Just finished this article: National weed day 2010: US '4/20' pot protesters light up on April 20th | Mail Online and after reading the comments at the bottom it seems as though it's even worse across the pond. I'm willing to believe that cultural differences are why the author called a bong a hash pipe and focused on a shooting in Toronto most likely unrelated to the event, but some of the comments make me think that the English are just as willing as most Americans to ravenously hate pot just for the sake of it.
Oh god yes, the attitude in the UK by the general public towards cannabis is saddening. Just goes to show how few people are able to think for themselves these days. Quite scary really. In recent surveys, about 35% of people believed that it caused mental health problems and should be made Class A! Just think, cannabis, in the same group as heroin and crack cocaine
Good point, I forgot about the mental illness thing. For some reason you guys and the Aussies seem to think Reefer Madness is a reality. Can't figure it out, the rest of Europe doesn't seem to care one way or the other about it, but the US and UK have an extreme hatred and I can't figure out why.
Yeah it's just as bad here if not worse, I know under 10 people here who know the truth about cannabis, the rest of my friends, including quite a few stoners think cannabis is terrible for your health here. It's DIRE
We still have government sponsored propaganda on our TV screens. "Talk to Frank" implies to people that there is a definite link between cannabis use and mental problems when we all know that's far from the truth. In the words of the study they quote there's actually a "possible" link because of correlation data. Correlation does not equal causation. Anyway, the Lib Dems want to decrim and they're gonna have a big say since we're looking at a hung parliament. Plus they want to allow petitioned topics to be debated in the House of Commons. I can imagine weed would be one of the first up tbh.
"Not all peace and love: A man gets kicked in the head as protesters fight during a celebration of marijuana in Yonge and Dundas Square in Toronto" Erm... I think they mean stoners take down idiot with a gun at Dundas Square in Toronto... It wasn't a fight, the guy pulled a gun, got the shit kicked out of him, and was arrested (see picture right below it).