Current More than 19,000 cannabis plants - worth almost $67 million - have been seized from a rural property in western NSW.

[Aristotle Pickett]

Drug and Firearms Squad detectives, beat officers and police dogs descended on a property at the Newell Highway in Dandry, near Coonabarabran, on Tuesday morning.

What they found was one of the biggest illegal cannabis farms they’d ever seen.

Drug and firearms squad commander John Watson said:

In terms of scale, this is one of the largest and most commercial cannabis enterprises we’ve seen – with significant infrastructure, including two large dams, commercial generators, earth moving equipment, across multiple sites, all of which require attention from workers seven days a week...
About 90,000 square metres of land has been illegally cleared at this property to make way for more than 20 greenhouses containing cannabis plants.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

The question is shouldn't the marijuwana industry be regulated so growers pay taxes?
They could have made $20 million in taxes from this ,instead it will all be destroyed and users may use other more destructive drugs like meth.

 

[Quivorir]

,instead it will all be destroyed and users may use other more destructive drugs like meth.

That is quite a leap...That type of thinking is why weed is still illegal here.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

That is quite a leap...That type of thinking is why weed is still illegal here.

But why reject over 1 billion in tax revenue for a drug that causes way less problems than alcohol?

Legal cannabis could earn $1b tax revenue and create 250,000 jobs

Investment strategist Mark Bernberg said Australia was losing billions of dollars of potential tax revenue ...

www.google.com

 

[Quivorir]

No, I agree with that. I disagree with what I quoted. Weed isn't a gateway drug the media like to claim it is. If people can't get weed they're not going "ahh well lets go get some meth instead". This thinking is why it's still banned here despite being decriminalised by a lot of places around the world.

 

[GreyCrow]

Six people, five men and one woman, were arrested and charged with cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis and participating in a criminal group.

Thats no small business. This takes money - a lot of money - who owns the property? Who employed the workers?

Will this now die and everyone ignores the money trail?

 

[jason_recliner]

But why reject over 1 billion in tax revenue for a drug that causes way less problems than alcohol?

Legal cannabis could earn $1b tax revenue and create 250,000 jobs

Investment strategist Mark Bernberg said Australia was losing billions of dollars of potential tax revenue ...

www.google.com

"Causes way less problems than alcohol" is debatable - you need to consider how many people are using/abusing alcohol compared to marijuana. $1,000,000,000 revenue might sound like a lot but it's not compared to GDP and government revenue. The health and productivity costs may exceed it (I haven't seen any figures either way). Personally, I think we should be actively discouraging drug use - legalising them is not the way to do this.

 

[Kane McGoodwin]

Six people, five men and one woman, were arrested and charged with cultivating a large commercial quantity of cannabis and participating in a criminal group.

Thats no small business. This takes money - a lot of money - who owns the property? Who employed the workers?

Will this now die and everyone ignores the money trail?

Mafia connections?

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

"Causes way less problems than alcohol" is debatable - you need to consider how many people are using/abusing alcohol compared to marijuana. $1,000,000,000 revenue might sound like a lot but it's not compared to GDP and government revenue. The health and productivity costs may exceed it (I haven't seen any figures either way). Personally, I think we should be actively discouraging drug use - legalising them is not the way to do this.

It does cause less problems than alcohol, no one is debating that.
The courts and hospitals are full of alcohol related matters such as assaults & violence, sexual violence and rape ,domestic violence, drink driving deaths/ injuries,assaulting police and ambos , injuries ect.
Then there is health related matters such as Fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol induced dementia, liver damage, diabeties, obesity, drug overdoses when mixed with Class A drugs, drunk injuries ect.
If alcohol was invented today there is no way it would be legalised.

 

[craffles]

Marijuana can induce psychosis and cause schizophrenia and seriously * people up. It's not as harmless as it's proponents make it out to be.

 

[jason_recliner]

It does cause less problems than alcohol, no one is debating that.
The courts and hospitals are full of alcohol related matters such as assaults & violence, sexual violence and rape ,domestic violence, drink driving deaths/ injuries,assaulting police and ambos , injuries ect.
Then there is health related matters such as Fetal alcohol syndrome, alcohol induced dementia, liver damage, diabeties, obesity, drug overdoses when mixed with Class A drugs, drunk injuries ect.
If alcohol was invented today there is no way it would be legalised.

Marijuana causes different problems to alcohol. Less problems? I don't know, depends how you look at it. And as I said, any comparison needs to consider the usage rates of each. Regardless, I'm not discounting problems associated with alchol use and abuse. I am disputing the logic that says because one harmful drug has been legalised, we should legalise another harmful drug.

 

[Kurve]

Marijuana can induce psychosis and cause schizophrenia and seriously fu** people up. It's not as harmless as it's proponents make it out to be.

Unscrupulous dealers can spray weed with other substances/chemicals, maybe it's that might induce a psychotic episode but if you're the type that gets up in the morning and reaches for the bong then sits around on a filthy couch sucking on it all day and do that seven days a week, you might have a problem.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Marijuana causes different problems to alcohol. Less problems? I don't know, depends how you look at it. And as I said, any comparison needs to consider the usage rates of each. Regardless, I'm not discounting problems associated with alchol use and abuse. I am disputing the logic that says because one harmful drug has been legalised, we should legalise another harmful drug.

You can't overdose on marajuana but you can on panadol and most prescription drugs but they're not gonna ban panadol.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

"Causes way less problems than alcohol" is debatable - you need to consider how many people are using/abusing alcohol compared to marijuana. $1,000,000,000 revenue might sound like a lot but it's not compared to GDP and government revenue. The health and productivity costs may exceed it (I haven't seen any figures either way). Personally, I think we should be actively discouraging drug use - legalising them is not the way to do this.

So do you class alcohol as a drug?

 

[jason_recliner]

You can't overdose on marajuana but you can on panadol and most prescription drugs but they're not gonna ban panadol.

Yes you can. You can overdose on all drugs, espeically if you are predisposed to mental illness.

 

[jason_recliner]

So do you class alcohol as a drug?

Yes.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Yes you can. You can overdose on all drugs, espeically if you are predisposed to mental illness.

You cant OD on marajuana. It may affect people with a predisposition to schizophrenia but it is safe compared to alcohol and a lot of prescription drugs.

 

[jason_recliner]

You cant OD on marajuana. It may affect people with a predisposition to schizophrenia but it is safe compared to alcohol and a lot of prescription drugs.

You can OD on THC. It can cause long lasting, even permanent, mental harm in some people, especially people with mental illness and those whose brains are still developing. But that's not the biggest problem with weed. It makes people satisfied with a life that is not as fulfilling as it could be, achieving less than they could, being less than their best self, not reaching their potential. That is extremely sad both for the users and also for those that care about them and have to see them losing.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

You can OD on THC. It can cause long lasting, even permanent, mental harm in some people, especially people with mental illness and those whose brains are still developing. But that's not the biggest problem with weed. It makes people satisfied with a life that is not as fulfilling as it could be, achieving less than they could, being less than their best self, not reaching their potential. That is extremely sad both for the users and also for those that care about them and have to see them losing.

You can't die from a marajuana OD but you can from alcohol and panadol.

 

[2006_Eagles]

You can OD on THC. It can cause long lasting, even permanent, mental harm in some people, especially people with mental illness and those whose brains are still developing. But that's not the biggest problem with weed. It makes people satisfied with a life that is not as fulfilling as it could be, achieving less than they could, being less than their best self, not reaching their potential. That is extremely sad both for the users and also for those that care about them and have to see them losing.

Being permanently baked is essentially the same as being permanently drunk

Both are depressants

At least with uppers you actually want to get s**t done like clean the house

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Being permanently baked is essentially the same as being permanently drunk

Both are depressants

At least with uppers you actually want to get sh*t done like clean the house

True but that doesn't mean it should be a crime. What about individual liberty . It's only illegal because squares think it will slow down productivity in the economy.
It's an antiquated law and discrimatory law now by any measure.
If you jailed everyone who has smoked a joint , two thirds of the country would be in jail.

 

[jason_recliner]

True but that doesn't mean it should be a crime. What about individual liberty . It's only illegal because squares think it will slow down productivity in the economy.
It's an antiquated law and discrimatory law now by any measure.
If you jailed everyone who has smoked a joint , two thirds of the country would be in jail.

Who's been jailed for smoking a joint?

OK, you want individual liberty, fair enough. I don't want to pay for unproductive pot smokers and their costs. How about if you want to smoke pot, sign a waiver precluding you from the public health system (take a look at those private cover premiums when you are a declared drug user), banned from the dole, banned from any work where impaired judgement could put others at risk, banned from driving a car or operating other heavy machinery... have fun paying for your throat cancer treatment in the private hospital system on your menial minimum wage job.

Yes, I know that's over the top, but how is criminalising drug use "descriminatory"? Drug use has personal and social costs, which is why it's illegal - it's not some conspiracy by us "squares" to keep you working class Joes under the thumb. It doesn't make any sense to legalise a harmful, unproductive, pointless activity that does nothing but make people worse than they could otherwise be.

 

[Aristotle Pickett]

Who's been jailed for smoking a joint?

OK, you want individual liberty, fair enough. I don't want to pay for unproductive pot smokers and their costs. How about if you want to smoke pot, sign a waiver precluding you from the public health system (take a look at those private cover premiums when you are a declared drug user), banned from the dole, banned from any work where impaired judgement could put others at risk, banned from driving a car or operating other heavy machinery... have fun paying for your throat cancer treatment in the private hospital system on your menial minimum wage job.

Yes, I know that's over the top, but how is criminalising drug use "descriminatory"? Drug use has personal and social costs, which is why it's illegal - it's not some conspiracy by us "squares" to keep you working class Joes under the thumb. It doesn't make any sense to legalise a harmful, unproductive, pointless activity that does nothing but make people worse than they could otherwise be.

Ok what should be the penalty for smoking a joint?
Also is alcohol a 'harmful, unproductive pointless activity'?
Also there's medical marajuana but no medical beer?
Also, if legalised , domestic violence rates and other violent crimes would decrease.

 

[jason_recliner]

Ok what should be the penalty for smoking a joint?
Also is alcohol a 'harmful, unproductive pointless activity'?
Also there's medical marajuana but no medical beer?

You're missing the point. I never advocated for making alcohol legal. It is legal, it does a bunch of harm, and here we are. My argument is that making another harmful drug legal would be a negative move.

To answer your questions as best I can...

I don't know what the penalty should be for smoking a joint. Depends on the circumstances. An adult smoking with kids, probably something criminal. An adult smoking at a party/rave/club with friends, maybe a misdemeanour fine? A minor, maybe some kind of educational program and boring civil service?

Drinking alcohol is a harmful, unproductive activity. I type this while I enjoy a pint - no doubt I could be doing something better with my time.

I don't know much about medical marijuana. Again, because you have failed to understand over the course of several posts, I'm not advocating for beer or any other alcohol. I'm not saying beer should be legal and pot shouldn't. I'm saying beer is legal, it's harmful, regardless of whether we intend to criminalise beer, we shouldn't be looking at legalising pot or any other drugs.

 

[HK_Hawk]

Who's been jailed for smoking a joint?

OK, you want individual liberty, fair enough. I don't want to pay for unproductive pot smokers and their costs. How about if you want to smoke pot, sign a waiver precluding you from the public health system (take a look at those private cover premiums when you are a declared drug user), banned from the dole, banned from any work where impaired judgement could put others at risk, banned from driving a car or operating other heavy machinery... have fun paying for your throat cancer treatment in the private hospital system on your menial minimum wage job.

Yes, I know that's over the top, but how is criminalising drug use "descriminatory"? Drug use has personal and social costs, which is why it's illegal - it's not some conspiracy by us "squares" to keep you working class Joes under the thumb. It doesn't make any sense to legalise a harmful, unproductive, pointless activity that does nothing but make people worse than they could otherwise be.

Ok, let’s break it down a little.

Assumption #1 Pot smokers are unproductive leaches that us “normal tax paying citizens” support. I know many a pot smoker who are actually more productive on pot. Full stop.

Why should a pot smoker be excluded from the public health system when we have a society of high carb high stress adults with compromised immune systems… many who happily judge other leaches on the system while indulging in high carb diets, cigarettes, alcohol or whatever other stress-inducing activity that compromises their immune function?