Land of the pot cloud

"It is real simple, drugs are bad, all drugs are bad." Ah, the evils of drugs - antibiotics, antihistamines, insulin, painkillers, vaccines...

"Purchase of illegal substances funds gangs and other low life people." This, at least, is an excellent point. Marijuana prohibition means that gangs are the only one willing to take the risk to produce product (that is clearly in hot demand!) in "commercial" quantities (side note to #15, Carlos: "Legalised and taxed, can anyone imagine the gangs giving up their current business cash flow?" Perhaps not, but I can imagine people making the choice to go to other, legitimate suppliers rather than take the risks involved in dealing with gangs).

"It causes misery, bad health, decline of community standards and can rob the will to work, plan or lead a useful life." I move in a social circle where almost everyone smokes the ganja, and yet we all manage to live productive, happy lives. If any of us have had trouble with the law, it has been for purely cannabis-related offences - not for the harm and crime that are supposed to stem from cannabis use. And also, alcohol would fit your assertion far more neatly than weed.

"It is not about giggles it is illegal." It may indeed be illegal, but that doesn't necessarily mean it is bad - homosexual activity in the privacy of your own bedroom was illegal for a long time, too, as was women voting.

"Every weak person thinks they can handle their addiction be it alcohol, drugs, gambling etc This one is easy - it's illegal - don't do it." Marijuana is not physiologically addictive, so the most relevant analogy here is gambling - and guess what? Hundreds of thousands of people gamble in Aoteoroa every week, and most of them are fine. We have a system of rules, regulations, and support agencies in place to prevent harm, and help those who are adversely affected. True, some people will be seriously harmed by gambling anyway, but nobody is moving to shut down the TAB or get Lotto off the air, are they? It's a numbers game, and the number of people who are harmed by marijuana (the drug itself, and not by the legal penalties or the gang culture that surrounds a lot of the distribution) is a tiny fraction of those who choose to use.

Last night i got stoned with buddies and spent $5 on a poker tournament. It could have been $300 in the CBD in clubs, or $5000 at the casino, or if my luck was worse a trip in the ambulance. Violence is esculating as kiwis drink more. Marjiuana gives people who dont want to indulge in the ridciulous drinking culture that our society promotes a safe alternative way of socialising safely at home at low cost. Perhaps the lack of tax collected, and revenue from decreasing medicial sales of such products a panadol, is the governments real reason for incriminating close to half their citizens. For the record, only 42% have admitted smoking pot, so I'd say the figure is much higher. Its a shame this sector of society is forced into obscurity.

I'm retired freight railway conductor of 33 years. I put 2 kids thruough college here in North Carolina, and I own 2 homes free and clear. I'm active in my community affairs, and volunteer weekly to deliver meals on wheels. I get on well with my neighbors and I don't have one penny's debt. I consider myself to be a good citizen and I've never been in trouble with police,and I'm a Vietnam veteran. I have, however, smoked cannabis since 1968(and I've Never once even considered using hard drugs as the "gateway" preachers allude to), but I s'pose that makes me a criminal huh? That just doesn't sound right. I've been looking at property in your lovely country for the last year, with the idea of retiring amongst you. Your taking up the debate of the idea of misuse of cannabis, is encouraging to me. It makes me think, you might like to see me come and stay.(and not in the lock-up) I'll be watching as your debate moves forward(or backward as the case may be)and I'll be wishing you great success in legalizing this kindest of herb.

I think that the penalty for being caught with pot should be similar to that of speeding. De-criminalise it below a certain level (such as not being ticketed if you are below 105), sell it through licensed premises similar to a bottle store and use the taxes to pay for education, health care and policing of harder drugs. Marijuana used in moderation is no more dangerous than drinking or smoking cigarettes. The other obvious aspect is that it will remove the need to associate with crime and harder drug users.

To #4. So pot is illegal because people who like harder drugs have taken it? What about alcohol? Those who like harder drugs will try everything there is, including beer and cough syrup. Cannabis is no more a gateway drug than vodka. But it's certainly got more stigma against it! The fact is that alcohol kills many, many more than pot does. There has never been a single recorded death relate to cannabis use. The most dangerous side-effect of using cannabis is potential jail time. As well as what others above have said about gangs and missed out tax revenue.

Whether you think cannabis is wrong to consume, or alcohol is bad for you, or cough syrup will melt your brain, it makes no difference. You should be able to tell that prohibition isn't working. If 42% of kiwis have tried it, then 42% of kiwis are criminals.

Prohibition doesn't work. It's not making the streets safer, it's not reducing kids' usage, and it's not helping generate money our country could use.

One more time, everybody chime in: prohibition doesn't work!

To Chris Irwin: the "gateway drug" hypothesis has been debunked too many times - you should be ashamed for even TRYING to use this as an argument against legalising marijuana.

Fools and idiots will use ANY drug as a gateway to other drugs: alcohol, floor cleaners, party pills, prescription drugs, cough medicine, banana skins, fermented Kowhai flowers, cactus juice etc. etc. etc. -- The "etc." are required, as space doesn't permit listing all possible gateways.

Clearly you know very little about drugs, except "I don't like them because they are bad". FYI: most pot smokers (and you know quite a few!) smoke pot - and nothing else. It's their drug of choice and they wouldn't switch to anything else (legal or illegal) for any reason at all.

Every bit of research around the globe has shown that legalising pot actually lowers use of pot.

The simply fact of the matter is that when drugs (all drugs, not just some drugs) are treated as health issues and not legal issues then countries are far better off. No one is protected from drugs by the illegality of them, and many are actually ATTRACTED to illegal drugs - merely because they ARE illegal.

People like you are why we have retarded drug laws. Just get out of the way and let rational, evidence-based decisions decide the rules.

Anyone who is doing jail time,(or home D)for a non violent cannabis offence should be released and the weed decriminalised. Users should not have to go to someone with gang connections to receive the sacrament,do we jail people for using nutmeg,sage,mushies or boiling up a cactus juice tea? Introducing harmless pot smokers to a prison lifestyle is,in my opinion,counterproductive. Alcohol remains our number one destroyer of people and aspirations,recognise that the onslaught against cannabis use is ineffective,put an age limitation on it(this will be whatever age the young brain is fully developed at) and step away.

Chris Irwin and John McDonald seem to have missed the point entirely. All of the rapists, murderers and P addicts they refer to almost certainly started their descent into hell courtesy of another commonly available, often abused and 100% legal drug. Alcohol.

Tens of thousands of New Zealanders enjoy a little puff every now and then. In my experience the worst effect of cannabis is a few giggles with friends, relaxed conversation and usually good music. Our current laws make these people criminals and hand the gangs tens of millions of dollars every year.

Decriminalising cannabis to make cannabis a health issue rather than a policing one would save our country a fortune.

I find it rich that people like Mr McDonald and others have a low opinion of those who choose to partake in cannabis use. I don't go out to the bars in Christchurch as alcohol seems to turn people into complete drongos who treat others like dirt. In my years of cannabis use I have never seen people behaving like complete shits. Rather people feel good and don't have to arrive home after a night out in a bar and feel utterly depressed cos some pissant asshole has been a total c**t to them. I personally would choose a doobie over a shallow xmas do at some over rated bar with over priced drinks and feeling uncomfortable in the company of the idiots I work with and all of the other morons that think they can treat others how they want to when they are on the turps.

Legalised and taxed, can anyone imagine the gangs giving up their current business cash flow? Can anyone imagine a gang member supplying you with a GST receipt for your purchase? Can anyone imagine a gang filing a tax return?