Illegal Drug Use in Canada

[jdobbin]

How many people in these forums have used illegal drugs? What do you think the punishment should be?

I personally never tried any even once. I simply had no interest in them.

As far as marijuana use goes, I feel the punishment goes beyond the pale. A simple fine will do and no criminal record.

The police should focus on trafficking and more serious drugs in terms of enforcement.

Edited October 5, 2007 by jdobbin

[guyser]

Illegal drugs needs to be clarified.

No one here advocates usage of Heroin et al.

Pot and hash is a lot diff from those.

Lumping them only miscontrues the numbers.

[jdobbin]

Illegal drugs needs to be clarified.

No one here advocates usage of Heroin et al.

Pot and hash is a lot diff from those.

Lumping them only miscontrues the numbers.

I was only able to ask one more question in this format. I just lumped harder drugs in together.

[M.Dancer]

I chose fine for the penalty for using weed cause you didn't have an option for chips. In any case, consider one fine a large bag of Miss Vickies salt and vinegar.

[M.Dancer]

How many people in these forums have used illegal drugs? What do you think the punishment should be?

I personally never tried any even once. I simply had no interest in them.

I once ate a hash brownie back in colege but I did not digest......

[jdobbin]

I once ate a hash brownie back in colege but I did not digest......

I'd say prison time then although you might still be able to have a career in politics afterwards.

[M.Dancer]

I'd say prison time then although you might still be able to have a career in politics afterwards.

But the muckracking reporters would always bring up the fact that I brought it up.

Does eating handfuls of locally grown wild PEI mushrooms while riding the VIA Ocean back to Montreal count as illegal drugs....?

[Rue]

People using drugs illicitly to me is the wrong focus. The focus to me should be on the people selling the drugs not the people using them.

I am all for serious criminal sentencing for organized drug sales crimes. To me though the actual user has a health illness and to me an illness needs to be regulated and controlled by a social facility not punished.

Its like punishing someone for having sex with a whore. Who cares? I do not care. I only care if the whore is a child or being forced to do it without her/his consent, or a disease is being spread.

To me the person having the sex is not a criminal, just someone not fortunate enough to have Met Paris Hilton. Quite frankly I do not give a shit what they do as long as they do not spread a disease to their wife or anyone else. As for the whore, I am concerned they find another way of life, but I don't see them as criminals.

With drugs, I see druggies as sick people not criminals. I see the people selling them drugs the same way I do pimps-people who exploit others' illnesses and vulnerabilities. Those are the people I would spend the criminal law's energy on.

So where do we start? Let us start first by examining who the drug syndicates and cartels are, who their leaders are and which governments support them.

So now then oopsy. Some of those drug war-lords seem to be our allies in Afghanistan now don't they?

Hmmm.

[Canadian Blue]

Legalize marijuana, I don't see the point in keeping it illegal anymore.

As for harder drugs, those who use it shouldn't recieve jail time, however those that deal it should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

[M.Dancer]

As for harder drugs, those who use it shouldn't recieve jail time, however those that deal it should be punished to the fullest extent of the law.

The problem with that is that often the people who deal do it too. And their lawyers argue that the ounce of coke they have is really for personal recreation use.

A woman I know from Toronto who lives in Florida, who is on a long downward spiral to the gutter because of coke, meth and methadone....has lost her house (750K) and her kids. When she got arrested in the spring we were hoping that the hard reality of jail and deportation back to Canada would give her a chance.....

She was arrested with a few ounces of weed, an 8 ball of coke and a bag methadone tablets . She also had a handgun.

1st offence. She got probation conditional to getting drug treatment.

So her parents booked her into a Palm Beach rehap where they got spa detox treatment along with counselling (at a cost of 20 grand for 4 weeks)....she was clean for well over 48 hours.

This gal of priviledge, a daughter of a prominant canadian millionaire, now lives in a motel with a small time dealer and in their spare time, they collect bottles and cans.

So hopw do you penalize a person like this? She wheel and deals and does it too. Her sickness is infecting others....of course treatment sounds nice....I hear it even works on occasion.

[shavluk]

I had to not submit my answer because no where did it say leave them alone.

My friend went to jail as a trafficker for handing someone their own cannabis cigarette back!!

The Americans set up the network of cocaine dealers in Florida with contra drugs(CIA)IRAN/CONTRA

The wall street shell game would crumble if we took the drug money laundering away from them.

No one should go to jail for trying things like shruums ,cannabis ,alcohol , sugar or salt even though these last 2 cause most of the damage.

I would make it illegal to interfere with another persons choices as long as no one but them is harmed even if they kill themselves ,,which by the way was illegal for years.

Imagine waking up after attempted suicide only to be looking at jail!!!

The only reason the Americans have coke and cannabis illegal is they didn't have the monopoly on these plants by having them grow there.

Or it would have been 7/11 selling joints.

People would be surprised to know the stock market launders most of the drug money and that the legislation to require lawyers to divulge where their trust account money came from was removed from the pending law by the lawyers themselves in Parliament !!!!

That happened here in this country. Check it out!

Ps the British fought a war with china (boxer war) JUST TO KEEP BEING ABLE TO SELL THEM HEROIN IN CHINA !!!

ITS ALL OUT THERE ,,,, IGNORANCE IS NO EXCUSE ANYMORE !!!

Edited October 5, 2007 by shavluk

[mikedavid00]

How many people in these forums have used illegal drugs? What do you think the punishment should be?

I don't believe that half of people have never used drugs.

[trex]

How many people in these forums have used illegal drugs? What do you think the punishment should be?

I personally never tried any even once. I simply had no interest in them.

As far as marijuana use goes, I feel the punishment goes beyond the pale. A simple fine will do and no criminal record.

The police should focus on trafficking and more serious drugs in terms of enforcement.

I couldnt answer your poll because, there was no fourth option to "What do you think the punishment for marijuna use should be>",

ie, no punishment. or why should there even be a punishment for what is in itself a victimless crime.

ever had a drink or two, in the privacy of you own home? so what makes it so special... if you drink a 40 ouncer all at once you will be dead. you simply cant do that with cannabis. pot smokers, who do not harm others, who smoke it in a private place, should not be criminalized. Hey Mr. Harper, leave the pot smokers alone its none of your business! Government has no say in what the people ingest.

[Michael Bluth]

ever had a drink or two, in the privacy of you own home? so what makes it so special... if you drink a 40 ouncer all at once you will be dead. you simply cant do that with cannabis.

Fans of Jimi Hendrix would beg to differ...

[old_bold&cold]

Personally I think that any repeat offeder to using drugs should have a criminal record and if caught dealing Seven years for each time he is caught would be in order. By that I do not mean multiple counts are seperate, but for every seperate court trial. Therefore third offence you get 21 years. Yes I used used drug illicitly and no I do not think they are harmless even though some may not be as bad as others. It is like saying that we should make stealing just a fine and no record, because everyone has stolen something before, so lets just make it legal.

[guyser]

. It is like saying that we should make stealing just a fine and no record, because everyone has stolen something before, so lets just make it legal.

The problem with that analogy is that theft/stealing means I am depriving someone of their property.

In other words, an injured party.

But smoking pot is not harming someone else.

[Michael Bluth]

The problem with that analogy is that theft/stealing means I am depriving someone of their property.

In other words, an injured party.

But smoking pot is not harming someone else.

The funds that go to buy pot go into the pocket's of the Hell's Angels or asian gangs, depending on where you are in the country. These groups harm people. They create injured parties.

Stoned driving is as serious a problem as is drunk driving. However it doesn't have the social stigma yet and from what I understand only BC has agressively moved to training police officers in its detection.

The long-term medical effects are not known yet, however there appears to be added costs to the

health system. Especially with those people who have psychotic breaks from heavy use. Those costs deprive taxpayers of funds that could be kept in their pockets.

[trex]

It is like saying that we should make stealing just a fine and no record, because everyone has stolen something before, so lets just make it legal.

it is by far NOT the same thing, stealing means takes someone elses property, you commit an offense against someone else. smoking pot, no offense to someone else. even alcohol, is more dangerous. even tobacco, is more dangerous. yet police love to arrest pot smokers, because they know they are most often not criminal, wont fight or resist arrest and many of the are otherwse completely normal law abiding citizens. so m=they make great training ground for rookies to practice their tough guy tactics on, and scoring points with their supervisor.

[guyser]

The funds that go to buy pot go into the pocket's of the Hell's Angels or asian gangs, depending on where you are in the country. These groups harm people. They create injured parties.

Stoned driving is as serious a problem as is drunk driving. However it doesn't have the social stigma yet and from what I understand only BC has agressively moved to training police officers in its detection.

The long-term medical effects are not known yet, however there appears to be added costs to the

health system. Especially with those people who have psychotic breaks from heavy use. Those costs deprive taxpayers of funds that could be kept in their pockets.

Oh Michael.

Then we need to get the money out of the criminal element. The pot doesnt do the harm, it is the cretins protecting the turf that is the problem. Legalize it , or drastically reduce it to a fine. Which it is in some cases already.

First Nations skirt the tax on cigarettes , all illegal , but you dont have a prob with that.Hmmmm.

If driving stoned , while I dont recommend it , is as bad as drunk driving, then there would be a study you could cite to show that? But there isnt a test that shows that someone consumed MJ and then drove as the metabolism of the drug is so different. I could smoke now and still show it in my system tomorrow night .

The long term med effects arent known yet? Hmm, I would think that after 50 years of people smoking the stuff something would have shown up. Dont buy the kool aid michael. The effects are well known. No dependcy of a physical nature exists, for some a mental addiction is apparent, but not physical.

If you are so worried about tax dollars, start big with alcohol. You get that banned , in order to "save tax monies" and I will jump on your bandwagon and lead the fight. Your ban on alcohol will save at least 1000 fold what MJ "might" cost, and it will at the same time put so much money in the gov coffers even Harper will crack a real smile.

[shavluk]

Fans of Jimi Hendrix would beg to differ...

What are you on ???

And what the hell does hendrix have to do with this?

listening to this and the dude that wants 7 years etc ,,etc

WOW ,,,, WOW,,,,WOW,,,,,

21 years eh?

I know we cant get all the votes and some quite frankly are beyond help and beneath me ,,,vote redneck the same as last time

maybe as you obviously have no interest in cannabis it doesn't matter but to me it was like listening to 2 Germans tell me as a Jew i was expendable,,,not even my own fault i was Jewish,,,, i am done with ignorant harm causing sicko's

there are supposed higher medical costs,,,lets see your research NOW

some are just assholes no matter what is said or explained ,,,

I will just answer the ignorance of the non malicious types sorry as a GREEN member I try to limit my exposure to toxic substances as I have said.

[guyser]

yet police love to arrest pot smokers, because they know they are most often not criminal,

Most cops I know dont bust anyone for pot. What they do bust them for is attitude amongst other criminal junk.

IOW , a lippy lil shite caught stealing or worse , having tools on him that are illegal or concealed, also gets the pot charge thrown on top.

[trex]

Most cops I know dont bust anyone for pot. What they do bust them for is attitude amongst other criminal junk.

IOW , a lippy lil shite caught stealing or worse , having tools on him that are illegal or concealed, also gets the pot charge thrown on top.

well someone is certainly arresting 30% more pot users since Harper, as the article states. ... who else could that be? so much for that one...

[Michael Bluth]

Oh Michael.

Then we need to get the money out of the criminal element. The pot doesnt do the harm, it is the cretins protecting the turf that is the problem. Legalize it , or drastically reduce it to a fine. Which it is in some cases already.

First Nations skirt the tax on cigarettes , all illegal , but you dont have a prob with that.Hmmmm.

If driving stoned , while I dont recommend it , is as bad as drunk driving, then there would be a study you could cite to show that? But there isnt a test that shows that someone consumed MJ and then drove as the metabolism of the drug is so different. I could smoke now and still show it in my system tomorrow night .

The long term med effects arent known yet? Hmm, I would think that after 50 years of people smoking the stuff something would have shown up. Dont buy the kool aid michael. The effects are well known. No dependcy of a physical nature exists, for some a mental addiction is apparent, but not physical.

If you are so worried about tax dollars, start big with alcohol. You get that banned , in order to "save tax monies" and I will jump on your bandwagon and lead the fight. Your ban on alcohol will save at least 1000 fold what MJ "might" cost, and it will at the same time put so much money in the gov coffers even Harper will crack a real smile.

Reduction to a fine, as you said is already the case in some instances, yet the criminal element prevails. That's a half-measure. The Canadian public doesn't appear to be ready for outright legalization yet.

I do have an issue with the First Nations and cigarette sales. As the saying goes - two wrongs don't make a right.

Stoned driving study? Cannabis doubles the risk of fatal crashes

Long-term medical effects? Long-term Marijuana Use May Impair Lung Functions

You really need to explain the alcohol ban as saving tax money. Prohibition would cost insane amounts of money, including the cost of jobs lost, criminal bootleggers. On and on and on.

[shavluk]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLmHL7YznUI...ddriving%2Ehtml

[guyser]

Reduction to a fine, as you said is already the case in some instances, yet the criminal element prevails. That's a half-measure. The Canadian public doesn't appear to be ready for outright legalization yet.

Agreed the public is not. But serious reduction to the equal of a parking ticket is cool by me, or as morris opined, Miss Vickies , but only the red pepper ones.

Stoned driving study? Cannabis doubles the risk of fatal crashes

Long-term medical effects? Long-term Marijuana Use May Impair Lung Functions

Both studies titles can be changed to read Cell Phone use doubles risk of fatal crashes, as it does according to studies I see at work.

As for the second one.....the title is enough , and should be for you too. It says "MAY" , and will I have no doubt it might be bad for thelungs, so is breathing smog and any number of plants in this country have poor air quality. Go in Dofasco, go into a metal plating facility. Far worse there.

You really need to explain the alcohol ban as saving tax money. Prohibition would cost insane amounts of money, including the cost of jobs lost, criminal bootleggers. On and on and on.

Well lest see....

-reduced police actions against alcohols variabilties.

-alcoholism costs

-highway carnage (although most of those costs are Insurance Co 's)

However...

Pot legalization will

-increase jobs

-remove the underground element

-taxes will be paid

The simple truth is that we spend more money fighting the WoD than the cost of the drugs themselves. For half the WoD money spent in the US last year, they could have bought the entire production of poppies. Whoops, now there is a smart idea.