Legalise Marijuana?

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Linuxluver

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#206221 14-Dec-2016 20:27

If a political party was going to legalise dope, would you vote for them or would this be a reason to not vote for them?

I'm not talking about medical marijuana. I'm talking about buying it or growing it legally for personal use.

Last time I touched the stuff was April 1978 and I wasn't yet 20. Just not for me. However, I do tend to favour ending 'prohibition', if only from the point of view of reducing the harm criminal records cause, saving money on enforcement....and to make it easier for drug dependent people to seek help, but this policy isn't one that would sway my vote one way or another. I just don't care.

But who does?

I won't say another word.

Over to you lot.....whoever has an opinion.

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#1687937 14-Dec-2016 20:32

I never vote for or not vote for a party based on one policy.

Handle9

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#1687962 14-Dec-2016 20:34

I really think these threads need input from @peterreader

This should end well.

Pumpedd

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#1688927 14-Dec-2016 21:29

I agree with MikeB4....however it is sad when terminal illness still prevents use of the drug when it helps so many. Kind of ironic that Medical professionals can prescribe drugs way more potent than weed for terminal patients eg Morphine, but only the bloody Minister can prescribe weed type products.

JimmyH

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#1688931 14-Dec-2016 21:36

I'm not in favour of marijuana use but, on balance, I support legalisation. I think that the harm done by keeping it illegal (police costs, prison costs, lives wrecked for convictions, enriching the gangs, potential tax lost) outweigh any harm from making it legal. Given how ridiculously easy it is to get, I'm not sure consumption would even rise.

However, like MikeB4, such a policy alone would be unlikely to change my vote. I vote based on what I think of a party's package of policies overall, and I tend to give a higher weight to economic policy that this type of policy.

Rikkitic

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#1688932 14-Dec-2016 21:36

I am pretty sure everyone knows how I stand on this. I would vote for a party solely on the marijuana issue if they had any prospect of actually making a difference. Next election I would vote for other issues, but for one time this one issue would be enough to sway me.

Plesse igmore amd axxept applogies in adbance fir anu typos

scuwp

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#1688937 14-Dec-2016 21:45

There's a big difference between decriminalisation and legalization. People need to be clear on which they are proposing. Voting for a party on the basis of a single and fundamentally low value policy is flawed thinking IMO.

Lazy is such an ugly word, I prefer to call it selective participation

Geektastic

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#1688985 14-Dec-2016 23:11

As long as it is considered an adult pursuit to buy and drink alcohol, no logic exists to ban weed.

Whilst I would not vote for a party just because of that by any means, I certainly would support it if the government finally got their heads out of their behinds on the matter.

We need more tax - there's a whole bunch of it to be had right there.

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Scott3

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#1689001 15-Dec-2016 00:31

It's pretty clear reform in this area is badly needed. The current system is badly broken.

Police spend about $90m a year on Cannabis related stuff, a further $109m a year is spent on courts & justice system costs stemming from weed.

This is $200m a year of taxpayer money that could be spent on something actually useful....

Beyond the financial aspect, the criminalization of weed is clogging up our court system, & Jails, to a point where we are double bunking cells, and building more prisons.

I agree that weed is bad for your health, but this should be dealt to as a health issue, not a crime issue

Icing on the cake is despite all this, weed is easier for kids to get than booze. Tax & regulate would be a smarter way of dealing with this.

Clearly I am a strong supporter of law reform in this area (although I have never used weed). That said (while I hope there would be cross party support for this issue) this is just one of many issues that would make up my decision of how to vote.

JayADee

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#1689008 15-Dec-2016 05:11

I don't use it but there certainly needs to be reform for all the reasons listed. One issue wouldn't convince me to vote for a party but it would add weight.

dickytim

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#1689011 15-Dec-2016 06:08

Maybe the question should be, if there was a referendum would you vote for legalisation or not. I definitely would not change from National to Labour for this one issue, however if Little and Co. decided to actually represent the working class in a meaningful way rather than trying to bribe the non-working class then that would see me change my vote.

Personally I say legalise most drugs that can be made safe, take the money away from gangs and criminals and tax the bejesus out of it.

BurningBeard

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#1689086 15-Dec-2016 08:45

I'm pro legalisation but I wouldn't vote for anybody based on ONE thing like that.

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MikeB4

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#1689100 15-Dec-2016 09:09

Rikkitic:

I am pretty sure everyone knows how I stand on this. I would vote for a party solely on the marijuana issue if they had any prospect of actually making a difference. Next election I would vote for other issues, but for one time this one issue would be enough to sway me.

so if Colin Craig was to start a new party where 99% of his policies mirrored Mr Trump but had a policy to legalise marijuana you would vote for him?

Rikkitic

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#1689156 15-Dec-2016 09:45

MikeB4:

so if Colin Craig was to start a new party where 99% of his policies mirrored Mr Trump but had a policy to legalise marijuana you would vote for him?

That would be a tough one. I hope I never have to make a choice like that.

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MikeB4

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#1689158 15-Dec-2016 09:50

Rikkitic:
MikeB4:

so if Colin Craig was to start a new party where 99% of his policies mirrored Mr Trump but had a policy to legalise marijuana you would vote for him?

That would be a tough one. I hope I never have to make a choice like that.

I wouldn't vote for him even if he was offering free Tip Top Trumpets for all for a year. Might be tempted for Jelly Beans though😊

Geektastic

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#1689196 15-Dec-2016 10:35

If it was a referendum, I would vote for legalisation.

FFS if a significant number of States in the USA can manage to cope with it I am sure we can.

You'd need to toughen up on driving under the influence with the sort of roadside testing they use in Australia and so on I think but there are no moral, logical or economic grounds for maintaining the illegal status of cannabis that I can readily see that exceed or even equal those relating to alcohol.

I think I read somewhere that the State of Colorado took US$150 million in tax from $1 billion of cannabis sales in 2015....so you have more employment in that industry, more income tax paid as a result, less unemployed, less waste of police resources, less waste of court resources and revenue stream for the gubmint to boot.

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