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Originally Posted by wraymond
I really don't think I have mentioned tobacco or alcohol in this connection as comparatives with cannabis and its effects. I don't necessarily equate them with the effect that cannabis produces but then again I'm not a chemist - maybe you are.
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Quote:
Originally Posted by wraymond
... There are already adequate alternatives....
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Just trying to work out what your 'adequate alternatives' are. Maybe you'd actually say what you think these are rather than leave us all to guess?
Quote:
Originally Posted by wraymond
Also, my main concern, see my earlier posts, is the apparent gateway effect that has been examined extensively by reputable agencies many times. Not necessarily from a mild sedative point of view but more from the acceptance that social pressures are undoubtedly at work that are far more effective in the inducement to be 'one of us'. The longer this apparent acceptance that it is not harmful is allowed to propagate, the more difficult it becomes to mount reasonable argument.
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Ahh, back to previous point already hotly debated, for why?
I do like this though
Quote:
Originally Posted by wraymond
that has been examined extensively by reputable agencies many times
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<- that doesn't actually make a point for either side of the argument. At risk of repeating myself: the gateway drug argument doesn't hold, the numbers are against it. That a large percentage of hard drug users use cannabis first shouldn't be a surprise. To extrapolate that out in the reverse that a large number of cannabis users will become hard drug users is shown to be nonsense by the numbers alone.
And finally ->
Quote:
Originally Posted by wraymond
The longer this apparent acceptance that it is not harmful is allowed to propagate, the more difficult it becomes to mount reasonable argument.
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If instead of 'reasonable argument' I read 'obstinately repeating the same lost points' then on that we might (just might) agree!
Everything is 'harmful' to some degree - especially the 'legal' drugs, Cannabis use is no different and carries much of the same harm potential as alcohol and tobacco. I haven't read/heard you arguing for prohibition.
Many people enjoy a[n] (alcoholic) drink, are you going to tell them that alcohol should be illegal because of the harm it causes?