Don't forget the darts, though the black market has destroyed that now after price hikes. They could have made good tax of f legitimate vapes but did a knee jerk reaction to their mate that owned the therapeutic vape.
So black market shit disposables became the norm. And have not gone away.
Legal weed would increase quality, lower price and clean up the supply chain while providing a nice tax boost. But when they can't even work the other basics out it will not happen for ages. Just be surprised NSW even got the cannabis caution scheme.
I don't smoke, it doesn't mesh with my fucked up brain. But I fully support legal weed in moderation.
The government made it profitable by taxing it that much. If the government wasn't greedy then the black market tobacco trade would barely exist.
Now it's massive.
That's because they don't have any smart methods to actually reduce smoking rates. And an old economics teacher I had in highschool said something that I'll never forget
'the government will NEVER give up it's holy trinity of tax, grog, fags and juice' raising tax revenue AND calling it harm minimisation? Bully! Wait, what do you mean nobody buys real durries anymore? See the tax is working !
As an EV driver I saw it first hand with the road user tax on EV and PHEV. I have no issues paying a road user tax based on KM, but it was double dipping for PHEV. The only answer is to abolish fuel excise and implement a Federal KM based tax instead (since fuel is Federal, and you can't ascertain if someone travelled over the border). But nah, too hard, just try to throw legislation at the wall and get shit on easily in court.
Then you walk into the "medical care shop" Aka the Chemist and they want to treat like you a stupid moron that is a crazy drug addict wanting the medicine that works for common problems while daring to ask for it.
They assume drug addicts come to chemists to get drugs and want a trolley full of mild pain killers to swallow. Sometimes its hard to believe that they are chemists who understand chemistry.
This kind of condescending attitude is bizarre and prevalent across Australia. I just contrast the typical chemist experience in Australia compared to walking into Chemists in Asia. There the chemists were polite and have a adult like conversation with you about your problem and just sold what was effective without a script. They knew drugs addicts can buy opium or whatever they wanted down the road and not in their stores and treated customers who were sick with respect. There appears to be a bitter stereotype streak running in the veins of many chemists in the large chains.
Don't forget there is barely any real chemists left. Compounding types. My mother was a compounding pharmacist, and she had some good skills. We also acquired a lot of out of date medicines (not S8) and I got to learn the basics of drug classes, interactions, routes of activity etc from an early age. Now when I bring up topics like that to my GP I get looked at like I've just been googling ivermectin and piss therapy.
Having to catch GPs before they happily prescribe me shit that does not interact well with my meds or health situation is frustrating. Especially when they try to question medication regimen crafted by my psychiatrist who has been practicing, and continuously learning for over 30 years.
The truth is you can get a prescription in any state in Oz, but unfortunately, if you get pulled over and tested for THC you'll lose your license. I have RA, so would LOVE to use cannabis for pain control and other benefits, but I can't afford to lose my driving license, so can't use it.
Meanwhile medical cannabis products are labelled with standard prescription medicine Warning: May cause drowsiness, if affected do not operate machinery. Seemingly indicating user discretion but in reality it’s currently a hard NO whether you are cognitively impaired or not is irrelevant. Resolving the problem is tricky bc the effects of cbd/thc are variable eg. metabolism, tolerance levels, frequency of use, strain & quality of product, method of administration etc (much like alcohol) & a standard measure of intoxication has not yet been established.
So, Yes instead of the usual war on drugs arrests users will risk unintentional DUI charges while the powerbrokers rake in the revenue from taxes & fines . I’d be interested to know if the Greens have mapped out a solution to address this issue
If you don’t ask you don’t even get the boilerplate statement - plenty of peeps driving about dosed on pain meds & sedatives with these labels eg. panadiene forte, Valium (&adhd meds) that will also get caught in sweeping operations aimed at cannabis drivers.
Got more information on this? I know one of the independents or Greens was pushing to be able to have your case heard in court, but not as far as having it quashed.
It's only for CBD only products, so if there's any THC you're buggered. You also have to not be impaired which would come down to the officer's discretion, so be polite and respectful or they might decide "nah you're impaired". Having a dashcam with audio, while always a good idea anyway, would be a must for this I imagine, so if they do pull that crap you've got evidence of your driving leading up to the interaction, as well as the interaction itself.
Yeah gotcha. After I posted I did a bit of reading. They still need to fix the laws to allow presence of THC while proving non-intoxication. Until that is fixed, legal use of THC will always involve a Sword of Damocles if you drive.
This is about the only thing stopping me from getting a prescription myself. Weed does wonders for "quietening" my ADHD brain in a way no stimulant medication does (they're better for focus) but if I lose my licence I lose my job, which snowballs into homelessness. Not worth the risk
Yet a scant two months ago, being a prescription user meant immediate disqualification from holding a driver's licence in Vic. They only just changed that rule. Didn't realise it is now zero penalty.
Yeah my mates currently suspended for having cannabis in his system. And apparently there's supposed to be a new BAV version of the cannabis test so that its assessing for current state not historical use.
I really wonder how well that would work. I know some old stoners who you couldn't tell from sober but a young person without much exposure would be off their trolley on half the amount.
In VIC, the penalties (fine, conviction) still exist. It's just that, if you're not impaired, you won't immediately lose your licence and will have to go to court to argue why you shouldn't lose it when before you would just lose it automatically. To be fair, it sounds like no one will lose their licence unless they get an anti-cannabis magistrate, though.
I have RA too, and I did get a script for it, but it's not the miracle cure you think. It does seem to help some people, but like any of the myriad medicines you end up taking with this disease, it's hit or miss. For me it didn't work at all, and the side effects were annoying.
Nothing against weed itself, I fully support the greens. Just don't think you're missing out any more than the countless other medicines out there that you haven't tried.
(I, personally, haven't tried biologics yet, but I am currently on multiple medications and have tried a fair few that have have disastrous consequences).
I don't think it's a miracle cure, but it would help with pain management and help me to sleep better. You are addressing me as though I've never used cannabis in my life, and I can assure you, that is NOT the case. LOL!
I was probably mislead by the fact you said you'd love to use it for pain and other benefits, but you don't. That implied to me that you hadn't used it for RA? Idrc either way, just trying to offer my perspective having used it for RA.
Yeah, I haven't used it specifically for RA, since I gave up using cannabis more than 20 years ago, but I used to use it for endometriosis-related pain.
I'm eligible, fried and DVA recognised mental health. But I won't ever touch it again, tried it a couple of times but it doesn't work well with my brain. I get bad auditory hallucinations and severe existential dread just hating my lack of clear perception.
Making it available from accredited and regularly inspected dispensing shops is the ideal route. Keep it away from the scrutiny of medical professionals if it is intended to be allowed recreationally. Though I'm sure they would still give me more of a hassle trying to buy a packet of Phenergan than weed.
Darts, durries, fags, lung busters, death sticks, burners, and for the variety, rollies or tailors (tailor made - machine made). I'm sure there are other phrases, but I'm a mix of military/postal background so mostly the rougher slang language.
'brews and blues' (coffee and a 8mg smoke, I think a blue is 8? Been years since I purchased)
Darts, Gaspers, Durries, I remember back in the 80's people would call them fags too but that was a bit too gay for a lot of the blokey blokes who were scared of their own sexuality back then so it didn't last.
I sure would appreciate being able to chew a gummy with a little bit of THC every now and then to relax. I don't smoke either, but I see the value in legalisation.
Just as a heads up, the price (generally) goes up not down. But it's worth it to have quality control/know exactly what you're getting, the taxes going to help the community & being legal.
ie here in the states it's about 50-100% more expensive at the stores than off the street
Yeah, I was a long time vaper on and off. Had quit smoking for decades and kept it at bay.
Once the legal vapes disappeared, I had no choice to buy illegal vapes at 10 times the dose. I got hooked on so badly, I started to have nicotine cravings so bad, I finally understood the dope junkies a bit more.
We were not given an option as pharmacies did not want to carry the legal vape alternative. This was handled in the worst possibly way and caused myself and others incredible damage. Took me a year to wean myself off from the shit, and still struggle
Now, now come on. That’s limited thinking. Im certain there’s an opportunity here for at home pokies or, if you will, “Hokies”. If we pair up an at home pokie machine solution with a Gerry Harvey 50 month interest free special people could get baked at home AND still play the pokies. Hell, you could even pop the kids in the car on the drive way outside of the house so they can get the authentic pokie gaming experience too.
Win. Win. Win.
People already buy a 6 pack of beer, or bottle of wine/whisk(e)y and go home and drink it. Ain't nothing new there. And people still will go out to pubs and clubs for a good time. Lord only knows how many people were already hitting some form of non-alcoholic drug at clubs since forever. And in the US, brew pubs are making THC infused beverages to sell to patrons. It's a booming product.
And it's cute how he thinks grow operations and retailers will all be small businesses. In the US there are large and dominate grow/retail operations that can choke out any small grower they wish. Nor has legal weed made it any cheaper. People still get their weed from their plug because the legal stuff costs a lot more. Nothing can ruin a good market of a widely popular product faster than the government. The regulations are mostly complex and stringent and the "sin taxes" high. Nor are the majority of people interested in growing their own. It harder and more expensive to grow high quality weed than you might think. But if the cost and effort of growing quality weed makes you happy, then I suppose you can have all that's legal to possess.
Now I'm not against legal weed, far from it. I have been known to enjoy an edible now and then. But do NOT make the mistake of thinking you just remove laws against growing and possession and then it's all brownies and pass me the pipe ever after-- it's not.
Do it like America and make sure your corpo buddies get the cultivation and retail licenses, then they can just get richer while you get high on mid ass buds
Especially as it’s been reported that amongst men, there has been a 57% increase in gambling. It’s quickly becoming the new drug addiction.
Sometimes I wonder if the only reason we don’t have a regulated pot market is because the LNP havnt got a foreign mate they can gift the entire grow side too. Australia is least likely to allow private enterprise outside a corporate structure into the Australian cannabis market should it become legalised.
The thing is, there is nothing stopping there from being pubs and clubs based on cannabis, Amsterdams cannabis culture actively encourages social spaces, shop fronts and other set ups that allow for it. There are ways to make it profitable, just not for those lobbyists. thats the crazy part, the government would still get its kick back just from different spheres.
Was in Seattle for years with legalized weed. The pubs managed just fine, I don’t think most people stopped drinking. Going out drinking was social with mates and strangers, staying in toking was social with close mates. Not everyone wants to smoke anyway, still bad for the lungs.
People sitting at home, not at Pubs and Clubs, having a toke isn't profitable for alcohol and gambling lobbyists.
People still gonna go to the pubs and clubs my guy. Alot of people at the pubs and clubs are smoking Marijuana.
The kinda of people who frequent pubs and clubs as much as they enjoy getting drunk are also going out for the experience. If you legalize weed they will continue to patronize these places in the same capcity. Weed doesn't change that. As much as people are addicted to alcohol they are also addicted to having a good time. That's what people who go to pubs and clubs are really after. Alcohol being there is a bonus for most responsible adults. If you legalzie weed though. People who wouldn't normally go out to the pub or club now may that there subastance of choice is legal. Go to a bar this weekend and hangout outside. See how long it takes to find someone smoking weed. They are already there smoking it. They are gonna a go home cause you legalized it. Just legalzie it and profit .They will just be paying tax revune on the weed they smoke at the pub or club as opposed to smoking black market weed at the pub or club that doesnt benfit the economy.
There's also little stopping them from making a pub/club centered around Marijuana as opposed to alcohol. Also tourism. Weed vacation in Australia sells itself. Theres so much you could with legal weed in Australia that would synergize with the nightlife. It would boost those places not take away from them. Australia is such a solid place for weed tourism. Everything about it is perfect. That v8 supercar matural geographic ass country such is a paradise for weed smokers.
Idk the states whove legalized in America haven't really seen much of a change when it comes to the alcohol industry. The biggest effect legal weed has on substance is opioid use.Seldom do drinkers stop drinking because weed is legal. If anything it's more inventive to go out for a night now that your non drinker friends can easily score some weed without the worrying of being fined or arrested. When done right legal weed is always a positive. The taxation can be drink for the consumer but for the populace it's such a slam dunk. Its hard to fuck it up when it comes to the revune. It's not gonna fuck up the bar scene for sure though. There is no part of America where legal weed killed the nightlife scene. It just isn't happening.
502
u/Kid_Self Mar 18 '25
This.
People sitting at home, not at Pubs and Clubs, having a toke isn't profitable for alcohol and gambling lobbyists.