Random FYM Thread

[DaveC]

i figured we could use a catchall thread for discussion and content that doesn't really merit an entire thread. maybe we'll get some more debate about global (read: non presidential/brexitential) issues with a place for whatever interesting thing we come across. or maybe not, let's see.

[DaveC]

i'll start things off. canada is legalizing cannabis for recreational use country-wide next year. there is hot debate over whether it should be sold in province-run liquor stores, or whether private enterprise should be able to set up storefronts to sell it. since the liberals were elected in october, about 150 dispensaries sprung up in toronto, selling openly to anyone over 19, with nobody really knowing where all the supply came from. last month, they were all raided and shut down by toronto police. about a dozen opened back up, were raided again two weeks ago, and are back open again and have vowed to stay open under the reasoning that they are providing medical cannabis patients with access to their medicine, a principle that the supreme court of canada confirmed was a right for patients last year.

however, the majority of these places just check id, or simply require you to show any old pill bottle and declare that you would benefit from medical cannabis, then you go in the back and buy however much you want from various strains, as well as hash, oils, and pills. it's obvious the medical aspect is just a wink wink kinda thing. the city doesn't seem to have any idea what to do other than raid them every few weeks, and they keep opening right back up and making a ton of cash because all the street dealers went out of business as soon as 100+ stores openly selling it opened. it should be noted that none of these stores were selling anything other than various forms of cannabis (there was a tiny amount of cocaine found in one of the raids but it was a personal baggie on an employee) and there haven't been any disturbances reported publicly in the areas around them.

the government announced today that they will start public consultation on the bill: Anne McLellan named to head legalized marijuana task force | CTV News

if weed were being legalized where you live, how would you like to see it implemented?

[Axver]

If Victoria legalised weed, I would expect it to be implemented on the same regulatory regime as either alcohol or cigarettes.

And speaking of Australia, tomorrow is federal election day and if anybody out there wants to know anything about the mind-boggling number of micro-parties, I've reviewed all 53, plus Victoria's 16 independent Senate candidates: Blatantly Partisan Party Reviews, Index to the Blatantly Partisan Party Reviews,...

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by Axver

If Victoria legalised weed, I would expect it to be implemented on the same regulatory regime as either alcohol or cigarettes.

does that mean the same thing though? alcohol and cigarettes are treated very differently here.

[corianderstem]

I hadn't heard that Canada had legalized it. Nice.

[Axver]

Originally Posted by DaveC

does that mean the same thing though? alcohol and cigarettes are treated very differently here.

Cigarettes in Victoria can be sold in supermarkets - behind the counter in plain packaging. Alcohol must be sold from a separate shop, though most bottle-os are owned by the major supermarkets and they've blurred the lines of what exactly constitutes a separate shop by locating outlets next door to supermarkets with a shared entrance. The taxation regime is also different, with cigarettes taxed higher. Beyond that I'm unfamiliar with the details. But it seems to me that weed should probably be sold through separate outlets like alcohol, but with the regulatory regime of cigarettes to watch the tax dollars pour in.

[cobl04]

What do you call this

[Kieran McConville]

I've never yet in my life actually bought a sausage at the sausage sizzle on election day, because

a. by the time I've dealt with the queue to vote, I'm so angry I can't be arsed joining the queue for sausages
b. they ought to be free and they never are
c. time to get home and get my election night drink on.

[cobl04]

I'll be fucking outraged if they're not free. This is my first democracy snag.

[Kieran McConville]

Originally Posted by cobl04

I'll be fucking outraged if they're not free. This is my first democracy snag.

They're never free where I am. I guess they're raising money for that new school hall, oops I forgot, we already vote in that new school hall, the one that the Rudd Government funded.

[KhanadaRhodes]

ax, is it all alcohol that's separate? even beer? i remember in nz wine and beer was sold in grocery stores (being from tennessee that blew my mind since wine isn't sold in grocery stores here, although that's changing this week after a near decade-long battle, but i remember wine being sold in grocery stores in florida). the two times i was in oz (not counting layovers) i never went to a grocery store.

personally i find the varying laws from state to state so frustrating — i was just in missouri recently and you can buy even hard liquor in gas stations, yet in alabama you can't buy 40s anywhere. but they sell wine in grocery stores there. then there's dry counties...

anyway, it sounds like your idea of how weed should be handled if it were to be legalised is spot on and makes the most sense.

every time cobbler brings up this issue, i'm glad i live in a country where we actually have bread especially made for our sausages (or hot dogs and brats) so there's no debate over what to call it. here, if you're served a hot dog in a piece of bread, it's just sad.

[cobl04]

That's why your country is going to the dogs. You deserve Trump

[KhanadaRhodes]

[Axver]

Originally Posted by cobl04

I'll be fucking outraged if they're not free. This is my first democracy snag.

You're going to be outraged then. They're always the school raising money for this or that thing.

And how have you never had a democrasausage before?!

Originally Posted by KhanadaRhodes

ax, is it all alcohol that's separate? even beer? i remember in nz wine and beer was sold in grocery stores

Yeah New Zealand's different to Australia in that regard. I think the different states vary a little too. I recall in Queensland that bottle-os were never located immediately adjacent to supermarkets like they are in Victoria, but I don't know if that was just a quirk of my local shopping centres or a requirement.

every time cobbler brings up this issue, i'm glad i live in a country where we actually have bread especially made for our sausages (or hot dogs and brats) so there's no debate over what to call it. here, if you're served a hot dog in a piece of bread, it's just sad.

What you're missing is that a hot dog and a sausage in bread are two completely different meals!

It's like you're criticising noodles for not being spaghetti.

[cobl04]

I overlooked the fact that it raises muuuuuch-needed funds for public schools. So fine with it.

[Oregoropa]

I'm against motion sensor lights in bathrooms. It may be environmentally friendly, but when I'm sitting down a two minute delay is not going to cut it. Leads to inconvenient darkness. This needs to change!


Sent from my iPhone using U2 Interference

[Headache in a Suitcase]

Originally Posted by cobl04

What do you call this

A hot dog sandwich.

[DaveC]

Originally Posted by corianderstem

I hadn't heard that Canada had legalized it. Nice.

we haven't, yet. the legal limbo since the election is what's caused all the chaos.

[Hewson]

Originally Posted by cobl04

What do you call this

Stupid.

[Axver]

Well shit: Austria presidential poll result overturned - BBC News