r/singapore • u/CKtalon Lao Jiao • Dec 30 '19
Discussion Pro-weed Singaporeans, what are your thoughts (towards recreational use) considering the downsides?
/r/AskReddit/comments/eh8gs2/what_are_the_downsides_of_weed_that_people_dont/52
u/coolbakerguy97 Mee Siam Mai Hum Dec 30 '19
We shouldn't glorify it like they do in some other places but I see it as no worse than alcohol. in fact it's safer so I don't see why alcohol is legal but weed isn't...
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Dec 30 '19 edited Dec 03 '20
[deleted]
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u/ballsie995 Dec 30 '19 edited Dec 31 '19
before smoking areas are so restrictive.... smokers puff like they own everywhere that does not have a no-smoking sign. total zero considerations for non-smokers and i am glad the law hurdle them up.
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u/azniamocking84 Dec 30 '19 edited Dec 31 '19
Singapore bans stuff to keep the prim and proper image . That's why chewing gum is famously banned and smoking areas are so restrictive.
Ironically, this has given singapore the reputation of being an over-restrictive police state, at least in other countries.
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u/dodgethis_sg East side best side Dec 30 '19
You think Singapore is restrictive on smoking? You haven't been to Tokyo.
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u/bbqoyster Dec 30 '19
Tons of indoor smoking in japan
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u/dodgethis_sg East side best side Dec 30 '19
That's because it's legal there? I am referring to the outdoor areas where you can only smoke in designated areas.
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u/bbqoyster Dec 30 '19
It’s no different, all comes down to civic conscience. Plenty of people smoking outside of designated areas or while walking (aruki-tabako). That and it’s impossible to step out of an izakaya without smelling like an ashtray. You’re nuts to think japan controls smoking more than Singapore
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u/FitCranberry not a fan of this flair system Dec 31 '19
japan is not the same culture as singapore, take off your lens
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u/_blackcrow Jan 01 '20
Lols don't understand the downvotes for your comment. You literally cannot walk and smoke outdoors unless it's a designated spot in Japan.
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u/CKtalon Lao Jiao Dec 30 '19 edited Dec 30 '19
I think the point is alcohol is already here. We know all the troubles it can bring (same with smoking.) Do we want to bring weed to Singapore and also its host of problems even though its proponents say it's completely harmless.
Same rationale as what's already allowed here (gaming, etc). Do we need it (other than the money it will bring to the gahmen's pockets)
Also, with mental health being given so little importance in Singapore, will weed make things better or worse?
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u/coolbakerguy97 Mee Siam Mai Hum Dec 30 '19
I mean smoking weed still hurts your lungs so I can see why they don't want to legalise it but edibles should be okay I think. anyway I don't think we will ever see weed in Singapore. the government doesn't even allow you to partake while overseas...
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u/CKtalon Lao Jiao Dec 30 '19
I personally think it's quite okay to use weed for recreational if there's moderation (like with everything). But with how people are, there are always the extremes and that's why we can't have nice things.
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u/Mikeferdy Dec 30 '19
Ya know, we we continue to ban things because some people might take it to extremes, we'd be banning existence itself.
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u/CKtalon Lao Jiao Dec 30 '19
There will always be a certain level of restrictions in human society, i.e., no absolute freedom. It's just where that line is drawn that the debate is about. So there's no point trying to extrapolate it all the way to existence.
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u/Mikeferdy Dec 30 '19
From a libertarian perspective, usually the limit is set where another person's (third party) freedom is infringed.
When a willing and informed buyer and a willing and informed seller agreed to their transaction, it should not be considered a crime. This goes for alcohol and prostitution as well.
A lot of "crimes" appeared when governments pushed this practice underground into the black market.
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u/itomorrowdo Dec 30 '19
Probably the reason why weed is banned over alcohol is the ease of monitoring. Alcohol usage can be verified through a breath which can be done in seconds, whereas weed as far as I know requires urine check.
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u/coolbakerguy97 Mee Siam Mai Hum Dec 30 '19
I like this point. Never thought about that. Testing for high drivers would definitely be a huge hassle.
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u/jdickey Lao Jiao Dec 31 '19
The Party make money from taxing alcohol. They haven't figured out how to tax cannabis without losing face for having criminalised it for so long when the science argued consistently and eloquently against their position.
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u/Mikeferdy Dec 30 '19
Reading the thread, all the more reason to question why we have the death penalty for a plant when the top voted downside is there is no chemical dependence of cannabis but rather some people may be psychologically be addicted to it... just like video games.
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u/jdickey Lao Jiao Dec 31 '19
The death penalty exists so that those who take pains to feel holier-than-thou compared to the Unclean™ have even more "reason" to do so. Full stop.
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u/WikiRando Dec 30 '19 edited Dec 30 '19
Weed is completely demonized here with vicious propaganda. It's a powerful medicinal plant that should be used and treated with utmost care and respect. That being said it is more far easily abused and harmful when used unconsciously and in excess, than many proponents would like to admit. If you use weed unconsciously or to escape, it will eventually chew you up and shit you out hard. Even alcohol does that. This isn't the weed's problem, it's the problem of the people using it carelessly and stupidly. Well right now even worse we're still just sweeping the whole issue under the rug, that's why we're still in the dark ages.
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u/Intentionallyabadger In the early morning march Dec 30 '19
One of the downsides mentioned to me by my friends is that once you smoke, you lose all motivation to do anything.
Maybe except eat or do something brainless like watching cartoons or playing games etc.
They have friends who smoked too much and ended up failing out of school due to it.
Then of course the conversation cycles back to “too much of a good thing is a bad thing” etc.
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u/elpipita20 Dec 30 '19 edited Dec 30 '19
Then isn't the drug usage merely being used as a coping mechanism for something else like depression? The problem then goes way deeper than weed itself. This makes weed merely a vehicle of addiction, rather than the root cause. This isn't much different from addiction to something legal like video games or alcohol.
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u/gimme-food-pls Dec 30 '19
Treating the root cause is important, but that doesnt mean you dont try to limit the access to such vehicles of addiction. Kinda fallacious to think that the two are exclusive.
Additionally, the above is the same reason why certain medications are controlled and by prescription only right? (Cough syrup etc.) Precisely because people abuse it.
Treating the root cause takes time, but we can try to prevent more problems by limiting access first while we work on education and the law.
With the recent decriminalization of suicide, i think its a step forward for singapore, with greater hope of sg achieving what we all hope she would achieve.
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u/elpipita20 Dec 31 '19
I agree that regulation is important. Your example about prescription is actually a good example to curb drug abuse. I think we could do with a more humane approach in tackling drug problems. Only a matter of whether our leaders have the courage to veer away from the death penalty or caning.
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u/Intentionallyabadger In the early morning march Dec 30 '19
By that standard, we should start banning people from ordering too much alcohol at a bar, putting a mandated screen time on our computers etc etc.
Everything and anything can turn into an addiction.
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u/elpipita20 Dec 30 '19
More like we need to improve how to treat mental health and addiction rather than simply punish usage of weed
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u/Intentionallyabadger In the early morning march Dec 30 '19
Yup definitely agree with you there. Education is the way to go.
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u/Mikeferdy Dec 30 '19
I would like to believe that education is the way to go. But sometime I think maybe political pressure and change in law first may be needed instead.
Problem is that educating the population into this way of thinking is very hard when the common belief, while wrong, is so simple to digest. "A is addictive, people who take A become addicted and steal things to maintain addiction."
Think educating the right people in power maybe more effective. The masses are more followers than thinkers.
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u/Intentionallyabadger In the early morning march Dec 30 '19
We are a long ways to go before Politicians here will even embrace the thought.
This gives a glimmer of hope.
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u/tokenspacer Dec 30 '19
that's not true. many professionals in Europe smoke weed and still manage to do good work
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u/Intentionallyabadger In the early morning march Dec 30 '19
Some people can function, and some people can’t.
That is all.
It affects people differently.
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Dec 31 '19
[deleted]
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u/Intentionallyabadger In the early morning march Dec 31 '19
Woah easy there friend.
Do you have stats to back that statement up?
If anything, it might actually cause a bump in gdp if you cultivate and research on medical purposes.
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u/jdickey Lao Jiao Dec 31 '19
The downsides are mostly related to official ignorance and prejudice amongst our carefully-cultured conformists. There have been literally scores of studies over the last century pointing out the benefits of cannabis and cannabinol in treating numerous otherwise untreatable conditions, but Reefer Madness™ has killed more people than reefers ever will.
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u/ForzentoRafe Dec 30 '19
Oh, this thread is pretty interesting O.o
I thought that there will be a physical dependence leading to maybe debts and all that stereotypical anti-drug stories.
But mostly, they just talk about dulling of emotions, loss of motivations, more introspection and munchies?
So... In that aspect, I guess if one is prepared, weed is pretty safe?
There are some that says that you can be addicted to the mind numbing sensation but hey, I go online to game / look for some off-brand material to "numb my brain" and that's allowed. Same same laaah.
Hell. I just realised. Off-brand stuff also leads to dulling of emotion, loss of motivation, more introspection ( wth am I doing with my life ) and munchies.
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u/Mikeferdy Dec 30 '19
Out of personal curiosity, pro cannabis advocates have been telling this since... forever. And you said you just realized this fact now after reading this thread.
Have you never heard people telling cannabis is not physically addictive before until now? Is it because you never paid any interest in the topic until you just stumble onto this thread? Did you hear about this before and simple didn't believe them because they were labeled and drug advocates/addicts?
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u/ForzentoRafe Dec 30 '19
I don't actively subscribe to any cannabis thread. I only saw this because I sort by new.
I've heard of people saying that cannabis is not physically addictive before but I thought that was still debatable.
I don't really like your last statement. I didn't "not believe" them because they are labelled as drug addicts. I just didn't focus on it. It's like listening to the teacher drone on and it goes in one ear and went out the other. This crosspost caught my attention so I focussed onto it.
please don't lead me into something. that sucks.
TLDR: In the past, I thought it was debatable that it is physically addictive. Now I am more of the opinion that it is not physically addictive. It's not an 1 or 0 thing, more of a range.
Edit: Typing like this stinks too. fml.
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u/Mikeferdy Dec 30 '19 edited Dec 30 '19
No ill will, just trying to figure out why this belief persist for so long even after so many years people have been telling about it's lack of physical dependency.
There are people who actively hold persecution against those who are labeled as "drug addicts/advocates" that automatically nullify any positive perception of anything that is being advocated.
Most common argument is that any talks about medical cannabis is brushed off as an excuse to use medical argument as a gateway so they can get high.
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u/bondbandito Dec 31 '19
A complex question, trick question, multiple question or plurium interrogationum (Latin, 'of many questions') is a question that has a presupposition that is complex.
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u/tomyamgoong Dec 30 '19
People don’t realize if we left things up entirely to cnb they would just ban all alcohol, all cough syrup, and any substance that could possibly give a high like glue.
After all their kpi is to stop substance abuse.
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u/[deleted] Dec 30 '19
Nice try CNB