By few OOM, I mean that the use is very small now due to taboo and legal barriers that it is likely to be faaar more pervasive once they go away. But your data seems to contradict this so I need to do more research
Is the use very small now? In the US, even before state-by-state decriminalization, anyone who wanted it could quite easily get it. There will be an uptick in consumption once it’s more convenient to buy and has better QC and labeling, but I’d be shocked if overall use even doubled let alone went up 100x.
Germany is not Singapore. You won't face any legal consequences in most places for minor possession, and even dealing weed won't necessarily get you prison time. In Germany everyone who wants to smoke weed, smokes weed, legal or not. It's really, really prevalent as of now.
No. Because availability is high already. Especially for teenagers who are most vulnerable to addiction. Also, making it legal can also help promoting safe usage, rather than simply pretending the problem doesn't exist.
> Also, making it legal can also help promoting safe usage
This is one of the main arguments that I support for legalisation.
I grew up in Brazil, living there up to my late 20s, moved to Sweden and have lived here for the best part of a decade. Drug education in both countries is abysmal. Abysmal and dangerous, pushing people into ignorance and killing users in the process because they are simply ignorant about dangers, dosage, etc.
In Brazil the D.A.R.E. program was imported and used in public schools for a long time, I went through it in 4th grade, the program is taught by a police officer coming every week to class to basically repeat Nancy Reagan's stupidity "Just say no!". There is no deeper exploration of the topic, just say no.
In Sweden from what I can gather through friends that were educated here, drug education is basically the same as in Brazil, just say no to drugs and all drugs are equivalent. I have a friend that was terrified for years as a teenager when she found out her sister smoked pot, she was taught in school that pot, heroin, cocaine, all are equally dangerous and will kill you over time, no matter what. For 2 years this girl lived with the anxiety of not wanting to tell on her sister and at the same time in absolute fear for her sister's life.
Drug users in Sweden are absolutely irresponsible due to their ignorance. It's hard to find people who actually know the basics of harm reduction. The danger is compounded by the fear of actually calling an ambulance if needed, because in Sweden it's not only illegal to possess, sell, distribute drugs but also to consume them, if some drug's trace is found in a blood or urine test then that, by itself, is a crime that could be prosecuted. People simply avoid calling an ambulance in dangerous drug situations due to this draconian policy, as a result Sweden has the highest death rate of drug users in the whole EU, something like 25x the rate of Portugal and 20x the rate of the Netherlands.
Education is necessary in all aspects of life and the war on drugs made education about drugs absolutely atrocious even in supposedly progressive and well-educated societies.
No, anybody who wants weed knows how to get some, of questionable quality, elevated price and can't avoid mingling with people who more often than not deal with hard drugs, illegal weapons etc.
I would expect the opposite in fact - legal stuff loses quite a bit of its cool factor for youth, its not much rebelling if you can buy it in shop just around the corner, with better quality and effect you exactly prefer. Added tax revenue is just a bonus.
Even strong cannabis usage is very easy to wean off compared to hard stuff like alcohol or tobacco... which is completely legal.
> questionable quality, elevated price and can't avoid mingling with people who more often than not deal with hard drugs, illegal weapons etc.
How many people have stayed away from weed or used it less frequently due to these reasons? If they were to go away and weed was just another shop like it is here in SF, don’t you think the consumption would spike?
Agree with the cool factor being undercut. But weed he hella fun and can get you hooked.
Take it from someone who has struggled with recovery: it’s not easy to quit. I suggest you browse r/leaves subreddit to see how many people struggle with it
