Britain has lost the war on cannabis - former Conservative leader

 

Britain's former Secretary of State for Foreign Affairs William Hague makes a speech supporting remaining in the EU, at Chatham House in London, Britain, June 8, 2016. REUTERS/Dan Kitwood/Pool/Files

 

LONDON (Reuters) - Britain has lost the battle to drive cannabis off the streets so it should consider legalising the drug, a former leader of Theresa May's Conservative Party said on Tuesday.

 

William Hague, a member of parliament's upper chamber who led the Conservatives from 1997 to 2001, said the case of a 12-year-old epileptic boy who struggled to access a cannabis-based medicine in recent days had shown the need to change the law.

 

More broadly, he said the recreational use of cannabis was ubiquitous and the thought it could be driven out of peoples' lives was "deluded". Legalising the drug could be economically and socially beneficial, he added.

 

"The idea that this can be driven off the streets and out of people's lives by the state is nothing short of deluded," Hague wrote in the Daily Telegraph newspaper. "This battle is effectively over.

 

"When a law has ceased to be credible and worth enforcing to many police as well as the public, respect for the law in general is damaged."

 

May's government said on Monday it would look into possible changes to rules on the use of cannabis-based medicines after a 12-year-old boy, Billy Caldwell, was admitted to hospital when officials confiscated his medication.

 

(Reporting by Kate Holton; editing by Guy Faulconbridge)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2018-06-19

About time someone spoke sense on the futility of the UK Cannabis laws. All they do is criminalize decent people. The savings made from attempting to enforce a ridiculous law, should be spent on research into Cannabis' medicinal properties.

And what about the war on all the other illegal substances ? Part of the reasoning ?

3 hours ago, MrMuddle said:

About time someone spoke sense on the futility of the UK Cannabis laws. All they do is criminalize decent people. The savings made from attempting to enforce a ridiculous law, should be spent on research into Cannabis' medicinal properties.

Sorry but people who break the law are not decent people[FULLSTOP]

 

Listening to (I think it was Vince Cable) on the radio this morning made my blood boil "legalize it and the problem will go away"...

 

Will it heck, do you think if they legalise and taxed it and limit the strength, those that grow it will just shut up shop???

 

Those that grow it are already competition to grow the strongest "brain pickling" skunk, thew will continue to grow it illegally, renting property from unsuspecting landlords and trashing their property in the process, stealing thousands of pounds worth of electricity every month, risk of causing fires and even putting lives in danger.

 

In a few years Cannabis related illnesses will over take tobacco related illnesses a the biggest drain on healthcare and welfare resources. 

22 minutes ago, Basil B said:

Sorry but people who break the law are not decent people[FULLSTOP]

 

Listening to (I think it was Vince Cable) on the radio this morning made my blood boil "legalize it and the problem will go away"...

 

Will it heck, do you think if they legalise and taxed it and limit the strength, those that grow it will just shut up shop???

 

Those that grow it are already competition to grow the strongest "brain pickling" skunk, thew will continue to grow it illegally, renting property from unsuspecting landlords and trashing their property in the process, stealing thousands of pounds worth of electricity every month, risk of causing fires and even putting lives in danger.

 

In a few years Cannabis related illnesses will over take tobacco related illnesses a the biggest drain on healthcare and welfare resources. 

You know there is already a growing number of countries, where (semi) legalization had not resulted in any of the problems you signal.

26 minutes ago, Basil B said:

In a few years Cannabis related illnesses will over take tobacco related illnesses a the biggest drain on healthcare and welfare resources. 

Alcohol, legal and available in local shops and supermarkets, has already done that. Watch any youtube production of the overworked doctors and nurses in the NHS accident and emergency depts. Nothing gets near it.

3 hours ago, Basil B said:

Sorry but people who break the law are not decent people[FULLSTOP]

 

Listening to (I think it was Vince Cable) on the radio this morning made my blood boil "legalize it and the problem will go away"...

 

Will it heck, do you think if they legalise and taxed it and limit the strength, those that grow it will just shut up shop???

 

Those that grow it are already competition to grow the strongest "brain pickling" skunk, thew will continue to grow it illegally, renting property from unsuspecting landlords and trashing their property in the process, stealing thousands of pounds worth of electricity every month, risk of causing fires and even putting lives in danger.

 

In a few years Cannabis related illnesses will over take tobacco related illnesses a the biggest drain on healthcare and welfare resources. 

Because this hasn't happened in other locales where it was legalized? Makes sense.

Don't fight it. Smoke it.

5 hours ago, jcsmith said:

Don't fight it. Smoke it.

And if you cant smoke it, eat it.   

 

9 hours ago, stevenl said:

You know there is already a growing number of countries, where (semi) legalization had not resulted in any of the problems you signal.

 

I suspect it was written in satire.

The war that was lost was a war that should never have been fought in the first place.

3 minutes ago, notmyself said:

 

I suspect it was written in satire.

Looking at an earlier post from him about this, no, it wasn't.

1 minute ago, stevenl said:

Looking at an earlier post from him about this, no, it wasn't.

 

Oh. Well that's not very good.

11 hours ago, Basil B said:

Sorry but people who break the law are not decent people[FULLSTOP]

 

Listening to (I think it was Vince Cable) on the radio this morning made my blood boil "legalize it and the problem will go away"...

 

Will it heck, do you think if they legalise and taxed it and limit the strength, those that grow it will just shut up shop???

 

Those that grow it are already competition to grow the strongest "brain pickling" skunk, thew will continue to grow it illegally, renting property from unsuspecting landlords and trashing their property in the process, stealing thousands of pounds worth of electricity every month, risk of causing fires and even putting lives in danger.

 

In a few years Cannabis related illnesses will over take tobacco related illnesses a the biggest drain on healthcare and welfare resources. 

Breaking the laws made bye who and for what purpose? Like in nazi germany the law was if you gave refuge to a jew you were breaking the law. Those people who gave refuge were decent people or were they full stop not ?

11 hours ago, Basil B said:

Sorry but people who break the law are not decent people[FULLSTOP]

How about a parking ticket? Are people that get parking tickets not decent people?

 

In the UK I smoked cannabis every day, if the police did a stop and search and found me with a small bag, they would just hand it back.

Cannabis is so prolific in the UK, nobody cares any more.

No point in having laws that everyone ignores, that's just silly.

As of now, a few hours ago, cannabis has been legalized for recreational purposes in Canada!

19 hours ago, webfact said:

More broadly, he said the recreational use of cannabis was ubiquitous and the thought it could be driven out of peoples' lives was "deluded". Legalising the drug could be economically and socially beneficial, he added.

 

"The idea that this can be driven off the streets and out of people's lives by the state is nothing short of deluded," Hague wrote in the Daily Telegraph newspaper. "This battle is effectively over.

Patently bleedin' obvious.

Politicians are just so slow.

And always behind the times.

William H is finally getting with it...

14 hours ago, Basil B said:

Sorry but people who break the law are not decent people[FULLSTOP]

 

Listening to (I think it was Vince Cable) on the radio this morning made my blood boil "legalize it and the problem will go away"...

 

Will it heck, do you think if they legalise and taxed it and limit the strength, those that grow it will just shut up shop???

 

Those that grow it are already competition to grow the strongest "brain pickling" skunk, thew will continue to grow it illegally, renting property from unsuspecting landlords and trashing their property in the process, stealing thousands of pounds worth of electricity every month, risk of causing fires and even putting lives in danger.

 

In a few years Cannabis related illnesses will over take tobacco related illnesses a the biggest drain on healthcare and welfare resources. 

satire?

5 minutes ago, BobBKK said:

14 hours ago, Basil B said:

Sorry but people who break the law are not decent people[FULLSTOP]

 

Listening to (I think it was Vince Cable) on the radio this morning made my blood boil "legalize it and the problem will go away"...

 

Will it heck, do you think if they legalise and taxed it and limit the strength, those that grow it will just shut up shop???

 

Those that grow it are already competition to grow the strongest "brain pickling" skunk, thew will continue to grow it illegally, renting property from unsuspecting landlords and trashing their property in the process, stealing thousands of pounds worth of electricity every month, risk of causing fires and even putting lives in danger.

 

In a few years Cannabis related illnesses will over take tobacco related illnesses a the biggest drain on healthcare and welfare resources. 

satire?

 

Unfortunately, boom boom is probably sincere.

 

2 hours ago, bobbin said:

As of now, a few hours ago, cannabis has been legalized for recreational purposes in Canada!

Good on Canada.  Hopefully the UK and USA will follow soon.  This should be a no-brainer, except in the US, we have a do-nothing Congress and an AG who's a freakin dinosaur. 

20 hours ago, webfact said:

"When a law has ceased to be credible and worth enforcing to many police as well as the public, respect for the law in general is damaged."

agree

Legalising the stuff is madness.

We've been fighting a war against smoking cigarettes, and we've almost won the war. Tobacco has almost been defeated. We're now seeing people trying to legalise and promote cannabis.

What on earth is our new slogan ??
"Say no to Marlboro, but marijuana is okay". How ridiculous is that comment ?

Edited June 20, 20188 yr by tonbridgebrit

55 minutes ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Legalising the stuff is madness.

We've been fighting a war against smoking cigarettes, and we've almost won the war. Tobacco has almost been defeated. We're now seeing people trying to legalise and promote cannabis.

What on earth is our new slogan ??
"Say no to Marlboro, but marijuana is okay". How ridiculous is that comment ?

No it's not madness. Continuing the almost century long prohibitionist policy is madness. Your point about tobacco is false. It has not been illegal to smoke tobacco. People don't go to jail for tobacco. It's not a War on tobacco You haven't almost won it.. People decided for themselves to quit smoking. There are vaporizers now that allow similar experience but safer. Edibles are over half the cannabis legal market.

 

 You are one of many (but becoming far fewer) who bought into the war propaganda.

 Just like real war, after a while we'll all be buddies again.

"Some 82% of those questioned believe it should be legalised"

https://news.sky.com/story/amp/most-britons-want-medicinal-cannabis-legalised-sky-data-poll-11410060

1 hour ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Legalising the stuff is madness.

We've been fighting a war against smoking cigarettes, and we've almost won the war. Tobacco has almost been defeated. We're now seeing people trying to legalise and promote cannabis.

What on earth is our new slogan ??
"Say no to Marlboro, but marijuana is okay". How ridiculous is that comment ?

 

Not very ridiculous considering tobacco kills people while cannabis doesn't.

A troll /flame has been removed.

“When you normalise the use of marijuana and you’re a young person and you had certain reservations because of the simple fact that it was illegal, there’s, I believe, a propensity to have somebody be more inclined to use it.”

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/jun/20/canada-legalises-cannabis-senate-vote

 

A belief that is in no way supported by evidence, countries that have allowed its sale have seen decreases in use by young people.

1 hour ago, tonbridgebrit said:

Legalising the stuff is madness.

We've been fighting a war against smoking cigarettes, and we've almost won the war. Tobacco has almost been defeated. We're now seeing people trying to legalise and promote cannabis.

What on earth is our new slogan ??
"Say no to Marlboro, but marijuana is okay". How ridiculous is that comment ?

So are people being put in jail for smoking cigarettes? Is that how the war was won? (It really hasn't been won by a long shot, anyway)

Never seen any photos from the medical profession of damage caused by cannabis smoke.....no photos of charred pot smokers lungs at all.

in fact some reports say it is beneficial......the Canadians are lucky, they can vape it anywhere now.......and the world goes on, except the courts are not full of people getting jailed for smoking pot and the police are no longer spending hundreds on millions on a phony war, and less Friday and Saturday night boozed up fist fights.....ask a policeman what they think......nobody gets aggressive on pot, quite the opposite.

bring it on all over the world, the sooner the better.