[TheDoctor]

Yasunao Nakayama is definitely "connected". hmmm, with long hair like that!
He looks like a friend that's ahem ... connected.

Great Story actually. My aikido-gi is made from hemp. Really strong material actually. I've seen hemp surfboards too - basically unbreakable.

[Gideleb]

TAblets?? which may be laced...
[shakes head..]
I believe that it should be legalized. The govt. could have some control if they weren't trying to bust everyone that sells it. Even though they know some people who have it, ship it in, or move it...there are still millions who get it here that they don't know about it. The medical reason are are sooo useful, with a much milder side-effect from small doses, while cigarettes do twice as bad a job.
I think most people need to realize that there is not much now'a'days thats absolutely healthy for you. I mean if you go to some of the islands and find out about remedies use for problems that a person has, cannabis finds it way into most of them. I mean it can be made into a tea for coughing fits and arthritis[spl?]. Then the fact its use for cancer patients...I mean true it has its bad size for people who would abuse it. But look at the way that people abuse cigarettes and alcohol.......We all know the consequences of it yet its legal....
Somethings are going to be useful like this, if moderated and used properly. Thats my opinion.

My opinion pretty much also.. I just say we should have to make our own decision if we choose to harm ourself then thats our choice. The government shouldnt be there to slap us on the hand everytime we make a bad choice like we are all some 2 year olds.

[flower-buy]

> I don't see why the authorities try so hard to care
> about people's health.

With all due respect to liberal political views, I think that there are public functions that should remain under governmental control by all means: water supply, electricity, postal services and in particular public health. Don't get me wrong: I'm not favoring an omnipotential paternalistic government à la Big Brother, but as long as we benefit from national social security and health insurance each government is compelled to cut down medical expenses by ensuring public health. Alcohol and tobacco will never be banned (since governments benefit from taxes generated by these industries), but pointing out health hazards and trying to reduce the number of potential patients are no infringement of our personal freedom.

[juptVatoSoito]

Changing your name in Germany and Austria (and probably in other European countries) requires you to go through courts as well. Welp, it wouldn't take 5 years, but it's pretty expensive, considering the fact that you have to change all personal documents from birth certificate to passports. And yes, the authorities have the right to object to certain names in order to "protect" the applicant from inconvenience. Take the recent case of the Turkish guy living in Germany who intended to call his son "Osama Bin Laden".

[replicaypu]

No, I don't like cannibals.

They always leave behind such a mess after they eat.

[rxnixoncom]

I've heard about the Akuma case. Would it be possible in the States to call your child "Satan"? Do authorities have the right to interfere?

Btw, just let me post an article related to the original topic:

Restoring hemp to natural place in Japan's culture

=> http://www.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/...20021109a1.htm

=> http://www.hemp.jp/e-top.html

[plaiskegizils]

@government officials in charge
Unfortunately, in the so-called democracy we live in, decision are taken by just a few officials and everything depends on them, not really the population.

@should alcohol and tobacco stay legal ?
alcohol has always been part of human societies since the antiquity and I can't imagine a country banning it without facing a revolution. I wouldn't mind personally, except maybe for wine. Could you imagine a country like France or Germany banning alcohol (or most Western countries actually) ? The economy would suffer terribly. Besides, it's also proven that a glass of red wine a day is good for health.

Similarily, I have never smoked and it will stay like that, so I am being the devil's advocate here. Tobacco is not going to be illegal because big lobby groups assure it won't.

Restricting freedom isn't good ; I find it more harmful than having access to toxic substances. Our life is our, I don't see why the authorities try so hard to care about people's health.

If I wanted to travel to some dangerous regions because I like adventure, I wouldn't like to have the government restricting me from doing it because they believe it's risky. That's my choice, they have nothing to say in this. That's the same for cigarettes, alcohol, weeds or even hard drugs. Anyway, people who want to find drug can just travel to any country where it's made and get it cheap and easily. No government can prevent that and they know people do it. So why not at home ? To keep their hands and conscience clean ? From whom ?

[NicolasOL]

@name change in Japan
My wife actually could change her first name from kanji to hiragana when she was a child (her father had chosen the kanji, but her mother didn't like it). However it took 5 years in court and a lot of money !

[eliniaguilefp7m]

A few years back a father wanted to call his son "Akuma" he used kanji approved by the country and even took the government to court. Obviously he lost since the name means "Devil" the father was trying to fit for his right to name his son what ever he wanted and to provide his child with a name that would leave an impression.

[georgshult]

Apparently scientists's opinions are divided. Here is an intersting debate on the BBCi Science section.

I didn't know cannabis cigarettes had more tar than tobacco, and therefore was more harmful for lungs.

On the other hand, there are plenty of ways to consume cannabis. I am no expert on this, but smoking pot seem to be totally harmless for lungs as there is no combustion. In India, the most popular way people had cannabis was through "special lassi" (a lassi is a kind of milkshake; special because made with marijuana or hashish). As I mentioned above, there are cannabis cookies as well. Some restaurants had "special pizza" in other countries (Thailand, etc.). You put what you want in them; sometimes weed, or magic mushrooms, even opium. I haven't tried any of them though.

I believe that magic mushrooms and opium are much more dangerous. Hallucinogenes (including LSD, mescaline, ecstasy, magic mushrooms...) should definitely be banned as they can leave someone mentally disturbed for life (if they have a "bad trip"). One time is enough if you are unlucky. Never even try.

Opium, morphine and heroine are painkiller and give a sensation of extreme well feeling, but have terrible side-effect and dependency. If sex is addictive (and it is), then heroine is 10 times more. Can you imagine quitting sex for the rest of your life ? Once you've tried heroine, it's the same, you can't imagine not trying again. Don't even think of touching it.

Cocaines and amphetamines are stimulants. They make you feel like a super human, boost up intelligence and physical strength and you never feel tired... until the effect stops and the reverse is happening. If you don't continue the intakes, you'll feel miserably depressed, devoid of energy and sullen. That's how dependency starts. Notice that it's more physical, while heroine's was very psychological.

In the whole, I think cannabis is very benign in comparison to other drugs. I wouldn't be so sure to legalise all kind of drugs, at least not without a very tight control and medical follow-up of addicts to help them quit. But cannabis, especially if consume in another form than cigarette is almsot certainly safer than alcohol and tobacco.

[Sanremogirl]

> And cannabis itself might not be that bad, but i think there's a
> very thin line between trying soft-drugs and trying hard-drugs.

That's a very good point!

@ fast food

Probably food chains will soon be forced to add labels to each burger warning of potential health risks (I think we had that topic already). It's a general legal trend to hold others responsible for personal risks.

[Tndfpcin]

You could ask wether or not cannabis should be legal, but you could also ask this question: Why are alcohol and cigarettes legal at all?
You're pretty pathetic if you need alcohol to have a good time or having to smoke to keep your nerves in order. It's proven that it's bad for your health, so logically, there's no reason not to make it illegal.
The most probable reason is that the people in charge are heavy users themselves.
In Holland we have government officials that have admitted they have used drugs in the past and nobody thinks it's a big deal.

[gennick]

Just a brief question in regard to Singapore: isn't their rigidity a product of confucian thought? I'm not sure if they are trying hard to please the West.

[imnaone]

I am continuing here the discussion from this thread

Moyashi was saying : I heard that weed is safer than cigarettes and alchol. hmmm .... Not only have I heard the same, but that seems to have been proved by several scientific researches in many countries.

Tobacco causes lung cancer (also proven, I guess everyone knows) and is highly addictive psychologically (because of the nicotine).

Alcohol destroys the body cells in general, especially neurons that are more fragile than other cells. It is also highly addictive, but rather physically (you know, some of these manual workers who can't start their day without their 24 bottles of beer with them).

Like everything, abuse is nocive, while moderate consumption doesn' put health at risk. A heavy drinker (alcoholic) is more likely to have serious health problem than a heavy cannabis smoker. Cannabis doesn't cause cancer, is very little addictive (most users smoke just once in a while, without feeling the need for more) and has not yet been known to cause any disease or death by "overdose".

IMHO, cannabis should be legal if alcohol and tobaco are legal. I ma not saying that because I am interested in smoking it or obtain it easily, but by pure logic. People are free to put their health at risk with cigarettes and boot, and as long as warnings are clearly written on packs and bottles, I find it normal. It's probably a good thing to keep them legal as it can be controlled, fo instance with heavy taxes keeping prices high and thus actively discouraging people to abuse.

When centenarian are interviewed, they almost systematically say that they smoke and drink alcohol MODERATELY (3 butts and a glass of wine a day). But they do. So, like homeopathy, some substances are apparently good for the body at small dose, but poisonous/toxic at higher dose.

There is no law to force people to moderation. Henceforth, that must come from education.

I believe that drugs, including alcohol and cigarettes, must be kept/made legal in order to avoid black market criminality (mafias, etc.) and to better control what people are doing.

This can only happen in a country where people are reasonable or responsible. A vast number of Japanese smoke, but generally not more than a few cigarettes a day. I personally know lots of Western teenagers who unashamedly smoke 2 packs a day.
So, are the average American so irresponsible in regard to their European counterparts that cannabis must be so strictly banned, alcohol forbidden before 21-25, etc. ? By what crooked logic should weeds be outlawed for medical purpose, while even the hardest drugs like opium/morphine are actually legal (very good painkiller). View more random threads same category:

• One for the girls
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• ALIENS!!!Do you believe in!!!
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• developing world vs developed nations

[lollypop]

It's also a fact that most people are brainless lemmings who will follow every trend that's forced upon them.

This is especially true with young people who don't realize how addictive drugs can be. They're just doing it because everyone else is doing it.

It's the job of the authorities to protect those people from themselves.

And cannabis itself might not be that bad, but i think there's a very thin line between trying soft-drugs and trying hard-drugs.

@Revolution
I knew someone would bring that up. If you ban tobacco and alcohol you might as well ban fast food as well. Now that's a health hazard! But then i would be the first one to lead a revolt.

[Scfdglkn]

And then there was this report:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/health/2419713.stm

[OvDojQXN]

I've never heard about these deed polls, very interesting. Central European law practice does not know unilateral contracts that are binding to third parties, at least I am not aware of such a construction. At first glance it's obvious why most governments are not in favor of such deed polls, they could potentially destabilise the safe adminstration of law. Just think of how easily such things could be abused.

/me has to find out more about deed polls

[finasteridonline]

If it's for medical reason, so be it. Otherwise, it cannot be used. And for the medical reason case, every patient will have to be supervised very carefully that they don't traffick it. It needs to also be in tablets, and not in leafs, some which may be laced. NO EXCEPTIONS.

TAblets?? which may be laced...
[shakes head..]
I believe that it should be legalized. The govt. could have some control if they weren't trying to bust everyone that sells it. Even though they know some people who have it, ship it in, or move it...there are still millions who get it here that they don't know about it. The medical reason are are sooo useful, with a much milder side-effect from small doses, while cigarettes do twice as bad a job.
I think most people need to realize that there is not much now'a'days thats absolutely healthy for you. I mean if you go to some of the islands and find out about remedies use for problems that a person has, cannabis finds it way into most of them. I mean it can be made into a tea for coughing fits and arthritis[spl?]. Then the fact its use for cancer patients...I mean true it has its bad size for people who would abuse it. But look at the way that people abuse cigarettes and alcohol.......We all know the consequences of it yet its legal....
Somethings are going to be useful like this, if moderated and used properly. Thats my opinion.

[kictainiSot]

@hemp in traditional Japan
That's fair enough. India is the country of hemp par excellence and even there it is not really legal (for foreigners at least) to smoke it any more. The sadhus (Hindu saints) still consume it regularily and its so ingrained in the culture that no one who dare telling them anything. Actually, India also grows poppy and make opium. In Varanasi, I have seen a so-called "government shop" that was the only legal place to buy cannabis or opium, usually in cakes. Cannabis and opium have nothing to do with each other, however they are grouped together as "drug" under the influence of the US. Locals don't really care about drug laws in India. It's just a matter of international image and is chiefly destined to make money on the tourists's back, either by making them buy in "government shop" or fining them heavily otherwise (there's been several cases of imprisonment in Goa for those unable to pay the huge fine). Japan, India and other Asian countries should reconnect with their own culture and free themselves from Western influence. Singapore is for me the pinnacle of eagerly conformist society, ready to please the West by adopting its concepts and moral to extremes (for those of you who have been to Singapore and know what I am talking about- for others here !).

@Hemp Car
So they want to fight fossil combustion and to achieve this they'll drive 5000km by car. Did I miss something there ?

[malishka1025]

I understand your concern about the safe administration of law. You would risk a lot to do it fraudulently, but if your intention are fraudulous, there are always ways of trafficking passports, ID or official documents. Basically, whether one just makes up a new birth certificate on your computer, asks professionals to forge some papers or does a fraudulent deed polls is the same and can all end up in a jail sentence. If you are honest, then why not have the right to do it ?

Notice that British ciyizens don't have ID cards yet (but it might come soon), so it has always been easy to open a bank account or buy something under a made-up name. In Australia, till recently it was possible to open a bank account under the name of Mickey Mouse and no one would have asked any proof or raised an eyebrow. That just seems incredible for continental Europeans, I agree. To get a passport legally, even with the simplicity of deed polls, it would be hard to get two under different names (anyway, it wouldn't be legal).

Still, name changes don't seems to be such a problem if the UK and other commonwealth countries can manage with this system.