5 ms·

It's honestly hard to believe there were people who didn't smoke simply because it was illegal, even though getting charged for personal amounts of cannabis in

by DKnoll 7y ago

It's honestly hard to believe there were people who didn't smoke simply because it was illegal, even though getting charged for personal amounts of cannabis in the GTA was about as common as being struck by lightning. That said I applaud them. That's a very respectable level of restraint and community-mindedness (I swear that's a word).

sjwright 7y ago
The statistical reality isn’t operational for many people. Many people would not want to even begin to look for an underground supplier let alone deal with one. (I am in favour of legalisation.)
- DKnoll 7y ago
  I see you appreciate the weasel word 'many' as much as I do. It's very handy to avoid having to cite every statement (lol). You're totally right that those people exist and there are 'many' of them. I'm going off conversations that have occurred and caused certain cities, especially in the Peel and Halton regions, to ban stores. Honestly the real number of people who feel a type of way about legalisation doesn't even matter that much, especially when decisions like this are up to already elected representatives and not handled by referendum. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and this is a fundamental issue with the implementation of democracy in the west. For issues that most people don't consider a hill to die on (or, at least, both sides) elected representatives don't end up voting in line with actual public opinion. A prime example of this fact is that legalization only happened in 2018 and not 20 years earlier.
- kzcqt 7y ago
  I would've liked to try some drugs, weed included, but I haven't because I don't have contacts and I don't want to deal with some lowlife who will probably scam me. If they made weed legal I would probably give it a spin, and maybe even get hooked, much to my own loss since I, as many other people, lack self-control. (I am against legalisation; I don't live in Canada.)
  - alanpetrel 7y ago
    I wouldn’t call dealers lowlifes, they provide a valuable community service in more fascist countries like the U.K.
  - whenchamenia 7y ago
    Your lack of self control should never usurp my freedom.
  - ZeroFries 7y ago
    Would you also vote to ban fast food, video games, social media, and Netflix?
DanBC 7y ago
> It's honestly hard to believe there were people who didn't smoke simply because it was illegal Yep, I agree. But we need to talk not just about what happens today, but what happens in the future. If cannabis is normalised and legally available will that increase the use of cannabis?
- DKnoll 7y ago
  >If cannabis is normalised and legally available will that increase the use of cannabis? I think use of cannabis will increase in Canada after legalisation and I doubt anybody will disagree or project a decrease. I think a bigger question is whether public opinion will continue to trend favourably in light of current medical knowledge which seems to think that cannabis causes less harm than alcohol thus making it a better way to waste time and/or ease general existential angst on the weekends. While I don't think more people getting stoned is necessarily 'win' for Canadian society, I think if it diverts them from other more harmful forms of impairment (alcohol or 'hard' drugs) it probably is.
dagw 7y ago
It's honestly hard to believe there were people who didn't smoke simply because it was illegal That was me. Although not because I was afraid of getting caught, but simply because the effort and logistics of attempting to get ahold of a consistent supply of quality weed without getting ripped off was not worth it.
red75prime 7y ago
> It's honestly hard to believe there were people who didn't smoke simply because it was illegal For me it is completely easy to believe. Cannabis is not addictive enough for me to go to the trouble of getting it illegally.

by DKnoll 7y ago

sjwright 7y ago

The statistical reality isn’t operational for many people. Many people would not want to even begin to look for an underground supplier let alone deal with one. (I am in favour of legalisation.)

DKnoll 7y ago
I see you appreciate the weasel word 'many' as much as I do. It's very handy to avoid having to cite every statement (lol). You're totally right that those people exist and there are 'many' of them. I'm going off conversations that have occurred and caused certain cities, especially in the Peel and Halton regions, to ban stores. Honestly the real number of people who feel a type of way about legalisation doesn't even matter that much, especially when decisions like this are up to already elected representatives and not handled by referendum. The squeaky wheel gets the grease, and this is a fundamental issue with the implementation of democracy in the west. For issues that most people don't consider a hill to die on (or, at least, both sides) elected representatives don't end up voting in line with actual public opinion. A prime example of this fact is that legalization only happened in 2018 and not 20 years earlier.
kzcqt 7y ago
I would've liked to try some drugs, weed included, but I haven't because I don't have contacts and I don't want to deal with some lowlife who will probably scam me. If they made weed legal I would probably give it a spin, and maybe even get hooked, much to my own loss since I, as many other people, lack self-control. (I am against legalisation; I don't live in Canada.)
- alanpetrel 7y ago
  I wouldn’t call dealers lowlifes, they provide a valuable community service in more fascist countries like the U.K.
- whenchamenia 7y ago
  Your lack of self control should never usurp my freedom.
- ZeroFries 7y ago
  Would you also vote to ban fast food, video games, social media, and Netflix?

DanBC 7y ago

> It's honestly hard to believe there were people who didn't smoke simply because it was illegal Yep, I agree. But we need to talk not just about what happens today, but what happens in the future. If cannabis is normalised and legally available will that increase the use of cannabis?

DKnoll 7y ago
>If cannabis is normalised and legally available will that increase the use of cannabis? I think use of cannabis will increase in Canada after legalisation and I doubt anybody will disagree or project a decrease. I think a bigger question is whether public opinion will continue to trend favourably in light of current medical knowledge which seems to think that cannabis causes less harm than alcohol thus making it a better way to waste time and/or ease general existential angst on the weekends. While I don't think more people getting stoned is necessarily 'win' for Canadian society, I think if it diverts them from other more harmful forms of impairment (alcohol or 'hard' drugs) it probably is.

dagw 7y ago

It's honestly hard to believe there were people who didn't smoke simply because it was illegal That was me. Although not because I was afraid of getting caught, but simply because the effort and logistics of attempting to get ahold of a consistent supply of quality weed without getting ripped off was not worth it.

red75prime 7y ago

> It's honestly hard to believe there were people who didn't smoke simply because it was illegal For me it is completely easy to believe. Cannabis is not addictive enough for me to go to the trouble of getting it illegally.