Pot posession charges 88% increase in BC

[keith1612]

I understand what you are saying keith but you also have to understand that it is the people who are smoking in their house, on the beach and in their campsite that also become a problem at work. That is what you have to realize. In many cases they are one and the same.

your thread has far from any real industry proof of wide spread weed issues at work
man the people at work that dont smoke weed are also the ones that may shoot and kill their wives.
i bet some non weed smokers at work have gone nuts in the workplace and killed other workers.
hey i bet a few non weed smokers have been embezlers and thieves.
whats your point?
you are using garbage to try and say nobody is smart enough to only smoke weed at home.
i think some of you non weed people must be on some drug because you just cant understand the point that a few have tried to make.
not everyone who drinks or does drugs is doing it at work or driving, only a small percentage are.
you are so wrapped up in your warped theory you are twisting the thread to work into your everyone is stoned at work crap.
thats simply not true.
please post stats saying WEED smokers are a major workplace problem.
thats what you guys keep posting with no evidence at all.

[keith1612]

You denied it was a problem and asked for proof. I'm just giving it to you. Sorry if it breaks your bubble.

i would have to see some real evidence on marijuana use in the workplace, to burst my bubble.
not some very vague post saying illicit drugs and alcohol.

[ukcanuck]

Yeah and look at the increase in prison populations and overloads in courts with repeat offenders, drunk drivers and drug offenders. Think of the money and time we'd save if we locked them up.

What's that, you want to compound the problem of overcrowded prisons by throwing more people in them?
How is that saving money?
Drunk driving?? What has that for to do with pot possession?


I always wonder if drug users have emotional issues. Can't they handle life without altering their mind.
DING DING! Give the man a prize Johnny... That's right many people have had it hard in life and some look for a roll in the poop.
Not everyone is perfect like you

Sitting there in a daze constantly munching. I wonder if there's a health concern here.
Seriously !? Now eating Doritos is wrong too?
What about all the epic weight problem in our fast food culture?
Gonna slam them in prison too?

...I'll bet your packing a pound or to extra yourself ...



Gotta be a serious health concern to have to constantly alter your mind.
For some people it's even more serious than that. Ever hear of Kurt Cobain?
Are we gonna dig up suicide victims to look down out noses at them too?

Withdrawl OH the pain of it.
You have the empathy of someone who has no idea and you have no compassion either...

I'm not sure anyone can understand the mind of a drug user.
Well you surely can not that is for sure.

[steven lloyd]

People showing up for work hungover, or even still impaired, is also a problem – but completely off topic anyway. The problem Smurf presents in the Social Concerns forum is not going to get worse or be improved by decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana use. This is such an old argument and getting quite boring, but aside from people trying to impose their moralistic will on others the simple facts are:

• Prohibition is, and always has been and always will be a complete and utter failure.
• Drug laws have created far more problems than drug use and we completely waste billions in tax dollars (has anyone ever suggested tax revenue is finite and does not grow on trees?) ever year in a completely hopeless and counterproductive effort.
• There is no evidence that drug use would increase if it was legalized.

What people do with their own lives in their own time if and when not affecting others in any negative way should be no one else’s business (anyone professing to be a right-wing libertarian and disagrees with is also a hypocrite or just plain stupid). All these deflecting arguments about driving while impaired or going to work impaired are all red herrings. The operation of a motor vehicle while impaired (on anything) is a criminal offence. Going to work impaired (on anything) could and should be a disciplinary offence, and most likely a safety concern, but that is up to the employer to regulate and enforce. To say marijuana needs to be criminalized for that reason means we also need to criminalize the use of alcohol, over the counter pain medications, etc. It is a red herring argument and the most common strategy in the argument against legalizing marijuana is to confuse the issue as much as possible.

[Glacier]

its really funny the same old mentality that its a bad thing still runs rampant.
i suppose people would rather spend millions in police dollars a year chasing a imaginary criminal you wont beat than going after real ones.
keep pumping doctor prescribed legal pills on the streets killing kids and adults but as long as prescribed what the hell.
id like to know when someone ever died from over smoking pot,,,, oh wait its never happened.
maybe a overdose of twinkies later.

[Winston_Smith]

People showing up for work hungover, or even still impaired, is also a problem – but completely off topic anyway. The problem Smurf presents in the Social Concerns forum is not going to get worse or be improved by decriminalizing or legalizing marijuana use. This is such an old argument and getting quite boring, but aside from people trying to impose their moralistic will on others the simple facts are:

• Prohibition is, and always has been and always will be a complete and utter failure.
• Drug laws have created far more problems than drug use and we completely waste billions in tax dollars (has anyone ever suggested tax revenue is finite and does not grow on trees?) ever year in a completely hopeless and counterproductive effort.
• There is no evidence that drug use would increase if it was legalized.

What people do with their own lives in their own time if and when not affecting others in any negative way should be no one else’s business (anyone professing to be a right-wing libertarian and disagrees with is also a hypocrite or just plain stupid). All these deflecting arguments about driving while impaired or going to work impaired are all red herrings. The operation of a motor vehicle while impaired (on anything) is a criminal offence. Going to work impaired (on anything) could and should be a disciplinary offence, and most likely a safety concern, but that is up to the employer to regulate and enforce. To say marijuana needs to be criminalized for that reason means we also need to criminalize the use of alcohol, over the counter pain medications, etc. It is a red herring argument and the most common strategy in the argument against legalizing marijuana is to confuse the issue as much as possible.

[Smurf]

Steven lloyd wrote:

There is no evidence that drug use would increase if it was legalized

And there is no proof it won't.

Steven I want you to think for a minute with a totally open mind and give us a totally truthful answer.

Do you believe drug use will increase if it is legalized?

I definately believe it will, no and if or but.

I do not believe that what I am saying and have said about impaired driving, use at work, family problems and lack of proper testing is any sort of strategy. It is what I believe to be problems that have to be overcome before I would be in favor of legaliztion. Sure there are laws and rules but without proper testing there is no way to enforce them. When a company can be taken to court for tryng to increase safety on their own work site how can you say there are rules. When there is no real method of testing drivers on the road how do you enforce the laws. Do you set up a road block and force everyone to take a blood test. If you do some sort of test do you charge every positive. Are they impaired or is it residue from some time ago. If as is suggested by medical experts here you are impaired until that residue leaves your system, are you impaired enough to be charged. The current laws and rules are basically inefective until we have peoper ways to impliment them and enforce them. Is is possible that all the claims about effective laws and rules being in place are just smoke and mirrors being put up by the pro side. You know, kinda like my strategy. Just asking.

[theyeti]

who exactly is it thats afraid to be charged with smoking weed now ??

please let the fearful little buggers never smoke it will only mess them up .

i dont think one person that does not smoke now would start because it was legal

[steven lloyd]

Steven I want you to think for a minute with a totally open mind and give us a totally truthful answer.

I've been thinking long and hard about this for many years with an open and critical mind Smurf. I've researched the issue in university and have had much discussion on the issue among many members of law enforcement, Crown Counsel and the Judciary. I'm also a non-user so somewhat objective in that way. My subjectivity comes from seeing first hand the carnage created by our drug laws and the stressors our systems are already facing without wasting billions more in tax dollars.

You might want to try thinking about this yourself with a more open mind.

Do you believe drug use will increase if it is legalized?

No I don't and there's no evidence to suggest it will. I've never met anyobne who has said I'll start smoking marijuana once its legal. I've never heard anyone say I'd use heroin if I could buy it at the pharmacy. I do know that because marijuana is illegal and completely unregulated that it is more likely to find its way to the underage user so they can get an early start.

[keith1612]

And there is no proof it won't.

Steven I want you to think for a minute with a totally open mind and give us a totally truthful answer.

Do you believe drug use will increase if it is legalized?

I definately believe it will, no and if or but.

I do not believe that what I am saying and have said about impaired driving, use at work, family problems and lack of proper testing is any sort of strategy. It is what I believe to be problems that have to be overcome before I would be in favor of legaliztion. Sure there are laws and rules but without proper testing there is no way to enforce them. When a company can be taken to court for tryng to increase safety on their own work site how can you say there are rules. When there is no real method of testing drivers on the road how do you enforce the laws. Do you set up a road block and force everyone to take a blood test. If you do some sort of test do you charge every positive. Are they impaired or is it residue from some time ago. If as is suggested by medical experts here you are impaired until that residue leaves your system, are you impaired enough to be charged. The current laws and rules are basically inefective until we have peoper ways to impliment them and enforce them. Is is possible that all the claims about effective laws and rules being in place are just smoke and mirrors being put up by the pro side. You know, kinda like my strategy. Just asking.

would drug use increase or decrease is a hard question.
i suppose it would increase because the general population enjoys and doesnt mind the use of it.
one thing we all know is by decriminalizing it we would save a fortune in policing, court costs , and reduce the criminal profit in it.
is that not a better option for canadians?
there is no proof of increased medical costs as there is no proof of any real medical problems long term associated.
its a win win scenario to legalize and a total loss to keep against the law.
as it is everytime the police bust a grower/user/dealer 3 more pop up and take the spot.
so all we are doing is filling the courts and jails.
if anything weed has only become more popular and more easily available since the 60's so how has all the wasted police funds helped in any way?
only one real answer, it hasnt.

[Poindexter]

I agree with Steven on this one. People complain that the gov't spends too much, then in the same breath complain taxes are too high. Simply do the math, the war on pot has been costly not just from a financial aspect, which has been discussed enough on this forum, but in human costs.

Obama and Clinton for example, if they had been charged with possession as a university student neither would have been able to reach their potential. Which is the greater crime, the fact they smoked a joint or the fact someone's potential will never be achieved as a result of the current laws.

Then there is the question whether it will increase use. This is actually a question of demographics. Children ranging from 12 to 18 are heavy users these days and laws have done nothing to slow this down. Given that they are minors they cannot be charged. If it was regulated and taxed like alchohol, more money can be used to focus on this demographic to try and curb its abuse.

Common sense tells me, regardless of proof, that use by adults will increase with acceptance but I'd trade that any day if something could be done about abuse from our minors. Adults are far less likely to abuse pot, the idea of being a wake and bake like many of our youth would be as unsavoury as drinking vodka before work. As adults we have too much to do and understand it's for recreation and not for escape, and definately not a way of life. People will abuse it like booze but managing to exception is never the best option.