What You Can't Do in the UK

[gentle_dissident]

From today, some of your herb rack, bits of your tea selection and even those parched flowers withering away on your kitchen table are technically all illegal. Why? Because they all contain psychoactive substances, according to the government's definition in its new Psychoactive Substances Act (PSA), which came into effect at midnight.

http://www.vice.com/en_uk/read/psychoactive-substances-act-list-of-banned-stuff

[Hydra009]

From the text of the bill:

In this Act “psychoactive substance” means any substance whichâ€"

(a)is capable of producing a psychoactive effect in a person who consumes it, and

(b)is not an exempted substance (see section 3).

Yikes.  That sounds extremely broad.

[Baruch]

You can dismiss it as simple incompetence.  But the point of the drug war is to find everyone guilty, but not enforce it on the 1%, but do enforce it on the 99%.  So malice or incompetence?  There is a natural weed in the Mohave, freely available to competent botanists, that has the same effect as LSD.  Per the war on drugs we have to make that plant species extinct ... for our own good.  Or maybe lock up all the psychopaths who work in the government.

[stromboli]

You can dismiss it as simple incompetence.  But the point of the drug war is to find everyone guilty, but not enforce it on the 1%, but do enforce it on the 99%.  So malice or incompetence?  There is a natural weed in the Mohave, freely available to competent botanists, that has the same effect as LSD.  Per the war on drugs we have to make that plant species extinct ... for our own good.  Or maybe lock up all the psychopaths who work in the government.

The drug war began as a way to ostracize specific groups- Hispanic laborers in the 20's, Hippies and counter culture in the Nixon era. It makes much less sense now, because the very clear message is it doesn't work and that treating drug addiction as an illness rather than a crime is much more successful.

And as Baruch mentioned, there are natural psychoactives available in nature if you know where to look for them. We have a local plant called Brigham Tea which was used for centuries by natives for healing purposes. You can boil it and produce Ephedra, which is a precursor for speed. Mormons learned about it from the natives and didn't realize they were "overcoming" their ills by being hyped- silly Mormons. Mom used to make it for us when we were sick. Thanks mom! 

[Baruch]

Drugs or no drugs, laws or no laws ... society is always a war between the rich and the poor.  The slave masters are always on guard against a slave revolt.  That is why they got rid of most personal bankruptcy relief back in the 80s ... because they knew then that the world is going bankrupt, on the bankrupt ideas of the rich.  Want to know what a rich person is like ... see Trump.

[marom1963]

Drugs or no drugs, laws or no laws ... society is always a war between the rich and the poor.  The slave masters are always on guard against a slave revolt.  That is why they got rid of most personal bankruptcy relief back in the 80s ... because they knew then that the world is going bankrupt, on the bankrupt ideas of the rich.  Want to know what a rich person is like ... see Trump.

I don't know that Trump quite qualifies. He's got money, yes, but he's hated by the rich. Bloomberg is a better example, if you ask me. He's much richer than Trump, and he's well-loved by the rich. Trump's guts are hated by the rich. And I know that Trump isn't mean. I could tell you an anecdote from personal experience that illustrates that Trump isn't mean. He's done very little real picking on the poor. His targets have always been rich.

[Baruch]

I don't know that Trump quite qualifies. He's got money, yes, but he's hated by the rich. Bloomberg is a better example, if you ask me. He's much richer than Trump, and he's well-loved by the rich. Trump's guts are hated by the rich. And I know that Trump isn't mean. I could tell you an anecdote from personal experience that illustrates that Trump isn't mean. He's done very little real picking on the poor. His targets have always been rich.

And that is why the rich don't like them.  The 1% are not monolithic.  But them, or people like them, will always be with us, as will the poor (usually the vast majority).

[marom1963]

And that is why the rich don't like them.  The 1% are not monolithic.  But them, or people like them, will always be with us, as will the poor (usually the vast majority).

I hate talk of the one percent. My sister is part of that one percent. Believe me, she's not got influence. What she's got is a nice cushion, should an emergency happen, that's all. What we need to talk about is the one percent of one percent. My sister works many, many hours every week, as does her husband. So, some millions does not make you rich and powerful - they just make you tired when you flop into bed for your 4 hours of sleep - if the phone doesn't ring, that is.

[gentle_dissident]

I hate talk of the one percent. My sister is part of that one percent. Believe me, she's not got influence. What she's got is a nice cushion, should an emergency happen, that's all.

The average annual income of the top 1 percent of the population is $717,000, compared to the average income of the rest of the population, which is around $51,000.

Forbes, Mar 21, 2012

That's quite a cushion. Is she putting most of it back into bettering the planet?

What we need to talk about is the one percent of one percent. My sister works many, many hours every week, as does her husband. So, some millions does not make you rich and powerful - they just make you tired when you flop into bed for your 4 hours of sleep - if the phone doesn't ring, that is.

Is she sleepless due to her constant dedication to the evolution of humanity?

Money can make you powerful if you let it, but I hear it wrecks your personality.

[marom1963]

Forbes, Mar 21, 2012

That's quite a cushion. Is she putting most of it back into bettering the planet?
Is she sleepless due to her constant dedication to the evolution of humanity?

Money can make you powerful if you let it, but I hear it wrecks your personality.

She's actually quite ecologically conscientious.  Recycles, even though her community doesn't mandate it.

That figure you quoted is before taxes, you realize. My sister paid 40 k in state taxes alone last year; then there was what her husband paid ... She's a Democrat, doesn't object to the taxes - just the way that most of the money is wasted.

Believe me, my sister doesn't have a hot-line to the White House. The top one percent have perks, yes - but not the perks of the the top one percent of one percent have. My sister can't call the police station and have a DWI disappear off her daughter's record. (For the record, my niece has no DWI. That was just a for instance.)

[gentle_dissident]

Believe me, my sister doesn't have a hot-line to the White House.

Of course. The government plan doesn't even include us. I'm saying it sounds like she has the ability to organize and make a difference despite government.

The top one percent have perks, yes - but not the perks of the the top one percent of one percent have.

Imagine the amount of positive change they could contribute.

My sister can't call the police station and have a DWI disappear off her daughter's record. (For the record, my niece has no DWI. That was just a for instance.)

Yea, money isn't the biggest factor in the good ol' boy network.

[Munch]

Oh deary me, I suppose being a brit I need to give two fucks about this..



I've also sung happy birthday, ate bacon in front of a person in islamic attire, used a fake name online, use ad-blocker, used someone elses wifi, sold stuff on ebay without declaring it, gotten drunk past 11pm, ate something before buying it in a supermarket, and lets not forget downloaded music.

I'm a regular Wilson Fisk. As Christopher North said, laws were made to be broken.

The only thing I can see happening from this will be corrupt cops here abusing this ridiculous law to arrest OAPs while being incompetent enough to not catch any real criminals.

[gentle_dissident]

Oh deary me, I suppose being a brit I need to give two fucks about this..

As a citizen of the planet, I would hope you'd be concerned about the spirit of the law.

[Munch]

As a citizen of the planet, I would hope you'd be concerned about the spirit of the law.

You walked into that one :P

But really, this laws going to be meaningless in how it effects anyones lives, since even cops themselves will be committing it.

[gentle_dissident]

You walked into that one :P

No idea what that is. Looks like and action movie.

But really, this laws going to be meaningless in how it effects anyones lives, since even cops themselves will be committing it.

I think the attitude of the law will inconvenience people. It looks like it's designed to create witch-hunts.