Comments on: A Sledgehammer to Crack a Nutt http://thethirdestate.net/2009/11/a-sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nutt/ What Is The Third Estate? Everything. What Has It Been Until Now In The Political Order? Nothing. What Does It Want To Be? Something. Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:19:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1.1 By: Hugh Burling http://thethirdestate.net/2009/11/a-sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nutt/comment-page-1/#comment-9305 Hugh Burling Sat, 13 Mar 2010 01:18:47 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/2009/11/a-sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nutt/#comment-9305 Um. Boredly browsing old posts. An important update is that Nutt later admitted his stance on cannabis wasn't entirely based on science, but was also political. He thought stoned kids at home would be safer (for us and them) than drunk ones in the streets. Scientists are people too, which means they can have (more or less wise) political opinions, and use more or less spin, and so on. I suppose the other problem - though it's too common sense for politicians to point it out in interviews - is that a nicotine addict can pretty much carry on life as normal, pace a few fag breaks (and being harassed by said politicians) but a pot addict can't, because s/he'll be stoned when s/he should be working effectively. Um. Boredly browsing old posts. An important update is that Nutt later admitted his stance on cannabis wasn’t entirely based on science, but was also political. He thought stoned kids at home would be safer (for us and them) than drunk ones in the streets. Scientists are people too, which means they can have (more or less wise) political opinions, and use more or less spin, and so on.

I suppose the other problem – though it’s too common sense for politicians to point it out in interviews – is that a nicotine addict can pretty much carry on life as normal, pace a few fag breaks (and being harassed by said politicians) but a pot addict can’t, because s/he’ll be stoned when s/he should be working effectively.

]]> By: Salman Shaheen http://thethirdestate.net/2009/11/a-sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nutt/comment-page-1/#comment-5053 Salman Shaheen Tue, 03 Nov 2009 14:07:47 +0000 http://thethirdestate.net/2009/11/a-sledgehammer-to-crack-a-nutt/#comment-5053 1. Drugs such as cannabis, LSD and ecstasy are statistically less dangerous to your health than alcohol and tobacco 2. The money you spend on cannabis, LSD and ecstasy is likely to go to morally reprehensible people (possibly even more morally reprehensible than the government). I tried to put this to David Raynes who took exception to one of my articles on here and it seemed lost on him. He, like the government, preferred to rehearse a tired mantra that essentially boiled down to 'drugs are bad, mmmmkay'. Legalisation, really, is the only sensible solution to both issues. 1. Drugs such as cannabis, LSD and ecstasy are statistically less dangerous to your health than alcohol and tobacco
2. The money you spend on cannabis, LSD and ecstasy is likely to go to morally reprehensible people (possibly even more morally reprehensible than the government).

I tried to put this to David Raynes who took exception to one of my articles on here and it seemed lost on him. He, like the government, preferred to rehearse a tired mantra that essentially boiled down to ‘drugs are bad, mmmmkay’. Legalisation, really, is the only sensible solution to both issues.

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