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UK Cannabis economy worth £11bn
Cannabis economy brings in £11bn
Cannabis smokers just want to stay on the sofa and snack, spending hours engrossed in home entertainment. Red Bull and smoothies, 'Munchie' snacks such as Mars bars and Haribo jellies. Pizza chains. Video stores. Games consoles. Multichannel TV. And what scares them... Shiny, noisy places with too many choices such as Starbucks and McDonald's High-alcohol drinks and strong lagers such as Stella Artois Pubs with bouncers on the door: Businesses alerted to huge profits as study shows dope users have money to burn
Ben Summerskill
Sunday February 2, 2003
The Observer
The stock market is faltering and house prices are on the edge of a precipice. Could cannabis smokers be the unlikely saviours of the British economy?
A major new study is being used to advise well known household and high-street companies about the gains and losses they face as cannabis smoking becomes commonplace.
Research has revealed that Britain's 'cannabis economy' is worth £5 billion a year in sales alone.
Now it has been discovered that a further £6bn of consumer expenditure each year is closely linked to the growing cannabis-users' market.
'Young people between 15 and 30 are very trend-conscious and aspirational,' said Andy Davidson, who commissioned the study for The Research Business International, trend analysts who tracked the spending habits of young people for six months.The study found that cannabis users spend an average of £20 on products that accompany their drug use each time they smoke.
Because smoking cannabis heightens appetite, users are providing a £120 million weekly windfall to a string of takeaway food suppliers, such as Domino and Pizza Hut, and manufacturers of 'munchie' products such as Mars bars and Haribo jellies.
Video suppliers and manufacturers of home entertainments such as PlayStation and Nintendo GameCube are also benefiting from the need of a generation of users to keep themselves occupied at home while their drug of choice remains unlawful.
'Some of these brands benefit at the moment,' said Davidson, 'but if people become more willing to smoke in public when the law is relaxed next year, they may be hit.'
The Government has announced that cannabis will be 'downgraded' to a class C drug next summer making arrest and prosecution for possession less likely. The move follows a controversial experiment in Lambeth, south London, where police attention focused on hard drug users and suppliers rather than cannabis smokers.
'Cannabis users also have discretionary expenditure of tens of millions of pounds each week on places to meet and eat,' said Davidson. 'They don't like shiny, noisy environments with lots of choices such as McDonald's. On the whole, they prefer somewhere with low-key lighting and a straightforward menu.
'And they don't like venues solely devoted to heavy drinking. That doesn't mean that they won't still go out for a big night once a week, but they avoid the sort of pubs that have heavy bouncers on the door.' Many cannabis users also avoid high alcohol drinks, even strong lagers.
'Thursday is now my biggest night,' reported a 22-year old woman from London. 'I hate Saturday, it's full of idiots, it's expensive. That's when I love to stay at home and smoke [cannabis].'
'I don't visit big chain bars any more,' said Anthony Green, a student from Leicester. 'They're very intolerant of anything that's outside their obvious remit of drinking and pulling.
'When we use cannabis at home, there are some things we always consume at the same time. Red Bull or smoothies, for example, and takeaway food. There's a sort of conspiracy between consumers and retailers nowadays. You know why you buy these things and they know why you're buying these things, but no one says anything.'
Drug use may even affect radio and TV scheduling in future, the research suggests. A typical 24-year old male admitted: 'I've started taking much more interest in the Discovery Channel. Cannabis really gets you thinking deeply about things.'
Government research has already confirmed that more than 15 million people in Britain have tried cannabis. There are six million regular users, more people than attend church, play Sunday league football or go jogging. TRBI's Project Edge is the first study which has openly monitored cannabis use for commercial, rather than medical, purposes.
Tobacco companies have worked secretly for years on trials of cannabis cigarettes, in spite of the fact that their scientists working on the projects risk arrest for drug possession.
However, manufacturers such as Imperial Tobacco still insist that their 'King Size' Rizla cigarette papers are intended solely for making handmade cigarettes rather than rolling joints.
Carl Ratcliff of advertising agency TBWA said: 'As cannabis gets closer to decriminalisation, you'll see more brands recognising that through their advertising. It won't be explicit, but will be heavily implicit in terms of the signs and symbols that they use.'
'It's no longer a moral issue,' said Davidson. 'Businesses targeting the youth market can no longer ignore the fact that almost half of their customer base is getting stoned every day. They need to make specific projections about how that affects them.'
What are peoples thoughts and suggestions on this issue?
playbhoy
03-02-2003, 01:27
long topic!! phew i think i need a joint now :D
Originally posted by Kynoch
Drug use may even affect radio and TV scheduling in future, the research suggests. A typical 24-year old male admitted: 'I've started taking much more interest in the Discovery Channel. Cannabis really gets you thinking deeply about things.'
Haha, love that. It's so true :p
Yup alot of fact in there.
The government is missing out on a wedge here, we would all benefit from them changing the classification sooner.
playbhoy
03-02-2003, 02:06
its also quite funny if you think about this....
adults today say they are scared of smoking a cigarette infront of their parents. imagine pulling out a joint and lighting it up infront of them! i can just picture my mums face lol!! :D
I personally would rather see smoking made illegal, than see canabis legalised. It strikes me that for a substance as harmful as tobacco to be freely available to anyone who wishes to pay the tax is stupid. I've been battling to give up smoking on and off for ages, and if I'd never had the opportunity to start I wouldn't have to. I know it's my own fault for starting, but hey!
At that point perhaps canabis should be legalised, because it's not addictive, and would therefore be used in the same way as alcohol, but I wouldn't use it myself.
My only concern with the whole argument is that the main body of people requesting a change in the law are people who currently use canabis, and are therefore technicaly criminals. Should we ask burglars if they want burglary made legal? Heroin addicts? Joyriders? Shoplifters? Arsonists? etc blah....
Dead_One
03-02-2003, 10:45
how can cannabis be non adictive?
It might not be chemically addictive, but the vast majority of people who start using it continue, and feel deprived if they dont have it.
It also in a lot of cases leads to using other, stronger drugs.
If anything the legislation on it should be made tougher, not softened.
Non addictive as in physical dependancy. If a smoker is told he/she has a problem with his/her lungs and he/she must stop, it would be an immense struggle, which many smokers do not manage. At least someone who purely smoked canabis wouldn't have that. I admit this doesn't take in to account psycological addictions, and aggree that I'd prefer to see it remain illegal.
Ban tobbacco and legalise cannabis? love to see you roll a joint like that....
Never heared of a blunt, pipe, bong?:D
Certainly, but are you saying you'd be willing to spend your whole time restricted to that?
IMo all drugs should be legalised.
On average something like 1.5 million e`s are used every weekend in this country. How many ppl die? About 10 ppl die a year from e. of them its not the actual Ecstasy that kills them but more often than not what it is mixed with.
If drugs were all legalised the goverment could tax it and make money but not only that they could remove the criminal elemtn from it which in turn would make the drugs safer after all tabaco and alcohol are the most dangerous of all drugs yet they are totally legal.
Dead_One
03-02-2003, 12:25
so heroin should be available at the corner shop near the school?
where do you get your figures on deaths and usage from?
its a proven fact that when people experiment with drugs, it usually leads to experimentation with harder drugs as the buzz diminishes over time, either that or they end up needing so mant drugs they have no life because of it.
it is the same with alchol, but that is regulated, and there are laws in place to stop the misuse of it in places where you could become a danger to others.
How are you going to regulate something that is so small it can be hidden from the authorities?
Its Quicker Dunc, and on the plus side: you can be sure you not going to get hooked on nicotine.
Remember Nicotine is the most addictive drug out there.
Originally posted by Dead_One
so heroin should be available at the corner shop near the school?
where do you get your figures on deaths and usage from?
its a proven fact that when people experiment with drugs, it usually leads to experimentation with harder drugs as the buzz diminishes over time, either that or they end up needing so mant drugs they have no life because of it.
it is the same with alchol, but that is regulated, and there are laws in place to stop the misuse of it in places where you could become a danger to others.
How are you going to regulate something that is so small it can be hidden from the authorities?
Nicotine is available from the newsagents near schools. Doesnt mean that the kids will be using it.
The figures were from a survey last year I will try and dig it out.
Its a proven fact that ppl experiment with alcohol too.
They managed to regulate alcohol and tabacco. And taboce can be easily hidden if your that way inclined.
Dead_One
03-02-2003, 13:10
that would be why advertising tobacco near schools is banned then......
you are right , people do experiment with alchol, but given the option of a member of your family drinking so much beer they puked, or o/d ing on heroin, which would you go for?
it takes a lot of drink to kill you, you have to really try...
with drugs, you get one bad hit and thats it.
which would you think was best?
But thats what I`m going on about. One bad hit will kill you yes but a bad hit is usually down to what the drugs are mixed with,
Ok I might have gone a bit far saying all drugs should be legalised. but I do agree with canabis and ecstasy being legalised.
IF they are legalised then it cuts out the danger of buying bad stuff. It can be made in lab conditions instead of unclean area`s
By legalising it the government can make a mint. think about it pills at the mom cost about 5-10 pounds in clubs. To make the cost no more than a few pence. thats at least a 500% turn over on each pill. The govenment could tax them for 200% and the companies would still make 300% profit. By making it legal they will not be cut with rat poison or cement dust they would be made safe. Also if E was legal in nightclubs when someone gets wrecked instead of as is the case at the mom were the club`s first action is to get the person off site. The clubs would be able to help more.
Maybe you dont agree but thats the way of the world. if we all though the same thing we`d all be listening to kenny g and eating brussel sprout butties(euww!!)
Dead_One
03-02-2003, 13:52
so you expect clubs to look after people who can't control their intake?
why
that doesn't happen with alchol, as for it being safer, people would still make bootleg ones, and there would be more danger, because people would assume they were safe, maybe even take more.
plus, when people find that the buzz from one or 2 doesn't have the same hit, then they will try more, then more, then stronger drugs..
Originally posted by Kynoch
Its Quicker Dunc, and on the plus side: you can be sure you not going to get hooked on nicotine.
Remember Nicotine is the most addictive drug out there.
As for the nicotine, already addicted to that long ago...:)
But really, it may be quicker, but no way near as enjoyable. There's a whole art behind rolling a joint, and it's by far the most sociable way. And anyway, if you want a nice relaxed and long evening smoking, it wont be a very long night if you're having to stick to the bong. I personally dont like getting stoned very quickly. It's a much more enjoyable experience if it's done gradually. And please no one start a 'i can smoke more than you' type argument. I'd love to see anyone sticking to a bong for a day long session, something quite easy with joints.
I aint addicted to the nicotine in the tobacco yet, and hopefully never will be, my parents smoke and thats enough to put me off becomming addicted.
I understand what you mean when you say rolling is an art, ive got a good couple of pics somewhere with a couple of masterpieces on them. I didnt personally make them but was my mates, i just help get rid of them.:D
master baits
04-02-2003, 16:16
I can understand the legalisation of thc , as for the poster whom reccomended the banning of tobacco , do you really think a government that makes so much money in tax from such a thing would outlaw it can you see them making car tax free.
Up until recently i was well shafted by the taxman , i was a smoker , a driver , a homeowner and had no kids , so I was paying like most folk 40-60 percent of my income to the government in one form of taxation or another.
Legalise the blow though and in scotland first and with 20 per cent tax, it woudl increase tourism , hell no one would go dutch if the never had the cafes , the weather is same as here , their coffee is rank and their other advertsing for tourism usually is some hairy slapper in a window.
Even america is lightening up to the use of thc , its new laws in some states specify it can be legally grown , cultivated and imbibed for medicinal purpose , no perscription needed and the user MUST not be hounded by the courts and legal system.Just as well , you never hear about some wasted stoner running amok with a gun , unless hes using it as a pipe.
how the hell did i miss this?
i love all the proven facts, government source?
same government says saddam has weapons of mass destruction. mind u, that must be true, i expect they have the VAT reciepts somewhere.
addictions. i smoke dope. i like smoking dope. but i havent touched the stuff in ages.
yeah, if i was offered a toke id take it, but i dont end up chewing my fingers off cos i need it. unlike the smokers at my new office, who stampede to the nearest fire exit every day for a fag.
which is kind of sad :(
legality. what happens if u ban cigerettes and make them illegal?
u end up with x billions of people buying smuggled cigarettes, bought from shady 'dealers'. these cigarettes will no doubt contain all sorts of crap to cut with the tobacco. more deaths.
legalise drugs, cut out the shady 'dealer' middleman, and make some money out of it (pretty much like what we do just now with cigarettes and alcohol. gosh)
end result cleaner drugs, less deaths, everyones happy including the idiots who want to jack up on heroine and what not.
u cant stop em, theyre going to do it whether its illegal or not, better for them to do it in a more controlled environment than not.
and better education, instead of the scaremongering the government is so fond of, would be helpful, and we might see less junkies about :)
I cant believe people are suggesting the legalisation of herion, what ever way you look at it the distribution of diamorphine to addicts will fail.
If you were to prescribe it to addicts it would have to work like the current methadone programme where the drug is ingested in the chemists so that the addicts could sell or supply it to another.
Even so the nature of the beast of the drug is addiction and it means that they will look elsewhere to get more ,,,so basically the drug is still gonna be dealt on say a black market as it is the now,,,,
Which means addicts need money they turn to housebreaking,thefts ,robbery etc etc
A vicious circle !
Its one of the many problems that the government should be trying to solve instead of spending cash on holidays for mr blair and new cars for prescott.
Originally posted by Dead_One
it takes a lot of drink to kill you, you have to really try...
with drugs, you get one bad hit and thats it.
which would you think was best?
Yep, ive had some interesting rides with alcohol. Including waking up under trees in gardens, thinking i could fly and drunken cycling on beaches. :rolleyes:
Cannabis should be legalised in my opinion - there will be an outcry of the public if it does tho.
At the risk of upsetting many peeps I've got to say that all drugs should be legalised. That's not because I want to take them all, and definitely don't want my two kids to take them all either. The problem (one of) at the moment is, that the fact that it is illegal doesn't stop anybody taking anything. All it does is drive it underground, quality goes down, prices go up and some of the dealers are extremely dodgy.
At least if it was legal then it could begin to be controlled. It doesn't have to be sold in corner shops, could be sold in chemists etc.. I know this isn't perfect but it's got to be better than gangsters hanging round outside the school gates giving it away to get the kids hooked.
I have talked with my eldest son (12 years old), many times about this (as well as sex), and although we don't always see eye to eye I do have the confidence that if he did get in trouble with drugs he'd come and tell me. TBH if he smokes a joint with his mates then as far as I'm concerned thats all a part of lifes learning process. If we just keep outlawing the drugs and refuse to admit that the current anti drugs laws aren't working then we'll never make any progress.
The other thing to remember is that we (well most), are all free thinking adults that basically should be allowed to indulge in whatever we want as long as this is not detrimental to others in society around us. The obvious comparisions with fags and booze have already been made, but the truth is that if they had never existed and were just being introduced to the modern world then they would be outlawed in todays society just the same as canabis, coke, smack, e's, acid.whatever.
I'll wait for the flak to arrive (me ducks head under desk).
The Pimp
21-02-2003, 18:22
I agree with Conan. If you make something illegal it will drive the youngsters towards more than if it was legal. I have 3 kids of my own & I would hope that they would be able to come to me with any problems or worries regarding drugs, sex or alcohol, without worrying about how I would feel about it. Most of us have at one time or another dabbled in narcotics (mainly the soft drugs) and worried about our parents finding out & going ballistic. I would rather my kids be honest with me & if they wanted to smoke a joint, do it in front of me rather than behind my back.
Cannabis isnt a narcotic IIRC.
It was classed under narcotics in america when they made it illegal even though it actually isnt.
But i agree with the point about when things are illegal it doesnt stop people from doing them, but to kids it makes them seem more appealing because of the risk of being caught and peer pressure, if drugs were legalised they can be controlled as said before, but also it will lower the number of people wanting to try drugs or being forced to becuase of the penalties in doing so wont be there anymore.
Dead_One
21-02-2003, 19:03
so the solution to the problem of illegal drugs is make them legal, and that will solve all the problems?
you think all the people making a fortune out of drugs are gonna go away if it becomes legal?
all that will happen is people will try the legal drugs, not get the same hit after a while, then try something else, and the pushers will be the ones creating the something else.
a lot of people who have drug problems started on the soft drugs, then worked their way up as the hit got less and less
and i know you will all be sat there saying i would never do that, but most of them thought the same to start with
Dead One, I know that making drugs legal won't cure the problem. What I'm saying is that the fact they are illegal doesn't slove the problem. If it's legal it brings it out into society where it can be dealt with instead of pretending it doesn't exist.
I agree with the point you're making about people starting on soft drugs but it's no different with fags or booze. You don't start off at 10 years old on a bottle of JD a day do you? (not you personally). Unfortunately some people have weak or addictive personalities, and whatever they do they will do to excess. I'm not having a pop at people like this, I still smoke after 10 years of trying to pack in and drink far more than is good for my health. But if my son got a drug problem, I'd rather he came to me and we could go the chemists to get something instead of him or me having to go in some dodgy bar down the back end of town to get something that might have been cut with rat poison for all I know. That's the situation created by making drugs illegal and driving it all underground.
My problem with the last few posts is that the reason drugs being illegal doesn't work is because the law is not enforced correctly by the courts. *Human rights* dictates that a heroin addict who burgles old ladies is given 3 doses of Methodone a day for a bit, and a couple of weeks community service. Balls! Lock 'em in a room for 6 months with no access to drugs (I know the prisons would need to be *upgraded*) and when he/she's clean, no more burglaries, no more drug abuse, karma in society.
/me sets the world to rights!
Dead_One
21-02-2003, 21:28
good plan!!!!!
Originally posted by Dead_One
good plan!!!!!
Fanku :D
The Pimp
05-03-2003, 11:31
Originally posted by Schvetty
hmmm long term useage isnt that good really though is it..
Nor is the long term usage of red & green LED's or nVidia GFX cards.........
master baits
05-03-2003, 23:56
cold turkey doesnt work mate without help , trust me I know.
I have gave up drugs , drink and fags in that order , and cold turkey will only work if support is given and administered correctly , but i am however in favour of thc and opposed to alchohol.Society and culture play a very big part in the rehab of offenders , their victims or addicts themselves.Banging them up just isnt working, especially when they go back to their old life old habits and friends and most dont want anything else for a life anyway.
The thing that bugs me the most is the bit in trainspotting when it is revealed that his mother has her fags , her voddie and her valium , they are all legal forms of intoxication and society is happy with that while looking down their noses at thc users.It wasnt so long ago that thc was legal in the uk as was opium , the smoking form of heroin , but that was for the affluent while the poor had gut rot gin and tobacco in a clay pipe and lived to half the age of the well off.
Have you ever seen a complete waster try to break into anywhere , or rape ,speed or murder on strictly thc , is damn impossible and unervingly mighty funny.
However on drink (or combined) with other illicit drugs , this is common place and the most dangerous people in the country are doing this every day without your knowledge , they are the bus driver , the nurse and doctor , your neighbour , you or your parents.They could be well over the drink limit driving you or themselves to work everyday and only hitting borderline at lunch time when the recoke the boliers for their trip home down the pub lunch to do some more down the local or in front of the idiot maker.
master baits
07-03-2003, 16:57
You may need to dig about a bit but in todays press there is details on the legal precedent set for HOME grown for medicinal use.
A sick note from the doctors , works brilliant.
Whats sad about those figures is how many people feel the need to take drugs. Cannabis is getting incredibly dangerous no one is willing to admit any ill effects and it is so glamourised as the new hip drug that it is primly placed to cause most harm.
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