyisthepisslord@reddit
Considering how crazy Americans have been in the last decade perhaps that's fantastic evidence for not making it legal
FriesWithMacSauce@reddit (OP)
The crazy ones are mostly in red states, where weed isn’t legal. We’re very sensible and chill here in California.
Dennyisthepisslord@reddit
Debatable. Seen someone very left leaning claiming walking to a sports stadium is white supremacy or something just as batshit. It's not a blue v red thing for me.
ttoldman@reddit
My wife is on legal cannabis in the UK She has MS but a lot of people she knows that we're big users have now been able to get legal cannabis. It's a fairly lax process. You speak to a doctor and tell him why you need it. Pain depression ect. It is the same cost as the illegal stuff. I think the government knows what is happening and no political fallout.
PooCube@reddit
I hope it never is but purely for a mildly selfish reason. The smell of it makes me feel intensely queasy to the point that when I went to the cinema recently I was sat at one of the tables outside talking to a friend on the phone, there were two or three teens passing a spliff round the table next to me and I was trying to hold it together the whole time but gagging intensely. I didn’t ask them to put it out or anything, I moved a bit away and stood by the doors to the cinema but god alive the smell just makes me feel so sick, the closest thing I can compare it to is intense car sickness
PaintballProofMonk@reddit
Based on how annoying the people I know who use it are, no.
Sharp_Yard9850@reddit
YES
NaomiT29@reddit
Honestly, I think most drugs should, at the very least, be decriminalised, but legalising them would actually resolve a lot of the problems that we currently face, particularly ODs. One of the biggest issues with anything sold on the black market is quality assurance and consistency. If you make these things legal you can resolve that overnight. While we've not had the same problem with fentanyl as the US has, that is a prime example of something that simply wouldn't happen if these substances were available from properly licenced vendors.
The other side of it is that you'd cut off a lot of organised crime at the knees, while all that money would actually go into the economy instead, including taxes. You'd also actually be able to create proper laws around safe use and sale, the same way we currently do with alcohol, which you can't do when something is just flat out illegal.
Don't get me wrong, a line would have to be drawn somewhere and a lot of work by the right people would have to go into where that line was. Heroine doesn't seem like it should be allowed but then countries that have changed their laws around it and even provided access to safe, clean heroine for those already addicted have seen ODs virtually disappear overnight. Some have also seen a genuine change in the way addicts live, being able to afford food and housing again and even getting back into work because they know they can access their addicition regularly and safely.
TL;DR: Yes, I absolutely think cannabis should be legalised!
JustExtreme@reddit
Personally I had a manic psychotic episode caused by prescription medical cannabis. I still think it should be legalised even if I can't use it myself anymore. Prohibition has failed.
ConfidentialX@reddit
Ridiculous it isn't fully legalised, taxed and profits ring fenced for things like education and health care.
Frees up police resources and reputational harm if you have a conviction for possession.
Access to illegal substances has never been so advanced, especially with social media... we need to stop punishing heroin users, who in turn commit crime to fund their addictions.
Overhaul of the current law is needed.
Ruby-Shark@reddit
The country has just banned sale of tobacco for anyone born after 1 January 2009. So don't expect weed legalization.
Ruby-Shark@reddit
It stinks like hell, can be smelt a mile away, and sticks to everything. So no.
Kyuucumber@reddit
What a out edibles/oils? They don't smell at all. And dry herb vapourisers are substantially less smelly as well.
I personally find cigarette smoke much worse but I'm not keen on the weed people smoke around here. It's always the cheap awful stuff.
I get medical and it smells much nicer + I use a vapouriser so it barely makes much a smell at all. But I also don't really use in public.
Ruby-Shark@reddit
Needless to say edibles would bother me a lot less.
ProfessionalEven296@reddit
This. I occasionally go to San Francisco for work, and many downtown areas just stink so bad of weed….
someonerd@reddit
Yes. A lot of less stressful people.
Kyuucumber@reddit
Honestly I think they should, they could tax it like cigarettes too if they really wanted.
As long as it's regulated like other drugs of course. I think minimum age for it should still be like 21 at absolute minimum though.
I get it medically but it's nice when I'm overseas in NL or seattle and there's not such a stigma and it's so cheaper.
Worfs-forehead@reddit
Absolutely. If you made it legal street crime, employment and tax income would go up overnight by quite a large percentage.
Time-Mode-9@reddit
Yes
Chemical_Robot@reddit
Having seen alcohol destroy the lives of my friends and family, and kill some of them, I can’t see how that’s legal and cannabis isn’t. I don’t like the idea of banning substances because all it does is put money into the hands of criminals. Which in turn causes more crime. The recent ban on Tobacco for people born after 2008, for example, will just open up the black market and result in more crime and more money for gangsters, smugglers and dealers.
Addictions ought to be treated like a disease or a psychological disorder. Some people are just more susceptible and genetically predisposed to addiction. If it’s not alcohol and drugs, then it’s gambling and porn.
JCDU@reddit
Honestly I think most people don't care and the Police mostly have better things to do anyway.
I'd rather see a bunch of stoned people coming down the street towards me than a group of pissed-up lads.
Legalise it, regulate it, tax it, worry about something more harmful like twitter.
While they're at it they may as well do the same with prostitution since no-one has yet managed to stop that in the last few thousand years, at least it would be safer.
EUskeptik@reddit
Cannabis is effectively decriminalised in the UK. It’s easy to find and relatively cheap.
Police still prosecute growers and dealers, but not users.
-##-
ashleysecretfanpage@reddit
I think personally as an ex user. It should be available to those who want to use or require it for medical use. May be in a controller environment like in the Amsterdam.
Patient-Conflict110@reddit
Yes…. I mean medical is easy to get private now and a lot of the law makers who put people in prison for cannabis also happen to grow it
chartupdate@reddit
No. I don't want to live in a society that condones drug taking.
LCFCJIM@reddit
you already do
11theman@reddit
Yes, I think everything should be decriminalised including harder things like crack and heroin. Criminalising drugs is ineffective, both as a means of deterring their use and supporting people already addicted. I’ve either personally known or professionally supported probably hundreds of addicts at this point and never have I thought - ‘gosh if you had only understood it was illegal you probably wouldn’t have started using’. It’s a failing system that punishes the vulnerable, creates barriers to effectively supporting them and costs us ridiculous amounts to achieve little. The pragmatic approach is to facilities affordable or even free access to pure gear. Cut the profits of the organised crime gangs and even profit ourselves by taxing the less antisocial stuff like cannabis. The last 100 years has proven that ‘war on drugs’ can’t be won. It’s also really offensive to common sense that I buy litres of one of the worst, societally damaging drugs on earth at Tesco but could be arrested for a bit of cannabis.
Selpmis@reddit
What about all the people who didn't start using because they did understand it was illegal?
Your argument relies on a selection bias that only counts visible harms and not prevented harms.
11theman@reddit
I think if you’re the kind of person who isn’t taking hard drugs because of a law, you’re not the type of person who is predisposed to addiction and dependence. Shagging my cousin is legal, but I’ve never really fancied it.
Selpmis@reddit
Yeah I'm not entirely sure that analogy works here.
11theman@reddit
It’s flippant but my point is that damaging and self-destructive acts aren’t things we just deny to ourselves based on adherence to the law. I think the vast majority of people who generally respect the law and adhere to it do so on the basis of broad agreement with its aims and spirit - people tend to break laws they don’t agree with, don’t respect or don’t care about. I think that a person not consuming a substance on the understanding it’s illegal would also have the understanding of the baggage and risks that come along with it. If you’re crossing that line into taking gear and all the problems and pain that goes with it, you either don’t understand it or you do and, for whatever reason, don’t care or are hurting enough that this knowledge won’t stop you. Either way, prohibition isn’t helpful in such a case and only drives wider societal harms and puts up barriers to those who are wanting to make change. Portugal decriminalised everything and replaced punishment with support didn’t lead to a significant uptake in consumption, instead paving the way for more compassionate and effective support systems. It’s not like there’s loads of otherwise normal, functional people just waiting to dive into full blown bagheadery because the law says they can. Maybe some people would enjoy dabbling in a bit of cannabis and mushrooms that otherwise aren’t, I’ll give you that - just look at people on holiday in Amsterdam. That said, I don’t consider preventing that a justifiable rationale for maintaining a system of prohibition that doesn’t effectively support addicts or stop crime whilst causing untold unnecessary misery. All the while, it remains a ludicrous position when alcohol, one of the most damaging drugs known to to man, is fair game. We need to be pragmatic.
Galaxyprincess86@reddit
Medical has been since 2018 so I've been told
Norman_debris@reddit
Yes.
But I also hate it and wish people wouldn't smoke.
YourKemosabe@reddit
If legalised people could opt for dry herb vaping or edibles. Much less stink + far healthier.
Norman_debris@reddit
It's not just the act of smoking I don't like. I can't stand stoners, regardless of how they consumed the drug.
YourKemosabe@reddit
You don’t hate cannabis. You hate boring people with one hobby.
Plenty of normal adults who use cannabis and don’t make it their personality.
ClydeinLimbo@reddit
The smell is the problem
headline-pottery@reddit
Wait what? Weed is illegal you say. A walk through Manchester, or past Bishopsgate Police Station in London would suggest otherwise.
Broad-Raspberry1805@reddit
I always used to say yes. But as someone who struggled to kick the habit for years and who has a teenage son I now say NO. It saps your motivation and stops you doing productive things. I’ve got too many pothead friends and don’t think it should be encouraged.
YourKemosabe@reddit
I get the concern, especially with teenagers. Cannabis isn’t harmless.
But “some people abuse it” isn’t a serious argument for prohibition.
Alcohol does everything you’ve described far worse. It wrecks motivation, families, health and kills tens of thousands of lives every year, yet we still don’t ban people having a pint or ten in a beer garden.
Legal doesn’t mean encouraged. It means regulated, age-gated, labelled, taxed and controlled.
If alcohol, nicotine and caffeine are legal, acting like cannabis is uniquely beyond the pale feels a bit silly.
That’s the nuance.
hmeeshy@reddit
I'd probably not go as far as to say I'd support it being legalised but I wouldn't be opposed to the legalisation of it in its non-smelly, non-risk of contact high forms.
QuirkyImage@reddit
No one mentions that smoking cannabis can still cause cancers and lung diseases like tobacco and is often smoked with tobacco. It also works passively to those around you just like smoking. 🚬
Sapiopath@reddit
Absolutely, especially since it can generate 2-3 billion a year in direct taxes and much more through increased employment.
Good_Lettuce_2690@reddit
Vape it most days to relax and decrease anxiety. Nearly everyone I know has used it at some point, many still do but not as much as I do. It's practically legal here, police don't bother folk about it unless they are blatantly dealing, they have better things to do with their time. I have no idea why it's not legal yet. The amount of tax revenue the government is leaving on the table is crazy. The SNP was pro legalisation here, but as soon as they got a whiff of power they dumped the policy.
Fit-Jellyfish1675@reddit
Absolutely, I know someone that bought a house with the money he made from selling weed 10 years ago or so and he's still going.
IMO the biggest issue around weed right now aside from the smell(which can be resolved) is the drug driving test. However, this is an issue regardless of legal status as it's meant to be an impairment test but actually just picks up inactive bits of residue from a day or two ago in your mouth.
It's treated like it's the breathalyser for weed but it absolutely isn't. One is based on the drug being in your blood stream and the other is based on smoke or vapour being in your mouth semi recently.
bladefiddler@reddit
Quite a difficult call to make.
On the one hand: smoking it absolutely does reek so is antisocial, it really does sap users drive and motivations cutting their potential achievements & productivity, stronger variants over the last couple decades seem to have much more/worse issues with mental health & addictive habitual use.
On the other side: non-stinky methods are available, it could be produced as a safe & regulated product. It's would shift the ginormous revenue from organised crime over to taxation and legitimate economic activity which could probably cover the existing and any additional mental health burden. Policing resources would be able to focus on other issues.
With the current state of the country (frequency of protests & potential civil unrest brewing etc) I'm actually surprised they haven't already done it. Angry protesters who get pissed get rowdy & violent. Angry protesters who get stoned (mostly) wander off grumbling, in search of a mcdonalds or Greggs....
thehoneybadger1223@reddit
Yes. It's not perfect, but it's a better option than tobacco or alcohol.
ReportTop2156@reddit
I was always pro legalise it, then I had a new neighbour move in next door who smoked it heavily and repeatedly in his living room where the smell of it would completely flood my whole house as if I’d smoked it in my house. Repeatedly asked him to stop and it ended up in a couple of nasty incidents. Eventually had no choice but to involve the police. My concern is if it’s legalised thats fine but then someone like my neighbour is green lit to blaze away and to hell with me and my family suffering with the stench of his smoking it. I smell the stuff now out and about and where as I use to have a chuckle to myself, i get really wound up by it.
Cabbagecatss@reddit
Honestly my personal opinion is not only should it be legalised it should be compulsory lmao think how much nicer work would be if everyone was stoned af
GJThunderqunt@reddit
It makes me paranoid violent and aggressive so no ta.
That said I believe in the decriminalisation/legalisation of all drugs. Taxation to cover treatment programs. Proper education and responsible sales. Removing the criminal element removes or reduces the criminality and ASB that goes with addiction.
Its-The-Kabukiman@reddit
Cannabis makes you violent and aggressive?
Why lie?
You’ve never smoked pot brah.
GJThunderqunt@reddit
Dude, I've done everything except smack, ket and some of the more exotic hallucinogens.
Everybody's brain chemistry is different. Pot fucking ruins me. It's not for me.
Its-The-Kabukiman@reddit
You have to be the only person I’ve ever spoken to who says cannabis makes him violent.
You do you though.
Cabbagecatss@reddit
Agree, this just isn’t something that happens. I would assume they have other mental issues or were mixing it with alcohol or other drugs tbh
Its-The-Kabukiman@reddit
There are some insanely out of touch people on here. I’m thinking tons of these comments are from people in their sixties.
The entire world is moving towards cannabis legalisation.
lightwhisper@reddit
Yes 100% legalise it but 18+
IkeTurn@reddit
Nope. Have had to deal with the aftermath of drug drivers, just as bad as drunk drivers. If it was legalized there would be more drug drivers as well. Research consistently shows that cannabis can impair driving ability, especially reaction time, lane control, attention, and coordination. Studies also show an increased crash risk after recent cannabis use. So only druggies would want it legalized as it serves no purpose and should remain banned also alcohol should be banned as well.
mufcroberts@reddit
So the same as lots or prescribed legal drugs? Everyone must be sensible whilst driving, it has nothing to do with what drug, more to do with if the user is stupid. I know people who drink, or smoke cannabis, they do it within their own home and tbh I’d rather be in a room full of stoners than alcoholics.
Alcohol is man made yet legal
Cannabis is grown in nature and this is illegal…
Doesn’t make sense considering how much money we could be making off it.
Shoddy-Reply-7217@reddit
I think all drugs should be decriminalised and dealt with as a health issue rather than a criminal issue.
But fully legalising cannabis and selling it in retail shops wouldn't be the best thing IMHO.
Much as stoners are way more chilled than drunk people, the skunk that is now around can be dangerous from a mental health POV and I don't really want to encourage the way it is in NY right now (where you can't walk anywhere without smelling it) or the weed tourists in Amsterdam.
Accomplished-Box-775@reddit
As someone who works in healthcare I think lots of people are unaware of the health risks. Pneumothoraxes and COPD, worsening mental health and cannabis hyperemesis syndrome. If it was legal it would need big warning labels like cigarettes. I also feel it would be a step back as we are trying to ban cigarettes so why legalise something else bad for peoples health.
slemsbury@reddit
It's telling that most people's worst complaint is that it smells. To me, that alone really isn't reasonable grounds for something to be illegal.
Also, if you start giving people the option to legally purchase edibles or oils, I suspect that many would do that instead of smoking.
BG3restart@reddit
No, but mainly because of the smell. It makes me feel nauseous. If it was odour free, I wouldn't have any objections, so gummies and oils are OK.
BastardsCryinInnit@reddit
Not until they make a scentless version.
But yes, the culture is very different here, i would say most people arent arsed about cannabis at all, and it still has some loser or hippy connotations to some.
Gro022@reddit
Vape versions barely smell F there are edibles so they do exist.
odd1ne@reddit
I find it ironic how people talk about making cannabis legal but the UK government have now essentially banned smoking recently. I doubt it will ever happen here.
Though the government would love those taxes if they did....
Hcmp1980@reddit
Yes already!
Socially we're ready for it.
And the treasure needs the tax
I wonder if hospitality sector aggressively lobbying against it.
BooeyBrown@reddit
Yes. Moderate cannabis usage in edible form hurts no one.
Recent-Detective-247@reddit
No, I’ve seen what it does to people, it makes them lazy. All they care about is smoking weed.
TSC-99@reddit
Absolutely not. My ex husband was addicted to it and it caused huge paranoia with him.
Historical_Owl2154@reddit
Fun fact, it is legal in the UK as long as you have a prescription. They are only available through private clinics, but you can have it if you pay.
Peterleclark@reddit
I don’t care.
I know this question isn’t for me, but thought I’d add the perspective.
Ok-Leopard-8016@reddit
no all smoking should stop
A_Roll_of_the_Dice@reddit
You don't have to smoke it...
And yes, I mean that in both ways.
mrshakeshaft@reddit
No but we do have to smell it and it’s a really Pervasive smell that gets everywhere. When my next door neighbors kid was smoking in his bedroom the smell filled our house. We’ve got Another set of neighbours 2 doors down who smoke all the time in their garden and consequently most times when I open my back Door it stinks of weed. By all means, do what the fuck you like when it comes to intoxicants but the smell is on a par with playing really loud music. It’s inconsiderate and fucking annoying
moonfarmer89@reddit
Yes, absolutely. Regulations would stop/lower dodgy quality entering the market and it’s another tax stream
Moosefearssatan@reddit
No. As a Brit myself I don’t think we’d be capable of using it responsibly. Also far to many people already smoke it around areas for children and I’m sick of my very young daughter being exposed to it
-Rhymenocerous-@reddit
Not advocating myaelf but if it was regulated and laws changed so its only to be consumed on a licenced venue or at home with fines put in place for public consumption (similar to netherlands).
It would very likely change pretty quickly. Plus youll.be stopping an illicit trade of drugs and regulating it. As it stands the drug industry is big enough to be listed on NASDAQ
LANdShark31@reddit
Nope I’ve been to New York, the whole place bloody reeks of the stuff.
Weak_Yam_6579@reddit
100% yes as with most drugs. The war on drugs is utter bullshit that was forced on the world by the USA
Outrageous_Agent_608@reddit
No - it stinks to much. Been to the US many times including California and the place stinks of weed.
wo_no_diggity_doubt@reddit
No. Memory after it is worse than booze. That's our brain's not our dietary intake.
borokish@reddit
Yes.
Thpfkt@reddit
Brit in CA here - yep I think it should! It's medically legal right now in the UK so I've seen progress from when I was younger and I think it will eventually get there. I'm a millennial and cannabis was easily available to me as a teen and there wasn't really a big taboo around it within my generation at all.
Routine-Cicada-4949@reddit
I'm a Londoner who's lived in California for 20+ years & I thought pot had already been decriminalised in the UK.
I was smoking pretty much out in the open back in the 80s. Plod didn't really care as long as you left them alone.
Anyway, Yes, ganja should NOT be illegal. Especially in a world where we make alcohol glamorous.
Current_Mongoose_844@reddit
I am a New Yorker in exile and Jesus Christ yes, it's practically the only thing I miss about the US.
qualityvote2@reddit
Hello u/FriesWithMacSauce! Welcome to r/AskABrit!
For other users, does this post fit the subreddit?
If so, upvote this comment!
Otherwise, downvote this comment!
And if it does break the rules, downvote this comment and report this post!