[Politics] How would you vote in a referendum to legalise cannabis in the UK?

[Taybha]

I've been vaping Cannabis for back pain about 3 years now and apart from Oramorph which really screws you up afterwards it's enough to take the edge off the pain,I've no idea what the real thing does but I doubt there's much difference apart from the stink so it's a yes from me Bob.

 

[StonehamPark]

Actually it is true in Calgary, which is where I lived last year. You can only smoke in private residences.

I apologize, you’re totally correct.

After some reading, I learnt Calgary has its own city bylaws preventing public use. That makes me happy, I’d like that law applied nationwide, personally.

 

[Cotton Socks]

The article does say that medical cannabis contains the whole plant but also
Licensed cannabis drugs do exist for specific conditions - but they do not use the whole plant. For example one called Epidiolex contains another cannabis compound - CBD. It can be prescribed for epilepsy but does not benefit patients across the spectrum of epilepsy disorders.

That’s where the confusion arises.

If I was cynical about pharmaceutical companies I'd say they can't be bothered with full clinical trials regarding epilepsy & cannabis, just in case it works. They're more than happy to prescribe anti-depressants for kids though & use kids as guinea pigs for that. A Netflix programme I'm watching called 'Painkiller' is really scary about how basically heroin has been marketed in the US. If you ever want to start investing money on the stock exchange put it into a pharmaceutical company, people will always get ill (or hairdressers, as people always want their hair cut).

 

[Cotton Socks]

I've been vaping Cannabis for back pain about 3 years now and apart from Oramorph which really screws you up afterwards it's enough to take the edge off the pain,I've no idea what the real thing does but I doubt there's much difference apart from the stink so it's a yes from me Bob.

Would it be too much of a rude question to ask when you vape & when you tale Oramorph?

 

[Lyndhurst 14]

A Netflix programme I'm watching called 'Painkiller' is really scary about how basically heroin has been marketed in the US.

If I was cynical about pharmaceutical companies I'd say they can't be bothered with full clinical trials regarding epilepsy & cannabis, just in case it works. They're more than happy to prescribe anti-depressants for kids though & use kids as guinea pigs for that. A Netflix programme I'm watching called 'Painkiller' is really scary about how basically heroin has been marketed in the US. If you ever want to start investing money on the stock exchange put it into a pharmaceutical company, people will always get ill (or hairdressers, as people always want their hair cut).

I watched that programme and it is scary. How the Sackler family is not behind bars is beyond belief. Once addicts found out how much heroin was in Oxycontin tablets they stole or did whatever was necessary to get hold of them - as you say it basically legalized disribution of heroin. One of the people I worked with in the States had major neck surgery and was prescribed Oxycontin for pain relief and he ended up increasing the dosage and became addicted and had to be weaned off it, he was one of the lucky ones.

 

[Zeberdi]

There’s a difference between ‘decriminalising’ and ‘legalisation’ of cannabis possession/private use - I vote yes for decriminalising cannabis use but not legalising it …

It’s too long and complicated to explain why I would take this position but this is an informative read

Legalization, Decriminalization & Medicinal Use of Cannabis: A Scientific and Public Health Perspective

Empirical and clinical studies clearly demonstrate significant adverse effects of cannabis smoking on physical and mental health as well as its interference with social and occupational functioning. These negative data far outweigh a few documented benefits ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

It’s a complicated issue - more so than a binary question in the poll at the top of the thread allows for - in the States, the situation is by no means universal although this latest article (compared with the above link) shows that many States have now fully legalised cannabis;

MARIJUANA LEGALITY BY STATE - Updated April 2, 2024

In order to keep up with the ever-changing laws, DISA has provided this interactive map for information on legalization, medical use, and recreational use.

disa.com

Just as an aside, and a specific concern I would have with regard to medical prescriptions, only 7 of which have actually been given since medical use was approved in the UK) - clearly the cost is prohibitive to the NHS and to those who have been able to buy it privately - if it became legalised and widely available, the cost of purchasing cannabis on the open market for medicinal purpose would still be prohibitive to many people (myself included for the amount I would need for pain management) but it being legally available to buy could also be used by the NHS as an excuse to drag their feet on prescribing it for people that really need it since it would be readily available over the counter.

PS people that vape cannabis really should research the health risk to the lungs - its potentially far worse than vaping nicotine oil. My BinL brought me a cbd vape pen back from the States - just using it once caused me a severe respiratory reaction so despite my chronic pain, I never used it again

Vaping CBD Causes More Severe Lung Damage Than Vaping Nicotine, Roswell Park Study Shows

Vaping cannabidiol (CBD), a compound found in marijuana, leads to more severe lung damage than vaping nicotine, according to a study out of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Until now, research on the health effects of vaping, or using e-cigarettes, has focused almost exclusively on...

www.roswellpark.org

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

Imagining there was a legally binding referendum on the legalisation of cannabis in the UK, how would you vote?

For argument's sake, let's say the hypothetical laws allowed over 18s to possess up to one ounce of cannabis for personal use, and to grow up to 4 plants per household.

This is a straw poll to satisfy my own curiosity on the level of for/against support for the idea. I understand results will be skewed by the male/Brighton demographic.

Will they stock it in the west upper?

 

[Cotton Socks]

There’s a difference between ‘decriminalising’ and ‘legalisation’ of cannabis possession/private use - I vote yes for decriminalising cannabis use but not legalising it …

It’s too long and complicated to explain why I would take this position but this is an informative read

Legalization, Decriminalization & Medicinal Use of Cannabis: A Scientific and Public Health Perspective

Empirical and clinical studies clearly demonstrate significant adverse effects of cannabis smoking on physical and mental health as well as its interference with social and occupational functioning. These negative data far outweigh a few documented benefits ...

www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

It’s a complicated issue - more so than a binary question in the poll at the top of the thread allows for - in the States, the situation is by no means universal although this latest article (compared with the above link) shows that many States have now fully legalised cannabis;

MARIJUANA LEGALITY BY STATE - Updated April 2, 2024

In order to keep up with the ever-changing laws, DISA has provided this interactive map for information on legalization, medical use, and recreational use.

disa.com

Just as an aside, and a specific concern I would have with regard to medical prescriptions, only 7 of which have actually been given since medical use was approved in the UK) - clearly the cost is prohibitive to the NHS and to those who have been able to buy it privately - if it became legalised and widely available, the cost of purchasing cannabis on the open market for medicinal purpose would still be prohibitive to many people (myself included for the amount I would need for pain management) but it being legally available to buy could also be used by the NHS as an excuse to drag their feet on prescribing it for people that really need it since it would be readily available over the counter.

PS people that vape cannabis really should research the health risk to the lungs - its potentially far worse than vaping nicotine oil. My BinL brought me a cbd vape pen back from the States - just using it once caused me a severe respiratory reaction so despite my chronic pain, I never used it again

Vaping CBD Causes More Severe Lung Damage Than Vaping Nicotine, Roswell Park Study Shows

Vaping cannabidiol (CBD), a compound found in marijuana, leads to more severe lung damage than vaping nicotine, according to a study out of Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center. Until now, research on the health effects of vaping, or using e-cigarettes, has focused almost exclusively on...

www.roswellpark.org

Alcohol is the most damaging drug to society & individuals. The government don't actually listen or take any notice of the AMCD, they sack anyone that doesn't 'toe the line'. There is not enough information on vaping yet & in a few years time I will probably be happy that I have contributed to research that says it's bad for you (spoiler, I already know). Which is worse though, vapes or cigarettes? I started smoking when I was 13 & I don't wake up in the morning coughing like hell since I started vaping probably about 10 years ago now. I'm under no illusions that inhaling oil is good for you but is probably marginally better than cigarettes. I didn't start vaping to give up my nicotine addiction, it just sort of 'happened'. Cigarettes to me now taste & smell disgusting (I'm not a 'reformed' smoker, that moans about the smell though').

In your opinion 'why' is the cost to prescribe 'whole plant' medical cannabis to kids like Alfie prohibitive? It's freely available & simple to grow, people have been doing it for 100's if not 1000's of years. Your BIL must have been brave to bring that back from the states! Would you take a 'whole plant' cookie that could easily be made by someone that knew what they were doing over here, even though it would mean getting it illegally if it would reduce your pain? The 'cooking' part would be prohibitive to me as I struggle to make a victoria sponge!

 

[Cotton Socks]

I watched that programme and it is scary. How the Sackler family is not behind bars is beyond belief. Once addicts found out how much heroin was in Oxycontin tablets they stole or did whatever was necessary to get hold of them - as you say it basically legalized disribution of heroin. One of the people I worked with in the States had major neck surgery and was prescribed Oxycontin for pain relief and he ended up increasing the dosage and became addicted and had to be weaned off it, he was one of the lucky ones.

They're all at it to certain degrees. Post it notes given to you with an appointment time with a drug company name on it, so that's been given to the Dr. Pharmaceutical companies are there to make money, if they were doing it for the greater good, they wouldn't be listed on the stock exchange.
Your colleague is one of the lucky ones from what I saw of that programme. I haven't finished it yet, you haven't given a spoiler though, it's bloody obvious that they get away with it, because that's how it is.

 

[Taybha]

Would it be too much of a rude question to ask when you vape & when you tale Oramorph?

Not at all,I Vape on and off through the day at work, Oramorph is for the really bad days only,I reckon I've had to turn to the Oramorph half a dozen times so far this year.

Before I started Vaping CBD I used Oramorph twice a day,and I was pretty much walking around in a permanent daze.

Of course I'd rather not take either but they both helped me the same way easing the pain but the Vape dosen't give me a banging headache or turn you into a Zombie like Oramorph does.

 

[Harry Wilson's tackle]

Because people reak of it and you have to walk through a haze when you arrive and leave restaurants. I’m only going on what I have been told is the New York dining experience since legalization.

Granville Street in Vancouver stank of it when I visited several years ago. But the south side is rather louche. It had no effect on any dining experience I had, though.

 

[Cotton Socks]

Not at all,I Vape on and off through the day at work, Oramorph is for the really bad days only,I reckon I've had to turn to the Oramorph half a dozen times so far this year.

Before I started Vaping CBD I used Oramorph twice a day,and I was pretty much walking around in a permanent daze.

Of course I'd rather not take either but they both helped me the same way easing the pain but the Vape dosen't give me a banging headache or turn you into a Zombie like Oramorph does.

So quite clearly, in your circumstances, it is more beneficial than Oramorph & has less side effects. I'm so puzzled as to why it isn't used as general pain relief in the same way that paracetamol is. Does ur Dr know that you vape? I have to admit that the whole neuropharmacology of cannabis fascinates me, how can something that can help epilepsy, helps serious back pain, without any major side effects (I may be wrong but I've not heard of a death from a cannabis overdose, although I haven't been looking) not be made available when there is evidence to support it works. Apart from the fact it is illegal in this country so no-one says it works. It's bizarre.

 

[slimes]

The smell of it is disgusting. It gives me a headache.
Visit Vegas and the whole strip now reeks of it sadly.

 

[Taybha]

So quite clearly, in your circumstances, it is more beneficial than Oramorph & has less side effects. I'm so puzzled as to why it isn't used as general pain relief in the same way that paracetamol is. Does ur Dr know that you vape? I have to admit that the whole neuropharmacology of cannabis fascinates me, how can something that can help epilepsy, helps serious back pain, without any major side effects (I may be wrong but I've not heard of a death from a cannabis overdose, although I haven't been looking) not be made available when there is evidence to support it works. Apart from the fact it is illegal in this country so no-one says it works. It's bizarre.

My Previous GP actually suggested I tried it after numerous failed attempts at different pain management strategies,the results were almost instantly noticeable when you have constant pain any slight relief is welcome,the CBD for me acts like a muscle relaxant,then in turn eases the pain down a notch or two,it certainly doesn't stop the pain completely but it's by far the best sort of relief I've got without any side effects whatsoever (as far as I'm aware)

 

[herecomesaregular]

I'm conflicted about it so I'd like other countries to continue to experiment further with legalisation before we committ... and then nick the best approach.

I hate the smell, it's vile, makes me want to vom. If I opened my windows at home and had to put up with it wafting in then I would get seriously annoyed. When you smell it on people's clothes it's so strong, have the producers really upped the smell content in recent years? (serious question). If they could make it near enough fragrant free or perhaps just legalise edible gummies then I really would have less of an issue with it. Unrealistic but that's my personal preference.

Having worked in mental health services for years I don't feel skunk is risk-free and harmless. I have seen that it may bring out paranoia, psychosis and schizophrenia in people predisposed (although other things may have brought it out anyway but why dramatically increase the chances?).

I smoked some homegrown mild weed in the Himalayas (good for altitude sickness) and I would be tempted to grow my own, small amount for occasional use, if it was possible. I refuse to use any illegal drugs nowadays because from cannabis to crack they are produced and sold by the same scum who traffic and abuse women and children, maim and murder and simply ruin communities. If we could really change that through decriminalisation and legalisation of some/all drugs I would vote for that (but we haven't had much success with alcohol....)

I agree coke is more of a worry with young people. I'd definitely decriminalise and legalise heroin.

The substance misuse amongst the street people of Brighton seems hideously out of control.

 

[Cotton Socks]

I'm conflicted about it so I'd like other countries to continue to experiment further with legalisation before we committ... and then nick the best approach.

I hate the smell, it's vile, makes me want to vom. If I opened my windows at home and had to put up with it wafting in then I would get seriously annoyed. When you smell it on people's clothes it's so strong, have the producers really upped the smell content in recent years? (serious question). If they could make it near enough fragrant free or perhaps just legalise edible gummies then I really would have less of an issue with it. Unrealistic but that's my personal preference.

Having worked in mental health services for years I don't feel skunk is risk-free and harmless. I have seen that it may bring out paranoia, psychosis and schizophrenia in people predisposed (although other things may have brought it out anyway but why dramatically increase the chances?).

I smoked some homegrown mild weed in the Himalayas (good for altitude sickness) and I would be tempted to grow my own, small amount for occasional use, if it was possible. I refuse to use any illegal drugs nowadays because from cannabis to crack they are produced and sold by the same scum who traffic and abuse women and children, maim and murder and simply ruin communities. If we could really change that through decriminalisation and legalisation of some/all drugs I would vote for that (but we haven't had much success with alcohol....)

I agree coke is more of a worry with young people. I'd definitely decriminalise and legalise heroin.

The substance misuse amongst the street people of Brighton seems hideously out of control.

How many years longer would you want the countries research to be before the UK commits? It does bloody stink & I do wonder if strains are grown for the smell, ie. a marketing view. 'Skunk' is a very blanket term, in my generation the cannabis available was squidgy black, slate, red seal & others that i can't remember the names of. It was all solid & quite often had random bits of plastic through it. There is more than likely to be random crap added to weed today as well to make the 'weight' up. The growers today are quite specific with the names & what kind of 'buzz' it will give. If you go to the Ajax away game, look at their cafe 'menus'.
I know a couple of people that say they get paranoid with cannabis but weirdly they say they are fine with coke, it doesn't make any sense to me. I have wondered if it's a 'vulnerability' thing. Coke can make you think you can take on the world.

Heroin has been basically legalised & decriminalised in the US, posts #123 & 125 mention it and the US has a massive opioid crisis. I don't think it should be legalised. I don't think coke should be legalised. Things like ecstasy & lsd I haven't given much thought to tbh, Their harm seems pretty low. I just think at the end of the day if one of my Jnr's were to come home & say 'I have a choice of 2 illegal drugs that i can take (and I have to take 1) would you say cannabis or coke'. I'd say take the cannabis as it's not likely to cause as much harm as coke. Unfortunately he'd be more likely to be sacked at work if he was stoned than he would be if he was being 'productive' on coke.

 

[Cotton Socks]

My Previous GP actually suggested I tried it after numerous failed attempts at different pain management strategies,the results were almost instantly noticeable when you have constant pain any slight relief is welcome,the CBD for me acts like a muscle relaxant,then in turn eases the pain down a notch or two,it certainly doesn't stop the pain completely but it's by far the best sort of relief I've got without any side effects whatsoever (as far as I'm aware)

I'm going to try & persuade my mum to use the CBD oil again. I don't think she realised how much more freely she moved when she was taking it. I don't think she realises how zoned out she is with the morphine patch. I'm pleased to hear that you've got something to relieve your pain a bit generally.

 

[Neville's Breakfast]

Granville Street in Vancouver stank of it when I visited several years ago. But the south side is rather louche. It had no effect on any dining experience I had, though.

I’m glad your visit wasn’t affected. I wasn’t talking about holidays.

 

[Questions]

I’ve forgotten the question

 

[Muzzman]

This is my response..