Aus Politics

(1) AUSTRALIA: MARIJUANA REPORT TOO HOT TO RELEASE
A MAJOR report backing marijuana decriminalisation was suppressed
despite a specific requirement that it be made public.
The report to a powerful State Parliament committee backed
decriminalisation, smaller fines for personal use and allowing as
many as 10 plants to be grown by smokers.
But the State Government yesterday distanced itself from the report,
which was handed to the Drugs and Crime Prevention Committee shortly
before Steve Bracks seized power.
[snip]
Pubdate: Thu, 23 Aug 2001
Source: Herald Sun (Australia)
Copyright: 2001 News Limited
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/187
Author: John Ferguson, state politics reporter
Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01/n1543/a02.html
Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/area/Australia
Continues: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v01.n1545.a11.html

Same shit... I have a report that was commisioned by the US senate into marijuana, which was written in the 70's and said exactly the same thing.
Logic doesn't matter when you have conservative tools in power who fail to listen to reason.

politics is fucked.
of course the common people don't think drugs should be legalised, all they hear is how terrible drugs are! so why should the government legalise something the majority of people think should stay illegal?
because the government is withholding information, which is akin to lying to the electorate. they use democratic principles properly, but base them on false information... *grumble*
now i'm going to stop this rant before it goes too far

hmmmm....just interested to see how many people actually think marijuana should be decriminalised oad/or legalised??? seriously...how many people have you seen that you went to school with or whatever, and aren ow just fuckups going nowhere in life cos they started smoking a gram a daywhen they moved out??
i only say this cos i was just talking to a mate who visited who is doing some work with another friend of mine who is a psychology researcher. (and considered the world leader in somethign with a big name, but basically studying a certain type of schizophrenia that is usually triggered by drug use, and more often than not THC) This doctor is about to release some of his research, which will most likely fuck up a lot of people arguments when it comes to legalisation etc. there has already been government interest in it because it actually provides a lot of truths that were previously hypothesised, or had not been considered as long term dangers of smoking.
it has basically accepted now that excessive smoking causes schizophrenia, not to mention turns people into lazy fat asses with no concern about the direction their life is taking. the last thing we need in our communities is more headcases walking around. i know i have sorta moved away from the political aspect of this (and i agree, politics is fucked, but its also the best we've got, and we could have a lot worse), but on the scale of drugs that i consider to fuck my health up (in the way/frequency i use them) i put mdma up the top, and marijuana second....
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...got a place for watching that will paint pictures and colour lights...
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befor i start im not a dope smoker
i always thought that acid, pot etc. didnt 'cause' schiznophrenia (spelling), but can trigger existing mental illnesses?

yeah, but who's to know who's got "latent" schizophrenia, that will only present if it's triggered by something else, like smoking weed.
i personally hate weed, i think it's shit. but i think it should be decriminalised, cos the problems it causes are prolly only on a parallel with the problems alcohol causes (different, though). remember marijuana also has positive effects. but really i just don't like the double standard...

also, do you really think that less people become fuckups on mull because it's illegal?
Jesus, you can buy it virtually anywhere, those that smoke it, smoke it, why turn them into criminals? We don't lock people up for excessive drinking every night (which turns you into just as big a fuck up).

I don't think that the legality of a substance has much to do with the excessive use of it. Marijuana is illegal now and I know heaps of people who use it excessively. I do agree that excessive use is quite mentally debilitating, but the law defintely hasn't curbed its excessive use.
There are also plenty of people who are fucked up from excessive alcohol use and that not only effects the individual but also others around them. But you don't hear any outcries to criminalise alcohol use. If you weigh up the negatives of alcohol and marijuana use I think that alcohol would tend to outweigh marijuana.
Any substance used excessively can fuck you up. So know your limits and take control of your own destiny. If you need the government to tell you what and how much you can indulge in, then your already fucked up!