Should cannabis be completely legalised?

[SauRoNZA]

Other. You can't compare it to tabacco. Its more similar to Alcohol as it inhibits your ability to operate machinery and operate normally at work. Hence if you do legalize it for recreational use it needs to have similar laws around it for driving, and work. Personally I would prefer if it moves into the medical pain control world for the most part. As a recreational stimulant I worry that it will push many to try harder drugs for the bigger high. Right now kids that want to be edgy and break the law can take it as a fairly mild and less addictive drug. If its fully legal what do they then take to be edgy? Tik? Moves the whole bar up and I don't see how it won't lead to more taking of hard drugs too.

Does not compute.

The same could be said for cigarettes but modern kids have steered clear of it automatically.

Pot does not amount to hard drug use and the more things are legal the better.

 

[DarkWater]

Legalise completely but with the obvious laws implemented

 

[~AoA~]

We should just do what Portugal did

 

[saor]

Now my question is, what's the difference between that headrush from a cigarette/vape, a 1-2 hour high from a joint, or a buzz from a drink while at work or the office? I don't see any difference, depending on the level of intoxication.

Because weed, alcohol or cocaine aren't just increasing intensities of the same feeling...they're not your vape headrush intensified according to the drug. Every drug affects you differently. Presumably you wouldn't want your bus driver drinking, but you'd be fine with them vaping.

 

[SauRoNZA]

So this might be super noob but here goes.

I've never smoked a cigarette myself, but recently someone left one of those "party vapes" at my apartment. The ones that are disposable, and apparently have quite high % nicotine inside the liquid. I took it along with me to work the following week, taking a few puffs in traffic or when going for coffee. And damn, did it give me a massive headrush. The first time I tried it I nearly fell over from the dizzyness. I wasn't sure if I liked this feeling or not but I kept trying it until I decided I don't like this feeling and disposed of the disposable.

Now my question is, what's the difference between that headrush from a cigarette/vape, a 1-2 hour high from a joint, or a buzz from a drink while at work or the office? I don't see any difference, depending on the level of intoxication.

Nicotine equals headrush and it only happens when you've never done it or not for a long time.

Smoking pot is nothing like that, there is no headrush or instant hit and it's a rather slow transition you only become aware of after some time passing.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Great. More druggies please.

Just remember that includes all the alcoholics you already give a free pass just because it's legal.

 

[noxibox]

I voted tobacco but you are right on closer to alcohol laws.
As to the gateway theory, the only gateway (if such a thing even exists) is alcohol.
Most peoples first getting high experience is alcohol.

Yes, the gateway hypothesis is pure nonsense. The idea that users are always looking for bigger highs is a silly myth.

 

[saor]

Just remember that includes all the alcoholics you already give a free pass just because it's legal.

A big difference being that most people understand alcohol to be quite bad for you. Yet people have this "weed is cool bro it's natural" attitude about weed that gets under my skin. I don't mind legalization at all, but have the education around these drugs be as unbiased as possible (something like Huberman Lab podcast).

 

[JabiRider]

So this might be super noob but here goes.

I've never smoked a cigarette myself, but recently someone left one of those "party vapes" at my apartment. The ones that are disposable, and apparently have quite high % nicotine inside the liquid. I took it along with me to work the following week, taking a few puffs in traffic or when going for coffee. And damn, did it give me a massive headrush. The first time I tried it I nearly fell over from the dizzyness. I wasn't sure if I liked this feeling or not but I kept trying it until I decided I don't like this feeling and disposed of the disposable.

Now my question is, what's the difference between that headrush from a cigarette/vape, a 1-2 hour high from a joint, or a buzz from a drink while at work or the office? I don't see any difference, depending on the level of intoxication.

Might be a noob reply, but here goes.

I am an ex-smoker (cigarettes), smoked cannabis a couple of times when I was a teenager and have been drunk many times in my life(I don't get drunk anymore).
A headrush from a cigarette/vape lasts a few seconds, and then you are fine. Within a couple of cigarettes/puffs from a vape, you will no longer get a headrush. Smokers and Vapers don't get headrushes.

What I remember from the few times I smoked cannabis, was that it would have been very dangerous for me to get behind the wheel of a car. I remember getting a call from my bank one time and I could barely speak to the lady on the other side of the phone. I suppose, like smoking, you get used to it and don't get so baked after a while, because I have close friends that use marijuana and they seem to function normally after smoking it. One of them used to drive out at lunch, take a couple of hits from his bong in his car and could carry on working for the rest of the day(he doesn't do it anymore). Only one time in the 6 years we've been working together, could I see that he was high.

To answer your question, a headrush from a cigarette/vape cannot be compared to getting high on cannabis or tipsy from a couple of drinks, but I suppose getting tipsy and getting baked can be compared, and both are equally dangerous when it comes to driving or operating machinery, in my opinion.

 

[noxibox]

As a recreational stimulant I worry that it will push many to try harder drugs for the bigger high.

If someone was really trying to use it as a stimulant, then they could just switch to caffeine. Anyone buying cannabis on the black market right now has a good chance of either being able to buy whatever else they want from the same supplier or that supplier being able to point them to someone who can. So if they happen to be among that minority of users who are just trying to get as high as possible, then they already have easy access. Making it legal to buy and sell isn't going to make it easier for them to access other drugs.

Right now kids that want to be edgy and break the law can take it as a fairly mild and less addictive drug. If its fully legal what do they then take to be edgy?

Who are these kids who think they're being edgy smoking a bit of cannabis? However there is still a long list of basically non-addictive recreational drugs that are illegal, so those looking to be edgy will continue to have a wide choice for sometime yet.

Moves the whole bar up and I don't see how it won't lead to more taking of hard drugs too.

That doesn't even make any logical sense. Also considering that if we're going to make this hard soft distinction then alcohol is very far into the hard drugs side. There is a whole pile of illegal drugs that are far safer to use than alcohol.

 

[eepr0m]

Yes so I can stop feeling guilty.

 

[Polymathic]

All drugs should be legalised but heavily taxed.

Squirrell recruited you?

 

[noxibox]

Might be a noob reply, but here goes.

I am an ex-smoker (cigarettes), smoked cannabis a couple of times when I was a teenager and have been drunk many times in my life(I don't get drunk anymore).
A headrush from a cigarette/vape lasts a few seconds, and then you are fine. Within a couple of cigarettes/puffs from a vape, you will no longer get a headrush. Smokers and Vapers don't get headrushes.

The actual impairment from too much nicotine can last as long as the overall effects of nicotine last.

What I remember from the few times I smoked cannabis, was that it would have been very dangerous for me to get behind the wheel of a car. I remember getting a call from my bank one time and I could barely speak to the lady on the other side of the phone. I suppose, like smoking, you get used to it and don't get so baked after a while, because I have close friends that use marijuana and they seem to function normally after smoking it. One of them used to drive out at lunch, take a couple of hits from his bong in his car and could carry on working for the rest of the day(he doesn't do it anymore). Only one time in the 6 years we've been working together, could I see that he was high.

I would think that comes down to people figuring out their dose. I know exactly how much alcohol I can drink to achieve the high I am aiming for. But I didn't magically just know this when I first consumed alcohol. And the very first time I had way too much to the point of being completely hammered.

I suppose getting tipsy and getting baked can be compared, and both are equally dangerous when it comes to driving or operating machinery, in my opinion.

This is true. Someone quite heavily intoxicated on cannabis is probably only as dangerous with machinery as someone who has a small quantity of alcohol.

A big difference being that most people understand alcohol to be quite bad for you.

I don't find most people understand that at all.

Yet people have this "weed is cool bro it's natural" attitude about weed that gets under my skin. I don't mind legalization at all, but have the education around these drugs be as unbiased as possible (something like Huberman Lab podcast).

While I don't think Huberman is intentionally biased he does cherry pick the research he presents. I noticed this particularly in the claims he made in his video on ADHD. It that one he very much overstated what the research says about certain interventions. He also seems to often fail to provide the titles and links to the papers he references.

 

[JabiRider]

The actual impairment from too much nicotine can last as long as the overall effects of nicotine last.

Interesting.
I used to be the type of guy who would call out guys who smoked "light" cigarettes. I smoked the heavy stuff.

I was a pack-a-day smoker, but there were times of heavy stress and a few times of boredom when I could start a pack in the morning and it would be finished by lunch. On those days I would smoke two packs, sometimes three, but I have never felt "impairment" from smoking cigarettes. Burning lungs, definitely. Coughing, yes. Dry mouth and crappy taste in my mouth, yes. Any type of impairment? Never.

How much nicotine would then be needed for impairment? Look, I know that nicotine is poison and I am glad I don't smoke anymore, but how much is needed to "overdose"?

 

[Jet-Fighter7700]

never had either, Cannabis or Ciggies.
family member smokes and I breathe in the 2nd hand smoke and absolutely hate it, so I wont try it myself.

cannabis, Ive always believed it is addictive almost like Ciggies, so not worth a go. dont want to be addicted to anything as bad as Ciggies in my life
but what do I know.

 

[Harmonic]

Other. Legalise with a blend of tobacco and alcohol laws

 

[SauRoNZA]

A big difference being that most people understand alcohol to be quite bad for you. Yet people have this "weed is cool bro it's natural" attitude about weed that gets under my skin. I don't mind legalization at all, but have the education around these drugs be as unbiased as possible (something like Huberman Lab podcast).

Oh absolutely.

There's just a case of alcohol being considered "normal" and being excused as such and that post smacked of it.

 

[SauRoNZA]

Might be a noob reply, but here goes.

I am an ex-smoker (cigarettes), smoked cannabis a couple of times when I was a teenager and have been drunk many times in my life(I don't get drunk anymore).
A headrush from a cigarette/vape lasts a few seconds, and then you are fine. Within a couple of cigarettes/puffs from a vape, you will no longer get a headrush. Smokers and Vapers don't get headrushes.

What I remember from the few times I smoked cannabis, was that it would have been very dangerous for me to get behind the wheel of a car. I remember getting a call from my bank one time and I could barely speak to the lady on the other side of the phone. I suppose, like smoking, you get used to it and don't get so baked after a while, because I have close friends that use marijuana and they seem to function normally after smoking it. One of them used to drive out at lunch, take a couple of hits from his bong in his car and could carry on working for the rest of the day(he doesn't do it anymore). Only one time in the 6 years we've been working together, could I see that he was high.

To answer your question, a headrush from a cigarette/vape cannot be compared to getting high on cannabis or tipsy from a couple of drinks, but I suppose getting tipsy and getting baked can be compared, and both are equally dangerous when it comes to driving or operating machinery, in my opinion.

I do seem to recall there was some research done on cannabis vs alcohol behind the wheel and how it affects driving ability and the results were quite contrasting.

Not to mean that cannabis did nothing, just that alcohol was far far worse.

 

[chewiesw]

We are talking about SA right? We don't know the meaning of the word "legal", we are not known for following any rules. If it were to become legal is would quick develop in to some akin to the Taxi Industry, a very small set controlling through violence.

 

[capd]

Decriminalised is the best way forward. Far too many poor/rural people depend on it for their livelihoods.

Keep it out of the corporates' and government's hands.

Unfortunately most 'stoners' have not thought this far.

I personally learnt from Franco (RIP) and Arjan of Green House Seed Co on their Strain Hunters (quest for landrace strains) leg in South Africa.