Cannabis: Whats the harm?

international | miscellaneous | opinion/analysis Friday February 04, 2011 01:01 by Ronoc

I have watched the recent BBC3 documentary about Cannabis consumption in the UK. There's interviews with people who say they are addicted and then people who are not, and in the latest episode, it was about drug smuggling and illegal immigrants who work in the house where the weed is grown. The customs manage to stop alot of weed getting into the UK but its only a fraction, and the money involved is quite alot. Its shows all the negative sides of the illegal trade and trys to make smokers feel guilty.
But I wonder if it was legal how much money could be made from this crop and how much crime would be cut...

So lots of people smoke weed or hash and only very few are addicted. Its less harmful than tobacco or alcohol but its illegal. If it was legal it could be taxed, it would cut out the work of the police (so they could attend to serious crimes and also saving money), it would cut out profits for illegal gangs and there would be less violence on the streets. People tend to call it a gate way drug but from my experience alcohol and tobacco are the gateway drugs.
In our time when we are in the midst of an EU/IMF bailout, why are we not considering serious alternatives to raise tax? People are using it no matter if its illegal or legal. If it was legal we would actually save money (police, prisons and so on) whilst gaining tax from it.

Below is a funny but interesting video...