SCALES OF JUSTICE: Some of the recent cases at Banbury Magistrates' Court (From The Oxford Times)

Higher fines for cannabis than shop lifting or beating even.
This is so wrong. We must talk about nuisance and non nuisance drug and alcohol use. And work with the people.
Drugs use is a health not criminal problem, prohibition makes it worse.

Higher fines for cannabis than shop lifting or beating even.
This is so wrong. We must talk about nuisance and non nuisance drug and alcohol use. And work with the people.
Drugs use is a health not criminal problem, prohibition makes it worse.

A lot of those shoplifting and beating will be on/have moved on from cannabis.
Crime and cannabis go hand in hand with a majority of the population.

I also don't understand why possession of cannabis attracts a 'victim surcharge'. Exactly who is the victim?

John Lamb wrote:
A lot of those shoplifting and beating will be on/have moved on from cannabis.
Crime and cannabis go hand in hand with a majority of the population.

Being a student and cannabis also go hand in hand, closely followed by running big business and running the country. It may just be deprivation at fault rather than the cannabis.

online_reader wrote:
I also don't understand why possession of cannabis attracts a 'victim surcharge'. Exactly who is the victim?

The Vietnamese guy caught tending to the cannabis farm/growing room?

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:
A lot of those shoplifting and beating will be on/have moved on from cannabis.
Crime and cannabis go hand in hand with a majority of the population.

Being a student and cannabis also go hand in hand, closely followed by running big business and running the country. It may just be deprivation at fault rather than the cannabis.

That would be the minority O.R.; I was talking about the majority. You know, the guys stopped for no insurance with a pocket full of weed. The idiots hanging around street corners causing trouble while on the puff. I though as a future mover and shaker, you guys would be on the coke surely? You soon will be.

John Lamb wrote:

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:
A lot of those shoplifting and beating will be on/have moved on from cannabis.
Crime and cannabis go hand in hand with a majority of the population.

Being a student and cannabis also go hand in hand, closely followed by running big business and running the country. It may just be deprivation at fault rather than the cannabis.

That would be the minority O.R.; I was talking about the majority. You know, the guys stopped for no insurance with a pocket full of weed. The idiots hanging around street corners causing trouble while on the puff. I though as a future mover and shaker, you guys would be on the coke surely? You soon will be.

Aren't the majority at home eating toast? Just because petty criminals also smoke doesn't mean the smoke criminalised them. Probably they're just more likely to be stopped and searched because they're known to the police.

I'll be honest, most people who smoke weed can't be bothered to do anything other than veg out. The only time things get bad are when they run out of munchies and the result of that is an emergency walk to the nearest late night garage.

When you see anyone who's had a "left handed cigarette", the after effects are severe lethargy, a desire to eat pasties or anything immediately edible in the fridge or cupboard and a major attack of vocal philosophical meandering, not going out and mugging someone primrily because they can't be bothered.

online_reader wrote:
I also don't understand why possession of cannabis attracts a 'victim surcharge'. Exactly who is the victim?

Any sentence handed down in either the magistrates' courts or at Crown court that includes a fine must, by statute, also have an additional 'victim surcharge' of a fixed sum (currently £15) added. The money collected goes towards funding victim support work across the CJS (such as refuges for women who are victims of domestic violence). It includes fines for motoring offences and for not having a TV licence, for example. The Government is consulting at present on extending this to fixed penalty notices too, and at increasing the amount of the victim surcharge.

Man on the Green wrote:

online_reader wrote:
I also don't understand why possession of cannabis attracts a 'victim surcharge'. Exactly who is the victim?

Any sentence handed down in either the magistrates' courts or at Crown court that includes a fine must, by statute, also have an additional 'victim surcharge' of a fixed sum (currently £15) added. The money collected goes towards funding victim support work across the CJS (such as refuges for women who are victims of domestic violence). It includes fines for motoring offences and for not having a TV licence, for example. The Government is consulting at present on extending this to fixed penalty notices too, and at increasing the amount of the victim surcharge.

Prtiailly correct Greenie. When it was introduced in 2007 following in from financial penalties in 2004 it was to fund support for women victims of "domestic" abuse (although why mens support centres were discriminated against I know not why) but as the scheme became very profitable the and this government have vitually turned it into a TAX on crime and the money goes straight to the CPS who if you look at it one way are in fact victims. Victims of their own success.

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:
A lot of those shoplifting and beating will be on/have moved on from cannabis.
Crime and cannabis go hand in hand with a majority of the population.

Being a student and cannabis also go hand in hand, closely followed by running big business and running the country. It may just be deprivation at fault rather than the cannabis.

That would be the minority O.R.; I was talking about the majority. You know, the guys stopped for no insurance with a pocket full of weed. The idiots hanging around street corners causing trouble while on the puff. I though as a future mover and shaker, you guys would be on the coke surely? You soon will be.

Aren't the majority at home eating toast? Just because petty criminals also smoke doesn't mean the smoke criminalised them. Probably they're just more likely to be stopped and searched because they're known to the police.

I concur.
Let's ban toast.

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:
A lot of those shoplifting and beating will be on/have moved on from cannabis.
Crime and cannabis go hand in hand with a majority of the population.

Being a student and cannabis also go hand in hand, closely followed by running big business and running the country. It may just be deprivation at fault rather than the cannabis.

That would be the minority O.R.; I was talking about the majority. You know, the guys stopped for no insurance with a pocket full of weed. The idiots hanging around street corners causing trouble while on the puff. I though as a future mover and shaker, you guys would be on the coke surely? You soon will be.

Aren't the majority at home eating toast? Just because petty criminals also smoke doesn't mean the smoke criminalised them. Probably they're just more likely to be stopped and searched because they're known to the police.

I also stated that it went hand it hand with crime. I didn't say it criminalised anyone.

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:
A lot of those shoplifting and beating will be on/have moved on from cannabis.
Crime and cannabis go hand in hand with a majority of the population.

Being a student and cannabis also go hand in hand, closely followed by running big business and running the country. It may just be deprivation at fault rather than the cannabis.

That would be the minority O.R.; I was talking about the majority. You know, the guys stopped for no insurance with a pocket full of weed. The idiots hanging around street corners causing trouble while on the puff. I though as a future mover and shaker, you guys would be on the coke surely? You soon will be.

Aren't the majority at home eating toast? Just because petty criminals also smoke doesn't mean the smoke criminalised them. Probably they're just more likely to be stopped and searched because they're known to the police.

Not sure whether toast would criminalise them though.
Best to ban it.

John Lamb wrote:

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:
A lot of those shoplifting and beating will be on/have moved on from cannabis.
Crime and cannabis go hand in hand with a majority of the population.

Being a student and cannabis also go hand in hand, closely followed by running big business and running the country. It may just be deprivation at fault rather than the cannabis.

That would be the minority O.R.; I was talking about the majority. You know, the guys stopped for no insurance with a pocket full of weed. The idiots hanging around street corners causing trouble while on the puff. I though as a future mover and shaker, you guys would be on the coke surely? You soon will be.

Aren't the majority at home eating toast? Just because petty criminals also smoke doesn't mean the smoke criminalised them. Probably they're just more likely to be stopped and searched because they're known to the police.

Not sure whether toast would criminalise them though.
Best to ban it.

John, best you sick to the mint sauce, and leave the other herbs to us. It is clearly addling your mind. P.S. The MAJORITY (as you state in your first post) of pot users are in fact the least section of society with criminal records. you can top the list with Alcohol, Speed, Skag, and Crack. We enjoyers of a bit of the old Columbian, and Smoke are amongst the top ten payers of tax, and bottom ten% of street crime. Pop down to TESCO on Cowley Rd and spot all of the crims on the lookout for an easy steal, none of them are looking for money for Charlie or Grass, only the BAD DRUGS mentioned above. If you don't believe me, look for yourself.

L0RD PETER MCVEY 0X2 6EG wrote:

John Lamb wrote:

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:

online_reader wrote:

John Lamb wrote:
A lot of those shoplifting and beating will be on/have moved on from cannabis.
Crime and cannabis go hand in hand with a majority of the population.

Being a student and cannabis also go hand in hand, closely followed by running big business and running the country. It may just be deprivation at fault rather than the cannabis.

That would be the minority O.R.; I was talking about the majority. You know, the guys stopped for no insurance with a pocket full of weed. The idiots hanging around street corners causing trouble while on the puff. I though as a future mover and shaker, you guys would be on the coke surely? You soon will be.

Aren't the majority at home eating toast? Just because petty criminals also smoke doesn't mean the smoke criminalised them. Probably they're just more likely to be stopped and searched because they're known to the police.

Not sure whether toast would criminalise them though.
Best to ban it.

John, best you sick to the mint sauce, and leave the other herbs to us. It is clearly addling your mind. P.S. The MAJORITY (as you state in your first post) of pot users are in fact the least section of society with criminal records. you can top the list with Alcohol, Speed, Skag, and Crack. We enjoyers of a bit of the old Columbian, and Smoke are amongst the top ten payers of tax, and bottom ten% of street crime. Pop down to TESCO on Cowley Rd and spot all of the crims on the lookout for an easy steal, none of them are looking for money for Charlie or Grass, only the BAD DRUGS mentioned above. If you don't believe me, look for yourself.

In my experience and from the information I have read, the criminal underclass are heavy pot users. I know quite a few high-earners who enjoy a puff or two but I have to say, there's a lot of scumbags caught doing other things whilst on the stuff.
It did (when taken in the form of an Amsterdam Space Cake) relieve me of the chronic bad pain I've had for a few years. It is still a gateway drug though.