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Bill: Recreational Drugs Act 4106
Details
Submitted by[?]: Baltusian International Democratic Party
Status[?]: defeated
Votes: This is an ordinary bill. It requires more yes votes than no votes. This bill will not pass any sooner than the deadline.
Voting deadline: July 4107
Description[?]:
| I support the use of cannabis medically although making it legal for recreation is excessive and will lead to a major drugs problem, injuries and fatalities. Anya Stevenson Deputy Leader, DCP |
Proposals
Article 1
Proposal[?] to change The recreational drug policy.
Old value:: The use of cannabis is legal.
Current: There are no laws regulating what citizens can put into their bodies.
Proposed: Recreational drug use is forbidden.
Debate
These messages have been posted to debate on this bill:
| Date | 13:30:59, October 18, 2016 CET | From | Patriotic Party of Baltusia | To | Debating the Recreational Drugs Act 4106 |
| Message | Ms Stevenson, Some parties, particularly the Progressive Party, will say that cannabis is harmless and therefore will not lead to major drug problems. While I tend to agree with you, do you have any statistics or evidence to show the harm smoking cannabis in a recreational sense can do? Patriotic Party Health Spokesperson Lothar Wagstaff |
| Date | 18:02:10, October 18, 2016 CET | From | Baltusian International Democratic Party | To | Debating the Recreational Drugs Act 4106 |
| Message | Scientific research as presented by Dr Jesus Ramirez: (OOC: Most known facts) When a person smokes marijuana, THC quickly passes from the lungs into the bloodstream. The blood carries the chemical to the brain and other organs throughout the body. The body absorbs THC more slowly when the person eats or drinks it. In that case, the user generally feels the effects after 30 minutes to 1 hour. THC acts on specific brain cell receptors that ordinarily react to natural THC-like chemicals in the brain. These natural chemicals play a role in normal brain development and function. Marijuana overactivates parts of the brain that contain the highest number of these receptors. This causes the "high" that users feel. Other effects include: altered senses (for example, seeing brighter colors) altered sense of time changes in mood impaired body movement difficulty with thinking and problem-solving impaired memory Long-term effects Marijuana also affects brain development. When marijuana users begin using as teenagers, the drug may reduce thinking, memory, and learning functions and affect how the brain builds connections between the areas necessary for these functions. Marijuana’s effects on these abilities may last a long time or even be permanent. For example, a study showed that people who started smoking marijuana heavily in their teens and had an ongoing cannabis use disorder lost an average of eight IQ points between ages 13 and 38. The lost mental abilities did not fully return in those who quit marijuana as adults. Those who started smoking marijuana as adults did not show notable IQ declines.3 A Rise in Marijuana’s THC Levels The amount of THC in marijuana has been increasing steadily over the past few decades.4 For a new user, this may mean exposure to higher THC levels with a greater chance of a harmful reaction. Higher THC levels may explain the rise in emergency room visits involving marijuana use. The popularity of edibles also increases the chance of users having harmful reactions. Edibles take longer to digest and produce a high. Therefore, people may consume more to feel the effects faster, leading to dangerous results. Dabbing is yet another growing trend. More people are using marijuana extracts that provide stronger doses, and therefore stronger effects, of THC (see "Marijuana Extracts"). Higher THC levels may mean a greater risk for addiction if users are regularly exposing themselves to high doses. What are the other health effects of marijuana? Marijuana use may have a wide range of effects, both physical and mental. Physical effects Breathing problems. Marijuana smoke irritates the lungs, and frequent marijuana smokers can have the same breathing problems that tobacco smokers have. These problems include daily cough and phlegm, more frequent lung illness, and a higher risk of lung infections. Researchers still do not know whether marijuana smokers have a higher risk for lung cancer. Increased heart rate. Marijuana raises heart rate for up to 3 hours after smoking. This effect may increase the chance of heart attack. Older people and those with heart problems may be at higher risk Problems with child development during and after pregnancy. Marijuana use during pregnancy is linked to increased risk of both brain and behavioral problems in babies. If a pregnant woman uses marijuana, the drug may affect certain developing parts of the fetus’s brain. Resulting challenges for the child may include problems with attention, memory, and problem-solving. Additionally, some research suggests that moderate amounts of THC are excreted into the breast milk of nursing mothers. |
| Date | 18:13:01, October 18, 2016 CET | From | Patriotic Party of Baltusia | To | Debating the Recreational Drugs Act 4106 |
| Message | Ok, thank you for presenting this evidence, Ms Stevenson. It does seem according to Dr Ramirez's research that there is some quite strong evidence there to suggest there are detrimental effects. The loss of IQ and the problems with child development during pregnancy alone seem quite startling to me. Does any No voting party have evidence to counter this? (OOC - I just thought it would be good to have a proper debate on this for once). Patriotic Party Health Spokesperson Lothar Wagstaff |
| Date | 18:14:16, October 18, 2016 CET | From | / | To | Debating the Recreational Drugs Act 4106 |
| Message | Proposed: Recreational drug use is forbidden. YES. |
| Date | 18:41:24, October 18, 2016 CET | From | Baltusian International Democratic Party | To | Debating the Recreational Drugs Act 4106 |
| Message | If the radical left cannot give a response dispelling our evidence , we would urge the President and his party to support this bill. |
| Date | 10:43:41, October 19, 2016 CET | From | Patriotic Party of Baltusia | To | Debating the Recreational Drugs Act 4106 |
| Message | Indeed, there has been no counter-argument forthcoming and the evidence does seem compelling, so the Patriotic Party votes yes. It is a pity that not one of the 353 congressmen and women who voted against this have put forward an argument. Patriotic Party Health Spokesperson Lothar Wagstaff |
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Voting
| Vote | Seats | |||||
| yes |
Total Seats: 347 | |||||
| no |
Total Seats: 353 | |||||
| abstain | Total Seats: 0 |
| Random fact: It is forbidden to impersonate a player or Moderator. |
| Random quote: "A proof is a proof. What kind of a proof? It's a proof. A proof is a proof. And when you have a good proof, it's because it's proven." - Jean Chretien (describing the level of proof about weapons of mass destruction that Canada required to join the Iraq War) |