Reasons cannabis is illegal

[toker69]

Hi all Aussie cannabis lovers,

 

Well I haven't started a thread yet, and I hadn't seen this topic specifically listed so.... tell me all the reasons you think cannabis is illegal. From health/policitical/manufacturing/conspiracy angles. All is good. Let me get the list started:

 

- government really cares about our health and thinks that it is another harmful substance that it needs to protect us from (I know this is BS propoganda -> but get the bad out of the road first);

 

- cannabis as a plant cannot be patented and having a multitude of medical uses (which have been largely suppressed) poses a threat to pharmeceutical industries. Why? - grow your medicine in the backyard for no cost;

 

- cannabis as the most widely used illegal drug could threaten the alcohol and tobacco industries of serious revenue. Given slush funds/campaign money, and the seriously tainted link between politics and big business, this is a biggie;

 

- cannabis/hemp has huge potential to impact on other manufacturing industries given it's potential use as a renewable energy source (read: replaces some/all fuels). Hemp can also be used for threads, clothing etc and is far more durable, environmentally friendly and could threaten industries such as cotton. In fact i think that jack herer said that it had thousands of uses and if it had wide application, could solve many of our environmental problems (see Jackherer.com);

 

- philosophical ie cannabis helps you think outside the box, regardless of your education level and helps you realise how much bullshit is going on in society/big business and politics. That is, a free thinking majority is a danger to the market economy model whereby they want 'sheeple' to work their 40 hour week, consume BS material goods which make you feel good, and basically confine you to a slave wage market whereby you think you are living a 'really good life'. Instead of thinking about inequality in society between rich/poor, and how you are really being f*&ked over;

 

- cannabis users are an easy target for police ie they are generally law-abiding and passive, and thereby not a threat when arresting and putting through the justice system. Since the majority of drug arrests are pot related, this keeps numbers up for the police who are 'cracking down on crime'; while not really endangering themself in the process. They are wasting time on chasing bong smokers instead of real criminals like rapists, murderers and peddlers of hard drugs like heroin (who are more dangerous etc). This supports police funding for their fancy equipment, bankrolls lawyers and other court-related people judges etc. This also encourages the prison industry to grow and imprison more people (dangerous pot smokers who they would like to isolate and disenfranchise through criminal convictions etc);

 

- focus on illegality of cannabis and other drugs allows the government to step towards a 'big brother' scheme of governing the people. ie more groundless searches, erosion of civil liberties, drug sniffing dogs, further testing whilst driving/working etc. This is a favourite backdoor scheme of government to create a police state by pretending to focus on 'community concerns' over the 'drug epidemic'. Also this allows more chance of busting people for illegal activities which funds government coffers through reposession of goods acquired through illegal drug proceeds (read: you bought your house etc with profits from drugs);

 

- spiritual. ie cannabis helps get you in touch with the environment, forces in nature, God (if you believe in such) etc. This is dangerous to government because it takes you out of a materialistic manner of thinking eg "I will be happy as soon as I own that new Commodore, house etc".

 

- government can also attack minorities who are the easy target in society -> which is a vote winner. eg a lot more poorer people, mentally/physically ill, racial minorities tend to use pot. So this is really an institutionally engrained means of discriminating against these minorities without really appearing to do so;

 

- cannabis engenders feelings of peace/relaxation/contentment. This is dangerous to government because how can they exclaim the 'ills of society' and the 'fabric of society being torn' etc if everyone is contented with their life. That just won't do if they are to justify radical/intrusive measures to interfere with our privacy;

 

Hell, I could go on and on..... but I would love to hear your ideas. Note: this is from a person who had not smoked until 3 years ago and was previously a strict believer in pot being illegal for 'good reasons' !!!!!!!! ::

 

Cheers

 

Toker69

[nouseforaname]

hey,

Great thread wish i had the time to imput to the argument like you did but in a rush....

 

If the government could work out a standard way to tax and control supply and demand they would do it.

 

 

The main problem they have found is how to erradicate whats currently available and make only Aussie Med Weed or whatever they call it available.

 

They are looking into a synthesised version of thc and so far it seems to be the way they want to look into. Main reasons for are..

 

you cant make this at home with little effort

they can regulate and pharmacy available (tax)

 

Why do they grow opium poppies/hemp?

[dj_fader]

hey ozstoners,

 

i still think that the main reason for most of the goverments keeping such a strong hold on the whole cannabis is "evil" trip is because of all the time and money that they have spent keeping it out of the country and punishing people for growing/buying and smoking it

 

and especally in the old days when they used to say stuff like "smoking dope turns you into a rapist"

 

but the whole time there trying to supress cannabis there selling tabacco to pregnant women and kids and saying its all good

 

so if you think that after all these people have been jailed, deprived of medicinal benefits or even every day somkers that have been labled as criminals are going to have all the big goverments all of a suddon stand up and say

 

ooops we've been sort of wrong the past 40-50 years we have now discovered that cannabis is a harmless herb but tabacco is evil weed

[toker69]

hey ozstoners,

 

i still think that the main reason for most of the goverments keeping such a strong hold on the whole cannabis is "evil" trip is because of all the time and money that they have spent keeping it out of the country and punishing people for growing/buying and smoking it

 

and especally in the old days when they used to say stuff like "smoking dope turns you into a rapist"

 

but the whole time there trying to supress cannabis there selling tabacco to pregnant women and kids and saying its all good

 

so if you think that after all these people have been jailed, deprived of medicinal benefits or even every day somkers that  have been labled as criminals are going to have all the big goverments all of a suddon stand up and say

 

ooops we've been sort of wrong the past 40-50 years we have now discovered that cannabis is a harmless herb but tabacco is evil weed

Hey stonedas and DJ fader,

 

Thanks for the replies. I agree with you both. Good point re erradicating private supply. I mean if they provide crap weed with lowered THC levels to ensure 'community safety', people are going to grow their own killer weed. I don't know where they got this idea that high THC levels are so bad. So what if I get a bigger case of couchlock or only need 1 bong instead of 5 to get high. All the better for me and my limited dollars I say. I can imagine government providing 5% THC cigarettes as a max, just like they only provide certain 'proof' levels in spirits. You can't get absinythe legally in Australia for example (side note: apparently a couple of these can have you feeling almost stoned).

 

I also agree with the sentiment re: the government recognising that they have been wrong for a long time. They can't exactly turn around and say, 'whoops, sorry guys we realise that for the last x years we have been wrongly imprisoning, fining, taking away your children etc over something that is really a harmless plant'. I'm sure that they will eventually legalise, but after they decide that exhaustive studies show no significant danger of smoking cannabis. I mean, as if the several hundred studies available over the internet currently aren't enough evidence!! I think there was a CD rom floating around that cannabis activists had collated some 700 (?) studies showing that pot was essentially harmless. Id love to mail a copy of that to each political representative and ask them when they have enough proof.

 

In fact, that reminds me..... I know little of the australian 'constitution'. I heard that there was a movement aiming to have basic rights of australians enshrined in a document -> much like the american one. I believe little Johnny in usual political speak announced that we didn't need one and that current laws had served us well up to the current point. Tell me if I'm wrong. Anyway... the reason being that if there are basic inalienable rights, I would love to see a High Court challange to the possession, supply, growing lows re cannabis. They are currently hearing arguments in the Canadian Supreme Court starting today. If successful, people will be able to buy, grow, possess etc marijuana without fear of prosecution. So it would be largely treated like alcohol/tobacco. If it can be heard in Canada - why not Australia????

 

Anyway, cheers and bong on.

 

Toker69

[Eddie E]

A really fundamental thread ............ if you can't identify why cannabis is remaining illegal, how can you properly plan any route towards legalisation?

 

There's multiple documents across the net suggesting a whole host of reasons, and the real reason may be different in each individual country.

 

In the UK cannabis de-criminalisation was legitimately suggested as far back as the late 60's but there was no movement from Government. In the following years we had advertising, marches, lobbying and a whole host of entertaining activities trying to make moves towards legalisation. It wasn't until some work in the late 80's that the penny dropped and the real reason was minor. Cannabis was seen by the majority of the population (who do not use and do not encourage) as a drop out route, a cause for the wastrels, confined to the liberty end of the market, a justification for anti-establishment and anti-police marches and attacks and a collection of other attributes. Basically cannabis was seen as 'disrespectful' to the community as a whole so why should they support its legalisation?

 

No petro-chemical conspiracy, no tax evasion, no right wing pressure, just simple bad tactics.

 

Thereafter work was done to make cannabis 'respectable' and 'acceptable' by a steady flow of evidence, requesting established organisations and foundations to make enquiries and reports into use and effects, highlighting the medical benefits, identifying cannabis's long and traditional history of multi-use, and by individuals that were well outside the descriptions outlined above to make the case for legalisation. The argument had to be taken away from a 'drugs war' context to a lobbying on data situation. 'War' is a two way process and the continuing anti- attitude of the former legalisers caused as much friction in society as a whole as the activities of overzealous 'drug warriors' did in the opposite direction.

 

When the argument changes from one of opposition to prohibition to one of joint acceptance of the benefits of legalisation then you have arrived. Today the marches continue, but the mood is totally changed to peaceful co-existence. Any overt strong policing actvity is examined for the underlying reasons rather than simply castigated. When a strong prohibitionist writes then the legalisers identify who is best placed to respond and the appropriate information is provided, not a simple piece of rhetoric. The dabate has matured and is succeeding.

 

Can't answer for why its still illegal in Aussieland, having enough trouble trying to figure out the U S of A where the probs seem infinitely difficult!

Regards

Eddie

[DOM]

Hell, I could go on and on

 

but IMO this aussie government is doing the old "MONKEY SEE MONKEY DO" syndrome,

just like this conflict in the middle east.

 

IMO do us voters have a vote or do we all live in a police country that BLINDLY plays FOLLOW THE LEADER.

 

There's multiple documents across the net suggesting a whole host of reasons, and the real reason may be different in each individual country.

 

if man can spend untold $'s to put man in SPACE and go to WAR then why can't they fork out a few $'s to FULLY INVESTIGATE the benefits of the MOST MISALIGNED PLANT on the PLANET and as for the uses of, of which are limitless .

 

this plant was put on our planet to help SAVE it from OUR NEAR SIGHTED POLITICIANS and the INDUSTRIAL SECTOR whom seem so hell bent on destroying our planet for OUR FUTURE GENERATIONS.

 

we all know evolution must proceed but what about our ecology,man is killing this planet so why do the ptb's fail to see this.

[Tom]

Hi there Eddie, I believe that one of the main problems here in Australia is the lack of facts, information is needed before education is possible and the prohibition laws that need to be changed are a major stumbling block for any legal organisation that wants to accumulate the facts necessary to make that change.

 

In plain English, we can't get the laws changed without the information needed to counter the arguments of those who are opposed to the legalisation of cannabis.

 

http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/contrib/ruinkai/coolgleamA.gif http://64.207.13.28/mysmilies/otn/glasses/smokin.gif

[Buddy]

If I were a politition with a big pension soon to be forthcoming and immediate access to overinflated superannuation benefits, I doubt if I would push to legalise MJ even if in my heart I supported it.

 

The sheeple majority wouldnt support me in the next election, then I'd could lose my seat and blow the lot.

 

The name of the game in politics is LOOK AFTER NUMERO UNO.

[Guest Urbanhog]

You can't get absinythe legally in Australia for example (side note: apparently a couple of these can have you feeling almost stoned).

I love this drink.... its AWESOME mixed with few canna-cookies.... oh my god, you surely get ripped.... but my bottleshops sells them, imported from France, its not cheap, its about 60-70% alc/vol sells them for $120... but I have brought this stuff twice or three times... gee this is dangerous stuff in large doses

 

I think it's legal, but there's a limit in the thujone levels the active psychoactive property from the herb, wormwood, in Australia.

 

Thujone was until recently thought to bind to the same receptor site as THC (Cannabis), resulting in similar psychoactive and physiological effects. This has now been shown not to be the case.

 

But the plant is legal to grow, and if ya have the time and the bother to make your own... go for it....

 

Urbanhog http://www.gamers-forums.com/smilies/contrib/sp/chefico.gif

[Guest Babybear]

You can't get absinythe legally in Australia for example (side note: apparently a couple of these can have you feeling almost stoned).

 

Funny you mentioned * Absinthe *as i heard of a place here called the uni club that has the drink , its a small bar at the usq wich most uni students go to , an a friend or a friend of mine went there to have some an got affuly off there faces (my friend had none) this is a picture of the bottles they were sold in at some time i guessin , never know with sites now days [web]http://www.erowid.org/chemicals/show_image.php?image=absinthe/absinthe3.jpg[/web]

 

but how can that be illlegally sold in a club?