Should Marijuana be legalised?

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

This may well have been cited here before, and I oppologise if that's so, but I found an interesting statistic on channel 9's web site.

 

They listed all the results of surveys over a couple years, one of which was "Should Marijuana be legalised?

 

Here's the results-

 

April 1, 2001: Should marijuana be legalised?

Yes: 7386

No: 7175

 

NINE MSN SURVEY RESULTS

 

 

So when should we expect the change?

 

cheers

rob

[Pa-uul]

That's intersting. Unfortunately it's not too reliable because it's a voluntary survey. It would depend where and how the question was presented as to who responded. Furthermore there are some disturbing negative results on that same page like:

 

March 26, 2001: Do you think the government's anti-drug campaign is too confronting?

Yes: 923

No: 7085

 

March 24, 2001: Should athletes be penalised for using Non-performance enhancing recreational drugs?

Yes: 2828

No: 2178

 

March 12, 2001: Should athletes caught using recreational drugs face bans?

Yes: 5880

No: 3107

 

December 14-16, 2001: Should police be able to use sniffer dogs for random drug searches?

Yes: 23,113

No: 4853

 

This last one shits me. There's nothing much more police state than sniffer dogs searching the citizens for their stash. But to finish on a better note there's:

 

August 25, 2001: Are we winning the war on drugs?

Yes: 422

No: 5847

 

Suck shit.

[stonedstump]

. good on ya!

[didj]

God damn @ sniffer dog poll

 

Thats some scary stats, just hope it was fallout from the 9/11 attacks a few months before, and not existing (or current) public opinion

[nugget]

Seeing as the poll was taken just over 5 years ago, I would definitely be interested in what the results would be if the survey were taken today.

[pipeman]

Most people don't want to see softer drug laws, and most of those that do don't feel strongly enough about it to do anything.

 

So when you look at the number of people that both want drug law reform and are willing to fight for it its a very fucking small number of people I reckon.

 

On top of that, not only do we not have any substantial support, but to advocate drug law reform is a deifnite vote loser in the face of the conservative Australian voters. The Greens got slaughtered in the last federal elections because of some very minor points they made about drug law reform. No political party will want to touch the issue, its got too few votes to gain and a lot of votes to lose.

 

So when you've got fuck all people willing to fight for it and no political party wanting to touch it, how is the issue going to be progressed? Its not, and stoners are fucked pretty much forever IMO.

Edited June 8, 2006 by pipeman

[RobbieGanjaSeed]

You're dead right of course pipeman, I just slapped the stat up for a laugh.

 

When that fashion model was caught for two eccy pills, and the chick with the grass both in Bali; the overwhelming opinion was that they were just druggies, and so to hell with them.

 

Wendel Sailor sniffed up some coke, nobody's business, didn't effect his game as in perforrmence enhancing, so that's not the issue. He'll be washed up now, for what? A bit of personal.

 

But again the overwhelming opinion is that he got what he deserved!

 

How people can be so pig headed, when far more serious things go on is beyond me; but that's the way it is.

 

Daniel Mcorbe (sorry i can't spell his last name) is still an open case of child abduction in broad daylight in Qld. They just approved an extra 350 new police to be hired for the fight against drugs! So the news report claimed. But the case of this poor kid goes unanswered...

 

I watched a crime show on TV last week. Some bloke killed a 15 year old at Wynumn Qld. He eventually got life without parole, but what blew my mind was his first sexual offense was in Rocky. He knocked a girl out cold, screwed her, tied her hands and feet and gagged her. Tossed her in the fitzroy river to drown. She revived when she hit the drink, and struggled to the bank and dragged herself clear. Got to the road, the cops came to the scene and the bastard was still there. He got 5 years in jail, out in three! Three fuckin years!

 

He went on to replicate this same behaviour from Melbourne to Brisbane for years. Even when he was sentenced for killing a chick (I think in NSW) he only got ten years, and was out in less. Things many of us may have done, or know someone to have done carry higher penalties than what this clown got (thinking of the 3 years job), but for my part I know no-one that I'm aware of that would remotely approve of such behaviour as this sicko. It's all arse up.

 

What can ya say but it's all so very sad?

 

rob

[pipeman]

yeah it all stems from the mentality that drugs are a disease on society therefore that ruin countless lives so any crime relating to drugs needs overly harsh penalties to try to stamp it out.

 

Its sickening to think the punishments handed out for cannabis offenses are comparable to violent crimes.

 

THis is where I think activism has the best chance of success. Not to make it legal, but at least make the laws regarding cannabis a bit more reasonable and separate its association with dangerous and addictive drugs like heroin. And of course, allow Doctors to prescribe it for medicinal purposes.