by Baptiste (Jan 30, 2004)

I think it is wrong to forbid it. We know that 30% of teenagers smoke shit. The question people usually ask to stop this is how we can prevent them from finding their drugs. It’s impossible : there are too many people who smoke now. If you smoke a lot, you need money because drugs are very expensive. Since it is illegal there are risks for the dealer. So he steals or he sells shit in order to get it.

I think it would be better to legalise drugs. Some people say if you did that everybody would smoke and smoke more because it would be less expensive and less dangerous. I don’t agree.

In fact teenagers smoke because it’s forbidden. They need to brave the authority. And it’s easy to have drugs. The dealers give it to get new buyers.

And there is another problem. Now the drug is not safe. It is mixed with other substances. And that’s not controlled by professionals. For instance if we call this drug " shit ", that’s because a British policeman has found camel’s shit in it. Cannabis is very dangerous for health (even without shit). But alcohol and tobacco are dangerous too. And they are sold even though they are dangerous. Alcohol is even a strong drug.

An interview on ecstasy by Julien and Quentin:         

If you wish to react to this article, write to the editor.

Of course everybody knows cannabis is bad for health like tobacco and alcohol. But these two are legalized whereas cannabis isn't. Why? It's not more dangerous even if some people say so. I think it will be good to legalize it because it will be cheaper (so less problem with deal) and maybe of a better quality (so less chemical products).

On the other hand, the risk is that teenagers will take other harder drugs like cocaïne...because it is forbidden and it is this aspect that they find fun.

But if you want to take care of your health, don't smoke! Even if it's more natural than tobacco, it's harmful.

I think that the fact that the government forbids cannabis is immoral because it allows the sale of tobacco and alcohol and it's as dangerous as drugs.

Diane and Elodie (LAT, Blois)

I think that it is necesary to legalize cannabis, open coffee shops to create jobs. It's a better choice for the future because there will be less dealers and more control of the products.

Nicolas (LAT, Blois)

In my opinion cannabis and other drugs should be legalised because alcohol and tobacco are also sold. People are free to do what they want to do. People who smoke cannabis don't bother other people. Sowhy forbid drugs? Weed is more natural than tobacco and makes you hungry. Why is it bad to smoke resin? No answers. People say it's bad to smoke but maybe they have never smoked grass. So why should we believe them? You like it or you don't like it. It's your opinion.

Alexandre (LAT, Blois)

I think that cannabis is less dangerous than alcohol. So I find it unjust that it isn't legalised. Cannabis is more natural than tobacco. In my opinion it's better to smoke one joint than a packet of cigarettes.

Clément (LAT, Blois)

Everybody knows the effects of cannabis. Of course it's a drug but is it more dangerous than alcohol or tobacco? Yes, it is, for our politicians! As a matter of fact it's dangerous. More ? I don't know. Cannabis is dangerous because it changes your outlook on things like alcohol and you become dependent if you consume too much of it or shit like tobacco. In fact cannabis has both the effects of tobacco and alcohol, which are legal substances whereas cannabis is forbidden! I think if the governement is at war with cannabis it's because they don't get money on the sale. Otherwise they would legalize it! It's my opinion! And you what do you think? Cannabis has medical virtues. Indeed it has the same effect as an antidepressant! But you mustn't think that cannabis isn't dangerous! It's a drug. Don't forget this. The biggest danger of cannabis lies in its duration effect! Yes, you can smoke it in the week-end and still feel its effect on Friday. It's very dangerous if you drive. I think consumption of cannabis should remain within the framework of a party. And remember : cannabis is like alcohol, consume it with moderation!

Bastien (Landivisiau, Britanny, France)

The legalisation of cannabis is not a good thing because the government will get more money with taxes like for tobacco. The solution would be to make cannabis legal. Shit would be less expensive and would have a better quality. So it would be less dangerous. Cannabis is not a real drug because you are not dependent contrary to tobacco which is sold everyday all over the world. Moreover the effects on health are the same.

In Jamaica, 70% of the population smoke and there are never any problems (just with the government).

In France you can drink alcohol easily and there are a lot of deaths every week. Is it normal ? The government say they fight against alcohol and tobacco but they want money, that's all ! They get more money and more easily with fines for drugs than if they sold shit. (you can cultivate your cannabis instead of buying it).

To finish, cannabis is a drug like coffee, tea, chocolate, tobacco, cocaïne, crack...

Moreover you can buy opium, heroïn... in a pharmacy! It's not dangerous when you buy it at a chemist's ? Ah ! Ah ! Ah !

The consumption of weed is a religious thing in the Rastafari religion like drinking wine which is the Christ's blood in church. So it should be tolerated.

Thomas (Locmelar, Brittany, France)

The biggest danger of cannabis lies in its duration effect! Yes, you can smoke it in the week-end and still feel its effect on Friday. It's very dangerous if you drive. I think consumption of cannabis should remain within the framework of a party. And remember : cannabis is like alcohol, consume it with moderation! I think that the fact that the government forbids cannabis is immoral because it allows the sale of tobacco and alcohol and it's as dangerous as drugs.

Fabien (Landivisiau, Britanny, France)

Who ever you are, you have no clue what your talking about! You know nothing about cannabis and why it's illegal and it's obvious in the way you talk about it. Before you go dedicating a web site to legalizing marijuana, you better know your facts. 99% of your information in the article on the web page is wrong and unfounded. Yes, marijuana should be legal. That's the only thing in your article that is true. "Cannabis is dangerous to your health". What the hell are you talking about, man ? Let's think....You have probably heard that smoking joint is like smoking 4 or 10 or some odd amount of cigarettes. Sound familiar? This is an exaggeration. It is true that marijuana has more tar in it's smoke than cigarettes do but think about this. Cigarette smokers smoke a pack (20) of cigarettes or more a day. Even people who smoke marijuana everday could not even near the amount of tar you get smoking cigarettes. That is because a small amount of marijuana gives one the desired effects. Plus cigarettes smoke contain dangerous chemicals including nicotine that cause cancer (nicotine is a deadly poison in itself, used as a pesteside [has also been used to poison humans] Very Toxic). Marijuana actually kills brain tumor cells and is actually good for all good brain cells. Don't get me wrong, I am not saying "smoking" marijuana is completely safe, but what most do smoke in a lifetime is not enough to damage health in any way. The other's who smoke more than usual could not care less because the health risk is less threatining than most every thing we see everyday like steak, fastfood, whole milk. You may have heard things from your parents, or in school, or on TV that marijuana is more dangerous today because it is more potent (stronger). This is completely false. Marijuana has not really changed in potency in a century. But there are some new high potency strains of cannabis available. Higher potency marijuana is actually better for you because less is needed to achieve the desired results, therefore less smoke is inhaled. This means less health risk. Plus if you are worried about "dangerous smoke" you can always eat it. It can be cooked into foods or active components, can be absorbed into butter fat or alcohol if you prefer an alcoholic twist on marijuana. You could also vaporize it. Cannabis vaporizers are sold. Instead of inhaling smoke, you inhale the vapors of the active components in cannabis. You put the "tree" on the little heat plate in the vaporizer. When you turn it on it is heat to the perfect vaporization temperature for cannabis. What ever you feel best suits you. I want you to visit a site, www.cannabis.com. You really need to learn about marijuana and why it is illegal. To get your interest, the real reason marijuana was made illegal was the White racist head of what is now the DEA (Drug Enforcement Administration) wanted to control mexicans and blacks and marijuana got the blame. Visit the site and read about how he created a whole bunch of unfounded scare tactics to scare people into believing cannabis is dangerous. Some of it may sound familiar. I advise you read for the only way we can fight our stupid drug laws is with knowledge of the facts.....THE TRUTH.

Note from the editor:

I am putting this reaction on line in spite of the naive and dangerous misjudgments it contains - such as, for example: "cannabis is actually good for all good brain cells". I'm doing so not so much for the sake of freedom of speech but because this kind of judgment has become rather common among cannabis smokers, whom I strongly advise to ask ... a doctor about it. Cigarette smokers seem to be more aware of the dangers of tobacco.

I think that cannabis concerns more and more young people in the lycee. But I think that to legalize cannabis in France would'nt be a bad thing because the legalization of cannabis would give jobs (in coffees shops for example) and would limit easy money.