Ron Strider
Well-Known Member
Some people think the Lib Dems are potty after they unveiled one of the most radical policies of the general election campaign so far. The party, led by Tim Farron , said it would legalize cannabis and allow it to be sold openly if it wins.
The plan is to "break the grip of criminal gangs" through the creation of a "legal, regulated market" while raising up to £1billion in tax.
So is it more than just a pipe dream?
Criminalizing cannabis has been a total disaster.
Enforcing cannabis prohibition is expensive, with -estimates putting the cost at around £500million a year.
But what have the billions spent and millions criminalized over the years achieved? Very little.
Cannabis is easily available to anyone who wants it, including kids, whether on street corners or via online "dark net" markets.
The Home Office 's own inter-national study found no link between tougher enforcement and levels of drug use. Prohibition puts a huge drain on scarce police resources and it just doesn't work.
But it's worse than that. What cannabis prohibition has achieved is to gift control of a market worth billions each year to organized crime and unregulated dealers.
This criminal market is closely associated with child slavery and human trafficking.
It also criminalizes millions across the country, with tens of thousands getting a criminal record each year.
Yet probably a quarter of adults have tried cannabis, a crime punishable with up to five years' jail and an unlimited fine.
The criminal market has also fuelled the emergence of ever more potent varieties of cannabis — the "skunk" that now dominates.
It's more profitable for dealers but also more risky for the users who now cannot access milder, safer cannabis even if they want to.
Cannabis prohibition also created the market opportunity for Spice, a synthetic drug that is far more potent and toxic than the herbal cannabis it mimics.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cannabis should be legalised to protect young people and push criminals out
Author: Steve Rolles
Contact: Mirror Online: The intelligent tabloid. #madeuthink
Photo Credit: PA
Website: Mirror Online: The intelligent tabloid. #madeuthink
The plan is to "break the grip of criminal gangs" through the creation of a "legal, regulated market" while raising up to £1billion in tax.
So is it more than just a pipe dream?
Criminalizing cannabis has been a total disaster.
Enforcing cannabis prohibition is expensive, with -estimates putting the cost at around £500million a year.
But what have the billions spent and millions criminalized over the years achieved? Very little.
Cannabis is easily available to anyone who wants it, including kids, whether on street corners or via online "dark net" markets.
The Home Office 's own inter-national study found no link between tougher enforcement and levels of drug use. Prohibition puts a huge drain on scarce police resources and it just doesn't work.
But it's worse than that. What cannabis prohibition has achieved is to gift control of a market worth billions each year to organized crime and unregulated dealers.
This criminal market is closely associated with child slavery and human trafficking.
It also criminalizes millions across the country, with tens of thousands getting a criminal record each year.
Yet probably a quarter of adults have tried cannabis, a crime punishable with up to five years' jail and an unlimited fine.
The criminal market has also fuelled the emergence of ever more potent varieties of cannabis — the "skunk" that now dominates.
It's more profitable for dealers but also more risky for the users who now cannot access milder, safer cannabis even if they want to.
Cannabis prohibition also created the market opportunity for Spice, a synthetic drug that is far more potent and toxic than the herbal cannabis it mimics.
News Moderator: Ron Strider 420 MAGAZINE ®
Full Article: Cannabis should be legalised to protect young people and push criminals out
Author: Steve Rolles
Contact: Mirror Online: The intelligent tabloid. #madeuthink
Photo Credit: PA
Website: Mirror Online: The intelligent tabloid. #madeuthink
