Cannabis factory discovered in Stourport today (From Worcester News)

Isn't it about time we just legalised this stuff and started taxing it instead of throwing money at trying to stop people using it?

We'll never stop people smoking the stuff and the actual harm it does seems pretty negligible by comparison to the harmful effects of alcohol.

Live and let live and all that...

Are we so stupid in Britain that we cannot learn the lessons of history? If we prohibit something for which there is huge demand then the price rises and violent criminals become involved.

If we introduced a legally regulated system we would solve nearly all the problems around cannabis. Science proves how much safer it is than tobacco, alcohol, prescription medicines and all other recreational drugs. The evidence is that where legal regulation is introduced, consumption by children and all health and social harms are reduced.

Doctors would be able to prescribe one of the most effective medicines that has no serious side effects at all. At the moment the government has given GW Pharmaceuticals an illegal monopoly on cannabis so they make millions out of a medicine that you can grow in your greenhouse for virtually nothing.

Independent, expert research also indicates that a tax and regulate policy on cannabis would produce a net gain to the UK economy of up to £9.3 billion pa.

Our present policy on cannabis is irrational, irresponsible and dangerous. On 6th November 2012 Colorado and Washington state legalised cannabis for adults, Surely, this inevitable and long overdue reform will now begin to roll out across the world?

Independent, expert research also indicates that a tax and regulate policy on cannabis would produce a net gain to the UK economy of up to £9.3 billion pa.

Followed a few years later with a net loss of £21.4B dealing with the schizophrenic side effects of this stuff! A net loss of £12.1B

est. £12.4B NHS costs of dealing with it!

Guy66 wrote:
est. £12.4B NHS costs of dealing with it!

How much do the NHS spend at the moment? Surely these schizophrenic side effects have to be dealt with even though it's not leagal. Are there any figures of NHS costs directly relating to the use of cannabis?

Guy66 wrote:
est. £12.4B NHS costs of dealing with it!

Is that your own estimate clever boy?

Guy66 wrote:
Independent, expert research also indicates that a tax and regulate policy on cannabis would produce a net gain to the UK economy of up to £9.3 billion pa.

Followed a few years later with a net loss of £21.4B dealing with the schizophrenic side effects of this stuff! A net loss of £12.1B

Peanuts are a greater burden on the NHS than cannabis.

Annual hospital admissions:

cannabis 750
peanuts 3000

University of Keele study 2009 of 600,000 subjects: 'Despite massive increases in cannabis use since the 1960s the rate and prevalence of psychosis and schizophrenia is stable or slightly declining'

Working in the NHS and in particular, the Mental Health Partnership and having first-hand experience at clinics such as Primary Care Mental Health and also working at Community Mental Health Teams I can safely say that Cannabis does not CAUSE psychiatric/psycholo
gical issues such as Schizophrenia. It can contribute to such illnesses but obviously only if there is an underlying prescence of said illnesses. It can contribute to Psychosis etc. but only after hard binging on these sorts of illegal substances. -If people are willing to make judgements about this sort of thing then maybe they should ascertain the relevant experience before passing comment.

OnAHype wrote:
Working in the NHS and in particular, the Mental Health Partnership and having first-hand experience at clinics such as Primary Care Mental Health and also working at Community Mental Health Teams I can safely say that Cannabis does not CAUSE psychiatric/psycholo

gical issues such as Schizophrenia. It can contribute to such illnesses but obviously only if there is an underlying prescence of said illnesses. It can contribute to Psychosis etc. but only after hard binging on these sorts of illegal substances. -If people are willing to make judgements about this sort of thing then maybe they should ascertain the relevant experience before passing comment.

The 'contribution' you mention would be a trigger of what you correctly point out is an under-lying health issue. So for a small number of people who are susceptible, cannabis may be best avoided, although it is likely that their condition will be triggered in a different manner anyway. It's important to note that use of cannabis does not contribute to the existence of the under-lying condition and I think your comments are misleading in that respect.

To many people it's strange that cannabis is still vilified in this way, despite the Keel University report which debunks the mythical link between cannabis use & schizophrenia, and yet alcohol and mental health is a massive problem in this country that is rarely discussed in the media but drains the NHS's resources more than all of the so-called illicit drugs combined.

As usual as soon as a story breaks about cannabis farming the pro cannabis lobby are the first ones to jump in and defend it on the grounds of how marvellous it is and if it was legalised how much revenue in taxes it would generate if it was legalised.
Now - if it was legalised would it mean that the culture of cannabis would be tightly regulated and growing cannabis at home would be illegal?After all growing ones own would be tax evasion wouldn't it? Although it is not illegal to grow your own tobacco in the UK one is obliged to pay duty on it once it is processed for use.
Distilling your own alcohol is still illegal (though there is a way around the law if you wish to make small quantities for medical or industrial use).
So legalise it - OK. Buts let's hear from the pro cannabis lobby that they are prepared to support and pay a high rate of tax and accept the fact that growing their own would be illegal. In fact the penalties for growing your own, to avoid paying duty, would become a far more serious offence then it is now.

Omicron wrote:
As usual as soon as a story breaks about cannabis farming the pro cannabis lobby are the first ones to jump in and defend it on the grounds of how marvellous it is and if it was legalised how much revenue in taxes it would generate if it was legalised.
Now - if it was legalised would it mean that the culture of cannabis would be tightly regulated and growing cannabis at home would be illegal?After all growing ones own would be tax evasion wouldn't it? Although it is not illegal to grow your own tobacco in the UK one is obliged to pay duty on it once it is processed for use.
Distilling your own alcohol is still illegal (though there is a way around the law if you wish to make small quantities for medical or industrial use).
So legalise it - OK. Buts let's hear from the pro cannabis lobby that they are prepared to support and pay a high rate of tax and accept the fact that growing their own would be illegal. In fact the penalties for growing your own, to avoid paying duty, would become a far more serious offence then it is now.

Surely the 'seneible' legislation would be to allow home growth of enough plants (2 or 3) that could be justified as being 'for personal use'. We all know that this would deflate the criminal element as no one would pay hundreds of pounds for something that they could grow for free.