Should russia legalise cannabis?

What is your opinion? Do you think marijuana is a mild drug on par or safer than alchohol or tobacco or an evil corrupting substance, and what should be Russia's approach towards it? There is very little debate in Russia about it as far as I know of, but judging by the current social trends I don't think there is any legalisation sentiment. The only comment of the subject from the Russian government I remember is some united russia MP talking about additional restrictions and crackdowns on cannabis users, complaining about how pot smoking in the workplace lowers productivity. A correct conclusion, however so does alchohol( especially in Russia) and there aren't any plans to criminalize it.

Here is my opinion on the effects of cannabis and it's advantages and disadvantages

Reasons I think pot should be partially legalized in Russia:
All studies so far show that smoking cannabis isn't more harmful(while some studies claim its less) to your body than smoking tobacco or drinking alchohol, while drinking it as a tincture makes it harmless.

Due to the improving living standards it is unlikely that Russians will again go on a drug consuming spree like in the 90s even if they were readily available to them. The rather low according to almost all studies addictiveness of marijuana lowers the chance even further.

Even when illegal, pot has become so ubiquitous that it's unlikely that it's consumption will decline.

Adding to the previous point, the Russian government could get an additional stream of profit by legalising but heavily taxing the sell and the cultivation of the plant.

Even if it were to remain illegal, getting years of jail time for the owning of a drug that is much clearly weaker than cocain or heroin is rather unjust.

Legalizing it would improve russia's standing in the view of foreign liberals(not that this is very much desired currently)

Reasons against legalizing it:

Given Russia's drug abuse problems, it would be unwise to let an additional addictive substance into the market.

Access to an additional mind altering substance would generally increase DUI and reduce productivity(although this has more to do IMO with the problem of irresponsible consumption rather than the type of substance)

It would make religious people mad.

Russia should be god's rightious earthly realm devoid of the heathen substances used in the decadent liberalgaytravestite antifamily satanomarxist jewish colonies.

It's too early to make a decision to legalize it due to the lack of serious unbiased research on the effects of cannabis so far.

Cannabis could be a gateway drug for many people.

recognise it as a health issue for substance abusers and not put them in jail anylonger while executing every drug dealer you can find, selling drugs = death sentence

worked fantastic in thailand, but was stopped becouse it was "exesive" and abused the "human rights" since to many drug dealers got killed

NationalRus wrote:recognise it as a health issue for substance abusers and not put them in jail anylonger while executing every drug dealer you can find, selling drugs = death sentence

worked fantastic in thailand, but was stopped becouse it was "exesive" and abused the "human rights" since to many drug dealers got killed

Well it didn't work. Yaa baa is exploding. Over 500 million tabs are consumed each year in Thailand. heroin was mostrly for export anyway, and Burma/Myanmar is just accross the border.

KoTeMoRe wrote:

NationalRus wrote:recognise it as a health issue for substance abusers and not put them in jail anylonger while executing every drug dealer you can find, selling drugs = death sentence

worked fantastic in thailand, but was stopped becouse it was "exesive" and abused the "human rights" since to many drug dealers got killed

Well it didn't work. Yaa baa is exploding. Over 500 million tabs are consumed each year in Thailand. heroin was mostrly for export anyway, and Burma/Myanmar is just accross the border.

it exploded right back after the measure was undone, i mean you know it was in effect i think not even a year or so but in the time of its effect drug illiterate thailand has become very awere of the drug problem, citizen were giving out drug dealer to the police who then were killed and consumtion has fallen dramaticaly.

but they did it not very smart so it had to be undone at some point, when the police began to kill drug dealers "death squad" style without trial or anything and to much innocent people got killed including users and not sellers who were now not criminals anylonger

NationalRus wrote:recognise it as a health issue for substance abusers and not put them in jail anylonger while executing every drug dealer you can find, selling drugs = death sentence

worked fantastic in thailand, but was stopped becouse it was "exesive" and abused the "human rights" since to many drug dealers got killed

By that logic we should also execute all tobacco and vodka manifacturers in russia.

NationalRus wrote:

KoTeMoRe wrote:

NationalRus wrote:recognise it as a health issue for substance abusers and not put them in jail anylonger while executing every drug dealer you can find, selling drugs = death sentence

worked fantastic in thailand, but was stopped becouse it was "exesive" and abused the "human rights" since to many drug dealers got killed

Well it didn't work. Yaa baa is exploding. Over 500 million tabs are consumed each year in Thailand. heroin was mostrly for export anyway, and Burma/Myanmar is just accross the border.

it exploded right back after the measure was undone, i mean you know it was in effect i think not even a year or so but in the time of its effect drug illiterate thailand has become very awere of the drug problem, citizen were giving out drug dealer to the police who then were killed and consumtion has fallen dramaticaly.

but they did it not very smart so it had to be undone at some point, when the police began to kill drug dealers "death squad" style without trial or anything and to much innocent people got killed including users and not sellers who were now not criminals anylonger

There is more than simply AUC styled death squad AKA mini-Colombia. This is funnier.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crimes/427702/police-arrest-wife-of-drug-suspect-cop

Thailand has a real problem with its institutions to even try and tackle properly such and issue; never mind Burma.

KomissarBojanchev wrote:

NationalRus wrote:recognise it as a health issue for substance abusers and not put them in jail anylonger while executing every drug dealer you can find, selling drugs = death sentence

worked fantastic in thailand, but was stopped becouse it was "exesive" and abused the "human rights" since to many drug dealers got killed

By that logic we should also execute all tobacco and vodka manifacturers in russia.

by the logic that society would one day decide that tobacco and vodka sould be exterminated and support ther goverment in this effort then surly this measure would accomplish that most successful, all depends on the view of the society

There is more than simply AUC styled death squad AKA mini-Colombia. This is funnier.

http://www.bangkokpost.com/news/crimes/427702/police-arrest-wife-of-drug-suspect-cop
Thailand has a real problem with its institutions to even try and tackle properly such and issue; never mind Burma.

lets hope the measure was still in effect that time and this wife and this police officer got killed right away. (edit* 2014 i see, then forget what i said)

anyway surley the strengh and foundation of state institutions is a big part in the effectivnes of any measures thats why it made so much collateral damage in thailand since at some point the police just went crazy.

not even speaking of myanmar which would go crazy immidiatly and every cop and soldier would try to profit somehow since now real rule of law exists and the state institutions are so weak that they are basically a joke, same as you couldent controll the rural areas of columbia from FARC or AUC since ther were just no powerfull enough state institutions to enforce them

NationalRus wrote:

by the logic that society would one day decide that tobacco and vodka sould be exterminated and support ther goverment in this effort then surly this measure would accomplish that most successful, all depends on the view of the society

So that means your stance on cannabis is based on the general view of russian society on it rather than it's actual scientifically proven harmful(or lack of) effects?

So that means your stance on cannabis is based on the general view of russian society on it rather than it's actual scientifically proven harmful(or lack of) effects?

Tobacco and alcohol kill thousands of people every year... so if weed is as harmless as them then why would you want to legalise it?

Perhaps a better idea would be to fight the enormously powerful western tobacco companies and ban smoking too...

Legalize it, continue to fight illegal traffic.

It will prevent drug ->abuse<- and contribute to russias economy.    

KomissarBojanchev wrote:

NationalRus wrote:

by the logic that society would one day decide that tobacco and vodka sould be exterminated and support ther goverment in this effort then surly this measure would accomplish that most successful, all depends on the view of the society

So that means your stance on cannabis is based on the general view of russian society on it rather than it's actual scientifically proven harmful(or lack of) effects?

as far as i know cannab is as scientificaly harmfull as tobacco, and we know tobacco is harmfull as fuck, so yeah why should i add a evil on top of a evil rahten then exterminatet it with the most aggressive way possible?

so thailand way it is, drug dealer no mather which kind of = shot, and slowly start the fight agains society accepted evils ALSO like tobacco and alcohol.

by the way of course i speak of the smoked (burnt) art of cannabis not one that can be maybe administred in pills or vaping, tetrahydrocannabinol has its place in medicine

GarryB wrote:

So that means your stance on cannabis is based on the general view of russian society on it rather than it's actual scientifically proven harmful(or lack of) effects?

Tobacco and alcohol kill thousands of people every year... so if weed is as harmless as them then why would you want to legalise it?

Perhaps a better idea would be to fight the enormously powerful western tobacco companies and ban smoking too...

Well you can't just right out ban alcohol and tobacco, first you need to reduce the coming generations attracted to such things and russia has already banned advertisement for tobacco, would be nice to see a ban for alcohol advertisement and regulating of movies and all medias and cutting out this nonsense subconcious an subtle propaganda of cool caracters in movies and tv that constantly smoke and drink that was purposely designed to affect and influence teens.

Fully decriminalize, and tax the sale of it. Both alcohol and cigarettes are more dangerous and addicting than marijuana. Russia has excellent agricultural conditions for cannabis production. IIRC, it's in the top 5 for industrial hemp production right now, and during the Soviet era was #1. If Russia acts, they can dominate the recreational and medical market, if not, once again American entrepreneurs will take the initiative.

I'm sort of torn on this issue...

Smoking marijuana is definately bad for you but I don't think keeping it illegal is going to stop people (bong heads) from getting hold of it. Legalising it and controlling it's distribution probably makes more sense.

On the other hand, hemp production for industrial use should be encouraged.

Also, hemp seeds, hemp oil and there's even hemp protein powder is actually good for you and is considered a superfood

Cyberspec wrote:I'm sort of torn on this issue...

Smoking marijuana is definately bad for you but I don't think keeping it illegal is going to stop people (bong heads) from getting hold of it. Legalising it and controlling it's distribution probably makes more sense.

On the other hand, hemp production for industrial use should be encouraged.

Also, hemp seeds, hemp oil and there's even hemp protein powder is actually good for you and is considered a superfood

compering hemp and cannabis is like compering water and vodka, yeah they look the same but they arent, nobody is talking about hemp bro.

otherweise its time to take the fight against drug dealers to a whole new level, we can talk about bringing tetrahydrocannabinol to medicine im all for that, but just to go and add a huge evil on top of antoher huge evil (tobacco) is moronic beyong belive

Smoking marijuana is definately bad for you but I don't think keeping it illegal is going to stop people (bong heads) from getting hold of it. Legalising it and controlling it's distribution probably makes more sense.

Murder is a problem too... perhaps decriminalise that as well... surely it would be easier to manage if it was legal and there were laws around its application...

Making it illegal doesn't seem to stop people from killing each other... but why do you think legalising something you agree is bad will make it better?

Alcohol is legal and yet people die every year from its misuse and abuse... making weed legal just means a lot more pot heads that are a useless drain on society.... some people can smoke weed and appear to have no ill effects. For others one smoke and it turns into something rather more serious... they withdraw from the real world and dedicate all of their energies and attention to getting high and finding a better high... hardly something a decent society would consider for its own people.

legalize, and made into government cash cow. then militarize it- one of the best ways to calm down after a particularly nasty firefight is a good old 420.

GarryB wrote:

Smoking marijuana is definately bad for you but I don't think keeping it illegal is going to stop people (bong heads) from getting hold of it. Legalising it and controlling it's distribution probably makes more sense.

Murder is a problem too... perhaps decriminalise that as well... surely it would be easier to manage if it was legal and there were laws around its application...

Making it illegal doesn't seem to stop people from killing each other... but why do you think legalising something you agree is bad will make it better?

Alcohol is legal and yet people die every year from its misuse and abuse... making weed legal just means a lot more pot heads that are a useless drain on society.... some people can smoke weed and appear to have no ill effects. For others one smoke and it turns into something rather more serious... they withdraw from the real world and dedicate all of their energies and attention to getting high and finding a better high... hardly something a decent society would consider for its own people.

I would normally agree but although there is proven possibility of psychological addiction in cannabis, it's far less severe than both alchohol or tobacco and unlike both of them doesn't lead to abstinence. Also complete lack of addiction is not uncommon. I know it sounds cliche but there have been very few(possibly even none to other sources) cannabis related deaths, compared to tobacco. This alone should prove that it isn't right to put cannabis in the same legal status as heroin.



Even if it's illegal it's prevalence and consumption still rivals that of alchohol and tobacco and seems to unlikely to decrease in the future, thus I still believe it's beneficial for government and citizen to legalize with very large taxes.

so just add a evil on top of another, i said its as dangerous as tobacco, nobody ever died becouse he smoked to much weed like nobody died becouse he smoked to much tobacco, its the silent death that occurs after a long time from cancer off all sorts not only lung cancer, and other lung diseases since when you "burn" somthing to "smoke" it thousends of chemical ties emerge of which hundreds are toxic.

and you can see how easy you can spot junkies and potheads that even if you make the medical argument of isolating tetrahydrocannabinol for medical use they still dont care and want the "weed" itself to make ther blunt and smoke it.

found selling heroin = death sentence, found selling weed = death sentence, months later no bitch will sell any shit

and russia is as far from legalizing that shit as it is from gay marriage

otherwise isolating tetrahydrocannabinol for pills or inhaler's to treat migraine, insomnia, etc. absolutly possible

I know it sounds cliche but there have been very few(possibly even none to other sources) cannabis related deaths, compared to tobacco.

Yet cannabis effects the brain vastly more than nicotine does... nicotine is addictive and makes you feel good, but it is not psychotropic.

If weed is made legal what measures will you take to ensure people who use it legally don't drive cars or fly planes or are in control of heavy machinery?

How many employers are going to need screening equipment and procedures put in place to determine who is high at work and who isn't.

Drink driving has blood alcohol limits that can be tested and checked... the first inkling that one of your workers might be high is when someone dies.

Legalising weed just adds a whole new bureaucracy... new rules and regulations and for what?

Decriminalising it is enough. But weed is not that popular in Russia anyway

NationalRus wrote:recognise it as a health issue for substance abusers and not put them in jail anylonger while executing every drug dealer you can find, selling drugs = death sentence

worked fantastic in thailand, but was stopped becouse it was "exesive" and abused the "human rights" since to many drug dealers got killed

In Thailand, That aggressive policy can never solve the problem. Only temporary suppress drug trafficing.
And as you already mention it had to stop due to human rights, not the "western bullshit" human rights but the real abuse.
Since many suspect killed by police without a chance to get to court, nobody know how many of them are innocent.
The most important failure is this policy force higher lever drug dealer/distributor to "silenced witness" either smaller dealers or innocent people.
That mean you will never ever get to the real big guy.

IMO the real "death sentence" from court like Indonesia doing now got more chance to get rid of drug problem.
But as always, time will tell.

By the way, sorry for off topic.

Cyberspec wrote:I'm sort of torn on this issue...

Smoking marijuana is definately bad for you but I don't think keeping it illegal is going to stop people (bong heads) from getting hold of it. Legalising it and controlling it's distribution probably makes more sense.

On the other hand, hemp production for industrial use should be encouraged.

Also, hemp seeds, hemp oil and there's even hemp protein powder is actually good for you and is considered a superfood

That's the thing...it isn't bad for you or anyone around you. Studies have revealed benefits if anything, and not problems. 

Smoking really does not have any adverse effects on say, the brain, and getting stoned is nowhere as clumsy as getting drunk. 

Marijuana is far safer than alcohol, which is legal in Russia.....

Colorado resident here. I personally would not be in favor of legalizing cannabis in Russia. Sure marijuana brings in tourism and helps generate wealth for the state. However, because of the high taxation rate on recreational pot many will still turn to the black market where the pot is cheaper. I hear that it is more potent as well. Legalization of recreational pot also brought some negative societal aspects as well. For example, I've seen underage smoking become rampant in the last few years.

I see the benefits of medicinal marijuana and I am not against easing the punishments for possession or growing in Russia, but as a resident of a state that has legalized cannabis, I would say not to do it.

Tried plenty of party drugs, used steroids for 3+ years(Deca + Susta + Methan) still consider weed to be biggest evil and I would never smoke it in my life. It slows You down, makes you weak, clouds your head, reduces dopamine level, fucks memory. Even track of coke doesn't give You such side effects.
Weed is western comformist drug anyway