Sweden is nuts. When I moved here, I was shocked. It’s really backwards. Everyone drinks here, but weed is something like heroin to them. They should all smoke weed.
As a swede: Word. It’s backwards as fuck here. The previous government didn’t even want to investigate whether or not to decriminalize, because doing so (investigate, mind you) would “send the wrong signals”. Yeeah fuck science and people’s lives when you have “signals” to worry about.
There is a rather new, more or less scientific-oriented party around in all our EU countries, you might want to look into their platform (VOLT). Not affiliated btw, but they sparked my interest.
(VOLT). Not affiliated btw, but they sparked my interest.
Intentional or not, I’m here for it lol
When I traveled through Europe, I left Netherlands on a train, and ended up in Sweden with a couple hash joints left. I found a secluded area near train tracks to smoke, and even then it’s like I could feel the illegality of it. It was made worse by the fact that everyone walks or bicycles there, so random passerbys kept coming along making me feel tremendously exposed. 1/10 would not recommend.
On the other hand, smoking a hash joint and chatting with friendly strangers in the weed cafe’s of Amsterdam was sublime, 10/10 definitely recommend.
First week after we moved here - article in local newspaper: Schoolboy caught with drugs scandal. Those frs did drug tests and he had some THC in him. 17 year old. I remember thinking where the F did we move to…
All of this crap stems from one individual named Nils Bejerot, who was the anti drug guy for the government back in the day (he also coined the term Stockholm Syndrome, and was against comic books because he thought they would make children grow up to become violent). He considered drug use to be an infection in society that could spread from person to person, and the only way to stop the infection is a zero tolerance policy and to make society fear drugs. And oh boy did all that propaganda work. Still today, 36 years after his death. Through that lense, the article you mention “makes sense”. It’s incredible the effects one person can have.
No thank you, and I’d really like it if people stopped smoking it in public places. Many marijuana users seem to have very little regard for other people. Absolutely reeks of it at many central stations, on the subway, commuter trains and busses. Quite literally makes me sick. At least most tobacco users have the decency to not ruin enclosed public spaces for the general populace.
I hate public smokers with a passion. But you must realize that you have effectively zero exposure to people that contain their smoke by doing it at home or using a method without smoke production. And there could be a lot more of those.
The last line is especially golden for me since I live in the Netherlands so we have plenty of weed being smoked but the vast vast majority of public smoke hinderance is from tobacco smokers. If they decide to smoke in public they have absolutely no shame and will literally do it at places like bus stops and just outside restaurants. Weed smokers rarely do that here. So if I were to believe you it seems to just be correlated to people with shitty attitudes rather than the substance.
But there’s no denying that if everyone would drop alcohol for weed, it would be better. Not because weed is harmless but because alcohol is pretty terrible health wise.
I was complaining about smoking in public places. Precisely because of health reasons smoking in and around public spaces was limited a few years ago. I’m rather sensitive (asthma & more) and I much more often smell weed than tobacco in these types of areas. At the central station almost always. One of the many reasons I’m glad to be able to avoid public transit nowadays. Besides how the smoke of tobacco and weed affects me, I also find the smell nauseating.
Besides, to me it seems pike almost every category of drug users have an excuse for why theirs is “less bad”. Most often with alcohol it’s “well it’s only an issue of people drink too much”. Fact is that almost all drug usage affects peoples behaviour and becomes a nuisance in public spaces.
At least most tobacco users have the decency to not ruin enclosed public spaces for the general populace.
Because we banned them doing that just recently? And could and probably should do the same if any actual action or progress could be had these days?
Precisely. The fact is it isn’t just tobacco users banned from doing it, but all smokers. Difference is that weed users don’t give a crap.
