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Expert calls for marijuana to be legalised to reduce harm of binge drinking

Cheers mate, good article, here it is for people on non-mobile devices (computer) - Also there is a poll on this one, 'should cannabis be legalised?' Go vote! (it's currently 83% on yes)

Expert calls for marijuana to be legalised to reduce harm of binge drinking in teens

THE head of Australia's leading alcohol research body has called for marijuana to be legalised to reduce the harm of drinking.

Robin Room, director of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research, says marijuana should be legalised under strict controls because the social harm associated with it was significantly less than from drinking.

"It makes sense to legalise marijuana in a controlled market," he told the Herald Sun yesterday. "We are in a situation where we need to look ahead.

I think we need to have the discussion and it makes a lot of sense in terms of, among others, cutting down government costs to have a fairly highly controlled legal (cannabis) market and, while we are at it,

tighten up the legal market of alcohol in the same way we tightened up the market of tobacco."

Prof Room, a leading academic at Melbourne University, is funded by the Department of Human Services.

In an ideal world, Prof Room said teens would not smoke marijuana or drink alcohol to excess.

But if an 18-year-old was going to use substances, he said they would likely land themselves in less trouble after using cannabis rather than bingeing on alcohol.

Teens were "better off" on a mixture of booze and marijuana rather than just pure alcohol in social settings, he added.

Alcohol was more dangerous than cannabis because it had a closer association with aggression and violence, loss of co-ordination and impacts on work and family life, he said.

"Cannabis is not without harm but it's substantially less than alcohol and tobacco in terms of social harm," he said.

"If you are adding the cannabis to an equal amount of alcohol, then in some ways you'd be probably less likely to be aggressive but it's a bad idea to add it on if you want to drive a car."

Prof Room said if marijuana were legalised, among the measures to control the use should be "state sellers" and "state stores" where sales were regulated. It should not be sold in supermarkets nor advertised on TV or at sporting matches.

While Prof Room acknowledged many people would be "surprised" and even "bothered" by his stance, the statistics backed him up.

The controversial proposal comes as Melbourne continues to battle booze-fuelled violence, and alcohol-related hospital admissions soar for men and women.


Read more: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/lifesty...ns/story-fneuzlbd-1226676714223#ixzz2YbIAm3fy
 
Cheers for Posting a computer friendly version. Yeah I think everyone should vote and even leave a comment. I voted and left a comment but for some reason it didn't post. The comment was way to Long to repost so I can't be fucked re writing it. I did vote tho and that worked.
 
They linked this article to it -

Drug debate out of puff

TELLING teenagers they are better off smoking marijuana rather than bingeing on booze is a dangerous message.

Even more so because it comes from the head of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research.

Professor Robin Room believes late-night violence could be reduced and teens would be less aggressive.

Teens would also be "better off" on a mixture of booze and marijuana rather than just alcohol.

There are several problems with this message. It is complex and easily misunderstood. Many teenage drinkers would simply add marijuana to already heavy alcohol use.

The professor is calling on the Victorian Government to legalise the drug for those over 18 and to tighten up alcohol and tobacco laws.

But those under the age of 18 would be likely to regard this as an excuse for them to do the same.

Prof Room admits smoking marijuana is "not without harm" but says this is "substantially less than that caused by alcohol and tobacco in terms of social harm".

However, heavy marijuana use can cause long-term mental harm and and can lead to the use of harder drugs.

Prof Room's message is an extremely confusing one to pass on to teenagers, even considering his recommendations for a highly controlled market, with those selling marijuana made to comply with strict licensing conditions.

Legalisation of marijuana was widely debated in Victoria in the 1990s when decriminalisation was advocated in the Penington Report.

The report proposed decriminalising the use and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana for personal use.

It was said this would break the nexus between people seeking out drug dealers and being introduced to harder drugs.

But it became obvious decriminalising marijuana did not have broad support and would not pass Parliament.

There is no reason to think public attitudes have changed. In 2013 the message needs to be alcohol in moderation, not putting another harmful substance on top of it.


Read more: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/breakin...ff/story-e6frfkp9-1226676734530#ixzz2YbMglQIm
 
Seriously when will they stop rolling out the cannabis leading to other drugs argument, the only reason it MIGHT is because it is currently illegal so people who use it are more likely to encounter dealers of other drugs and also less likely to hold a stigma against breaking the law to catch a buzz. Once cannabis is legalised there is no sensible argument to say that people who smoked it would be more likely to use other drugs.
 
drug_mentor said:
Seriously when will they stop rolling out the cannabis leading to other drugs argument, the only reason it MIGHT is because it is currently illegal so people who use it are more likely to encounter dealers of other drugs and also less likely to hold a stigma against breaking the law to catch a buzz. Once cannabis is legalised there is no sensible argument to say that people who smoked it would be more likely to use other drugs.
Click to expand...



Yeah its an argument that makes no sense, I honestly dont know how people get away with using it.

The more kids smoking weed equals less kids drinking alcohol argument worries me a bit as the kids that over do it with alcohol will just over do it with weed, but then again id rather have stoned kids out numbering drunk kids.
 
The worst experience I ever had with cannabis was spending 5 years in
Federal Prison for a marijuana offense.

I wrote about the escapades that led to my imprisonment. The book:

Shoulda Robbed a Bank

It's available at Amazon.com. I would be honored by your review.
 
That sux. What were you caught with?

In America right?

Seriously when will they stop rolling out the cannabis leading to other drugs argument, the only reason it MIGHT is because it is currently illegal so people who use it are more likely to encounter dealers of other drugs and also less likely to hold a stigma against breaking the law to catch a buzz. Once cannabis is legalised there is no sensible argument to say that people who smoked it would be more likely to use other drugs.
Click to expand...

Yep, i tried to leave a comment after that first article about that point, there's 146 comments though, so i'm not sure if it got through.

Should cannabis be legalised?

Yes 87.78% (7694 votes)

No 12.22% (1071 votes)

Total votes: 8765
 
It's a cool post and story, but it's not going to stop people from binge drinking IMO. There just shifting one addiction out with another addiction in if it goes the way there hoping, but I guess the point there making is less harm on society. Keen to see what comes out of this.
 
voted, although I doubt it will be legalised any time soon as we need baby sitting by the government
 
mister said:
voted, although I doubt it will be legalised any time soon as we need baby sitting by the government
Click to expand...

We're so lucky that our government knows what's better for me then I do, who knows what would happen without them telling me right from wrong 8)
 
poledriver said:
They linked this article to it -

Drug debate out of puff

TELLING teenagers they are better off smoking marijuana rather than bingeing on booze is a dangerous message.

Even more so because it comes from the head of the Centre for Alcohol Policy Research.

Professor Robin Room believes late-night violence could be reduced and teens would be less aggressive.

Teens would also be "better off" on a mixture of booze and marijuana rather than just alcohol.

There are several problems with this message. It is complex and easily misunderstood. Many teenage drinkers would simply add marijuana to already heavy alcohol use.

The professor is calling on the Victorian Government to legalise the drug for those over 18 and to tighten up alcohol and tobacco laws.

But those under the age of 18 would be likely to regard this as an excuse for them to do the same.

Prof Room admits smoking marijuana is "not without harm" but says this is "substantially less than that caused by alcohol and tobacco in terms of social harm".

However, heavy marijuana use can cause long-term mental harm and and can lead to the use of harder drugs.

Prof Room's message is an extremely confusing one to pass on to teenagers, even considering his recommendations for a highly controlled market, with those selling marijuana made to comply with strict licensing conditions.

Legalisation of marijuana was widely debated in Victoria in the 1990s when decriminalisation was advocated in the Penington Report.

The report proposed decriminalising the use and cultivation of small amounts of marijuana for personal use.

It was said this would break the nexus between people seeking out drug dealers and being introduced to harder drugs.

But it became obvious decriminalising marijuana did not have broad support and would not pass Parliament.

There is no reason to think public attitudes have changed. In 2013 the message needs to be alcohol in moderation, not putting another harmful substance on top of it.


Read more: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/breakin...ff/story-e6frfkp9-1226676734530#ixzz2YbMglQIm
Click to expand...


This article would fit perfectly if it were in the opinion page, and not the breaking news section.

There's a not a single piece of information in this article, without a hasty line afterwards to tell you exactly what to think about it like this little dandy: "Prof Room's message is an extremely confusing one to pass on to teenagers"

"There is no reason to think public attitudes have changed" ... Cue poll results, there totally is.

Everything about this article is TRULY, fucking disgusting.

This is half the reason I don't want to back to Uni and finish my media degree, only to go on getting a job working for companies that distribute this absolute garbage. SHAME on the Australian media.
 
My favourite comment from the Herald Sun comments section:

"no it should not be legalized if people do more research on it the stuff when its been sitting a while and gets a fine powder on it the stuff is just like asbestos its a fact half the morons who smoke it and say how safe it is don't even know it go ahead fools destroy your lungs"

aha. sure buddy.

It seems there is about an equal balance of pro and anti-legalisation arguments on the HS website. The anti-legalisation comments are largely foolish, with most mixing up a small correlation with developing schizophrenia and marijuana use causing schizophrenia.

I guess we have to realise that there are still a lot of misinformed people who are passionately pro-prohibition. These people vote too. As nice as it is to read these sort of articles I hold little hope that they will pave the way for legalisation or decriminalisation. Politics seems to be becoming more conservative and I doubt any politician is going risk an edgy topic like drug legalisation when they are too afraid to touch same sex marriage which is overwhelmingly popular.
 
poledriver said:
Should cannabis be legalised?
Yes 87.92% (8535 votes)
No 12.08% (1173 votes)
Click to expand...


Jesus Christ thats a big margin, whats the average Couriermail reader like? Drug using no-hoper or upstanding pillar of the community?
 
this is why aliens wont talk to us....

To say "let's make marijuana legal because it will ease the alcohol problem" is the same as saying "let's bring in cane toads to eat those pesky beetles." Substitute a problem with an even bigger problem. How many people become paranoid schizophrenics from drinking beer? Almost all heavy marijuana users go that way. Deal with binge drinking and don't be so stupid as to legalise a bigger problem. Or is Robin Room's middle name "injecting"?
Click to expand...

Imagine the millions of different and worse problems we would craete by legalizing choof you stupid people. Your all hippie junkie dogs, grow up its not the 70's you peasants
Click to expand...

Why do people need alcohol or drugs? Stand up and face your problems by yourself and stop blaming others for your own shortcomings. Weak people require drugs and alcohol.
Click to expand...

wow/what a stupid idea , sorry ,whoever wrote this and did a study on the subject obviously did so from inside a cupboard , the reality is ,and I have seen this for a fact and I am certainly no wowser , you can sober up after a binge,and have another chance to get things right not so with too many smokes ,I have too many friends that just wont be making it back to reality ,but , they will never ever ,KNOW tha
Click to expand...

GET OFF MY FUCKING PLANET!!
 
Yeah I don't get what these pro prohibition people's problem is.
If it is legalised its not like they are going to be forced to smoke it.
If they don't want to smoke weed then don't. If you can't stop someone smoking tobacco and drinking alcohol then sure as fuck aren't going to stop someone smoking weed.
The world would be a much happier place if people were aloud to do things they like to do in their own discretion.
Besides the obvious immoral and cruel acts that psychopaths and such enjoy doing.
 
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