this post was submitted on 05 Jul 2023
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adjectivenounnr at 2023-07-05 09:11:11+00:00 ID:
jqqj4h6
CAN SOMEONE SENSIBLE FROM SWEDDIT PLEASE RUN FOR RIKSTAG, TAKE A LEADERSHIP ROLE IN A PARTY AND PUSH FOR LEGALIZATION!
I'm so tired of this huge disconnect between the clearly informed and thoughtful pro-legalization folks here on Sweddit and the absolute farce that is Sweden's current drug policy.
People will NEVER STOP SMOKING WEED. Prohibition NEVER WORKS, especially for something as innocuous, (relatively) risk free, affordable, fun and widely available as weed. And so the criminal gangs keep raking in revenue, and will continue to do so.
I moved to Sweden mostly because it is a well-run country, but on this issue it is a total shambles! It's time for change, but it requires enough BRAVE SWEDES to run for political leadership positions and openly debate this issue.
So who's up for it? I'd love to take up the charge but I'm not Swedish!
Homunculus97 at 2023-07-05 11:29:18+00:00 ID:
jqqt888
Sweden will most likely be one of the last countries on the planet to legalize weed, once boomers and gen x are too old to sit at the riksdag it will be an easier feat to accomplish, but it will most likely take another 30 or so years.
teamcemi at 2023-07-05 09:37:30+00:00 ID:
jqqkdt6
The gov and school system still push an agenda that cannabis leads to heroin and push hard for zero tolerance… often with outdated facts or non existing facts.
I don’t expect any change until the next generation shift amongst politicians.
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 10:08:53+00:00 ID:
jqqmod1
It's bad enough on its own. Remember mental health care, welfare etc is funded with tax money.
teamcemi at 2023-07-05 10:17:58+00:00 ID:
jqqncl4
I don’t get your point.
We already consume cannabis in sweden we Dont need to import any we are self sufficent.
No law Will make Consumption go down (it has gone up)
So you could make a complete u turn and legalize and get tax income, the state could make a monopoly of cannabis and also create new jobs (for production and sales)
Like Thailand did last year they went from death penalty on cannabis to full legalization with tax income instead.
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 10:44:54+00:00 ID:
jqqpfyw
I don't expect you to get it, but i expect politicians to
teamcemi at 2023-07-05 10:52:35+00:00 ID:
jqqq2iw
But it will be hard for any one to get your point since you state "Remember mental health care welfare is funded with tax money" this is common knowledge to any one and when you say "It is bad enough on its own" what is it you expect politicians to understand? We need even harder laws or what?
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 11:26:00+00:00 ID:
jqqsxnq
Yes? You don't have to graduate to opiates to cause harm to yourself, others, and to public finances.
RiiluTheLizardKing at 2023-07-05 09:27:08+00:00 ID:
jqqjnfx
I dont think you'd have a big platform running such an unpopular question, most Swedes are not on reddit or share the values of reddit. There are already parties that support the idea, but they are not in the riksdag because it's not a question that's very important to the average swede.
getacatordietrying at 2023-07-05 09:57:00+00:00 ID:
jqqlssr
I don't believe a strong majority of swedes support the prohibition anymore. I would be surprised if cannabis is still illegal in 10 years
kitkamran at 2023-07-05 12:07:36+00:00 ID:
jqqwtrv
really? I'm approaching 40 and I'd say most people I know that are 5 years older or more are firmly against legalizing cannabis. I bet it'll take 25 years.
Suedie at 2023-07-05 10:16:53+00:00 ID:
jqqn9s9
You can look at kannabiskrysset if you want a list of politicians who are explicitly pro-decriminalisation.
granistuta at 2023-07-05 12:34:09+00:00 ID:
jqqzmuk
I think you mean Cannabiskrysset :)
gurbelgob at 2023-07-05 10:48:00+00:00 ID:
jqqpozo
Var inte Romina på den listan? Man säger något före valet, sen något efter.
granistuta at 2023-07-05 12:34:56+00:00 ID:
jqqzpvp
Hon är väl fortfarande för legalisering?
Men det ligger inte direkt på hennes bord som miljöminister, så det är inte direkt så att hon kan göra så mycket uttalanden om det i den rollen.
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 10:07:08+00:00 ID:
jqqmjpt
It' not risk free. You don't know more than experts.
adjectivenounnr at 2023-07-05 10:09:17+00:00 ID:
jqqmpgi
It’s my risk to take. Alcohol is also not risk free. But it’s nowhere near hard drugs, and regulating it as such is a colossal waste of police resources
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 10:13:20+00:00 ID:
jqqn0dr
It's not your risk to take for the same reason it's not your risk to take if you want to drive 300kmh on public roads. The government has an obligation to protect the rest of society from you, and it's also the government that directs tax money to drugrelated crime, and healthcare and welfare for people who can't work because of drug use.
granistuta at 2023-07-05 12:37:01+00:00 ID:
jqqzxyv
Why do you compare using cannabis to risking the lives of other people by speeding on public roads?
How do I risk peoples lives if I sit in my couch watching a nature documentary, eating a fruit salad, and using cannabis?
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 12:40:37+00:00 ID:
jqr0c1g
You fund crime, for starters. You become less productive and more likely to develop mental illness and to stop working, which is a burden for society. Same applies to public roads, the more people who don't follow rules, the more we have to pay to enforce rules and for healthcare.
granistuta at 2023-07-05 12:57:48+00:00 ID:
jqr2alz
You don't have to fund crime, legalize it and you will fund healthcare and schools instead. Or you can grow your own, or you can get your cannabis from friends who grow.
Why would you become less productive just because you use cannabis?
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 13:02:51+00:00 ID:
jqr2vo7
You're not aware of the statistics regarding school/work performance, sick leave and unemployment?
frisomenfogel at 2023-07-05 10:36:45+00:00 ID:
jqqosd6
What a tired, false analogy.
Just like prohibition is a tired, false solution to a complex problem which will never be solved by prohibition.
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 10:38:40+00:00 ID:
jqqoxtz
That's the most tired argument of all, "people are going to do it anyway". Same goes for physical violence.
frisomenfogel at 2023-07-05 10:59:53+00:00 ID:
jqqqo6t
Well, at least it's an argument grounded in reality while yours is not.
I agree that you should be somewhat protected from my physical violence, but that's not what were talking about, is it? To me your argument sounds more like you should be somewhat protected from self-harm, which would be fine - if the current legislation were reflective of this position, which it is not.
Legalize it, problem solved.
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 11:12:32+00:00 ID:
jqqrr4b
Legislation protects individuals from self harm and society from costs associated with cannabis
granistuta at 2023-07-05 12:40:45+00:00 ID:
jqr0cjy
How?
The law does not have a great effect on how many there are that uses cannabis, and we still have costs from the minority that develop problematic use. Yet we don't get any of the income as we don't tax cannabis sales.
We also get the costs of trying to police those who use and those who sell cannabis, and the violence that comes with gangs trying to protect their turf (and all the spiraling revenge killings).
Criminalization is surely a lot more costly than legalization.
frisomenfogel at 2023-07-05 11:22:23+00:00 ID:
jqqsly3
If it were so, Sweden would have a comparatively good record on t.ex. overdoses. Do we, really?
On that same premise, do you think we should outlaw sugar, alcohol and nicotine?
Current legislation is more realistically a huge cost, funneling money to black-market gangs and hopeless policing.
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 11:31:56+00:00 ID:
jqqtgrn
Weigh it against the cost for harm caused by narcotics, 40bn or so. I do think we should regulate sugar, alcohol and nicotine, but i don't think they're comparable since they're firmly part of our culture - at least sugar and alcohol. Overdoses are outliers, the bulk of this is sick leave/unemployment, therapy, quality of life, social difficulties.
adjectivenounnr at 2023-07-05 10:18:04+00:00 ID:
jqqnctn
Give me an example of cannabis use leading to societal problems worse than the societal problems caused by alcohol.
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 10:46:47+00:00 ID:
jqqpldz
Alcohol has nothing to do with it, "alcohol is worse" isn't an argument.
builder_m at 2023-07-05 10:55:26+00:00 ID:
jqqqazp
It became an argument the moment you tried to use "the government needs to protect from the dangers of weed". You're a hypocrite if you don't want to ban alcohol as well.
Gov would get tax money if they legalized and REGULATED instead of having to spend tax money on petty drug crime. Science isn't on your side, either.
adjectivenounnr at 2023-07-05 11:19:11+00:00 ID:
jqqsbvy
Exactly. You can't argue in favour of weed prohibition unless you also argue in favour of alcohol prohibition. Here's the science: https://www.healthline.com/health/weed-vs-alcohol#long-term-risks
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 11:18:42+00:00 ID:
jqqsafd
The government does regulate alcohol, and tries to prevent abuse through information/education. It's difficult to ban outright because it's part of our culture. Cannabis isn't to the same extent.
Science says people get addicted and suffer brain damage. If you argue that scientists/governments make this up, that's a way of creating a fantasy world where anything that fits your stance goes.
Also note that drug related crimes and illegal trade hasn't gone away in the US.
adjectivenounnr at 2023-07-05 11:22:12+00:00 ID:
jqqsldd
That's because the US has (as they typically do) regulated it poorly. A better example is Canada, and specifically Québec, which has in fact reduced drug related crimes, gang revenues, and massively increased tax receipts by legalizing it through a system almost identical to Systembolaget.
builder_m at 2023-07-05 11:31:16+00:00 ID:
jqqteog
Prohibition cannot, will not and has not stopped substance use. It has only pushed it underground, and made it more dangerous. This is backed by data. I am not saying cannabis is risk free, but the risks are best tackled with regulations, just like with alcohol. Cannabis is also a LOT safer than alcohol, which leaves even less of a reason for it to remain banned.
Research on potential harm, drug use statistics, death count, research on the effects of prohibition policies, historical precedent, all of this supports legalization (or at the very least decriminalisation). Which is what I meant when I called your position unscientific.
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 11:44:38+00:00 ID:
jqqum03
Cannabis can't be compared to alcohol like that. There's less research on cannabis, but more importantly comparisons based on physiological effects fail to take cultural context into account. There are norms associated with alcohol, and it's used in places like family dinners and even at work places. This means people are more likely to learn how to manage it appropriately. With cannabis, you're more likely to socialize with people who use it for different purposes and who also use amphetamines etc.
Nobody said prohibition gets rid of anything. There's no support for the idea that it won't stay underground and that the dangerous aspwcts will go away if you legalize it though.
KrigochFred at 2023-07-05 11:15:21+00:00 ID:
jqqrzy1
and politicians are not experts and the experts at FHM have said that our druglaws doesnt work and causes way more issues than they solve.
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 11:19:48+00:00 ID:
jqqsdpr
They also say cannabis is harmful in various ways, thoughts on that?
KrigochFred at 2023-07-05 11:21:50+00:00 ID:
jqqsk5f
Harmful doesnt mean it is or should be illegal.
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 11:46:54+00:00 ID:
jqqutdf
That's your opinion, i have a different one
KrigochFred at 2023-07-05 13:00:38+00:00 ID:
jqr2mfy
Its not an opinion there are thousands of things that are very harmful but not illegal.
No_Drag3975 at 2023-07-05 11:31:32+00:00 ID:
jqqtfig
Too much of anything is harmful, what's your point?
Flutterpiewow at 2023-07-05 11:35:12+00:00 ID:
jqqtraj
So zero limits on anything, got it
No_Drag3975 at 2023-07-05 11:37:07+00:00 ID:
jqqtxly
Fuck off moron
granistuta at 2023-07-05 12:29:37+00:00 ID:
jqqz56z
You can always vote for a party that want to legalize. https://piratpartiet.se/