Nick Clegg Interview - on the Smoking Ban and Drug Policy

[GoVir4l]

C'mon Clegg Legalise it!!!

[superluminalthought]

They can't come up with a single valid scientific fact in favor of criminalizing cannabis. They have to take the single absolute worst eventuality and demonize it by that.

[GoVir4l]

@superluminalthought - science or no science the fact is that prohibition of any drug does not work, the harder you police it the higher the incentive/return for selling it - to outlaw a plant that has never been associated in any overdose in its 8,000 year history of use is just ridiculous.

[VoxJoxx]

We will never be free until cannabis is legalised, this is a guage of our democracy, we don't have a democracy. It doesnt exist. We are ruled by a constitutional monarchy with a fascist mindset.

[bertbaxter72]

Bloody pillock !! Hmmmm .

[bertbaxter72]

Alcohol is a poison actually Mr NICK CLEGG not a drug !!! it is no wonder this country is going backwards , the men at the top have not got a clue .

[deathfromabove132]

he puts such a spin on everything, never giving a direct answer.

[o01R0NM4N0o]

@deathfromabove132 completley agree, you should research nigel farage from libertarian party ukip, he gives direct answers, doesnt spin and he actually sounds believable and straightforeward when hes talking. the libertarian stance on cannabis is obviously legalisation with tax and thats ukips policy. i was torn between the lib dems and the conservatives and ukip offers the best of both worlds, liberal social policy aswell as conservative economics, plus they are quite patriotic

[LtdSkate]

LEGALISE MARIJUANA!

[fireicer]

Benson and hedges Tobacco free, marijuana blend now that is the future lol

[dan3mon]

this bell end promised the earth and delivered nothing smoke ban still in force community officers on the beat instead of real police and still no end in sight to the foolish prohibition of cannabis we need a mp who isnt going to listen to the health nuts who are scared of there own shadows who will overturn laws that are removing the freedom of choice from our culture who will help turn this country around and get us out of debt and out of eu before it destroys whats left of our country

[GoVir4l]

@dan3mon - I understand your frustration lol but in all honsty Clegg is working with what really is a right wing party (Conservatives) with the same archaic bullshit "hard line" approach on cannabis. You're absolutely right and I wish more people thought like you - the taxation on cannabis and its benefits to the economy are completely unnoticed by the masses, we could not only help our own country but lift third world nations out of their searing debts to the world bank/IMF.

[spire1997]

He must know that the two most reliable studies on SHS found that it has an unmeasurable effect on those exposed. Surely he can see this for himself when the oldest generation the world has seen is the generation that have smoked the most and been exposed to the most smoke. Asthma rates have increased amongst children as smoking rates have decreased within the population. Its sickening what is happening to this country.

[loveresievil4]

i love you nick..

[2edsajdmsa]

He doesn't just want to decriminalize, he wants to create holland style coffeeshops, and to this I say "HEAR HEAR". He signed a letter to the leader of the European Parliament along with 106 other MEP's suggesting that the Dutch model be implemented in other EU countries.

Great idea, great man, VOTE LIB DEM FOR A SMARTER DRUGS POLICY

[Ermintrude75]

Cleggs no liberal, he's an authoritarian.

[HostilePottery]

Nick Clegg

Dick Smegg

[KingCharlesI]

Nick Clegg is a D Cam's fag!

[NHSinformation]

Clegg's a liar

[Pepper6464]

Nick Clegg must have been high on crack and self narcissism to have joined the Tories.

[procritic09]

Only... If the committee actually looked at the science, they would reccommend legalising cannabis. 

[spursfan112]

who ever sed that about cannabis is a complete fucking lyer

[reveaes10]

Nick Clegg is a convincing actor: he is playing the liberal card whilst his time in office demonstrates a wholly conservative agenda. Do you see him listening to scientists now? No. You don't. For a more proto-liberal attitude search "ebaumsworld" for Nick Clegg.

[zelldot]

THEY HAVE RECOMENDED IT YOU TWAT... DONT GO ALL POLITICAL AVOIDANCE ON US..... LEGALIZE

[louisparisi]

LEGALIZE CANNABIS

[flipper82a]

Nick Clegg Needs hanging with some A-grade Hemp rope! Along with his Jolly mate David Cameron! Google agenda 21 and Common Purpose to see what these awful people are doing to the British Public. I would not think twice about kicking their chairs!

[BobGeorgeAU]

I think Nick Clegg is wrong on the smoking ban. I too am a liberal, but I think you pervert the basic liberal tenant that every individual should be allowed to whatever he or she wishes as long as they don't harm anybody else, if you include 'harm' to mean the indirect harm of second-hand smoke. I consider harm, or at least the type of harm that people need to be protected by the government from, to be direct and deliberate harm. I don't believe second-hand smoke is direct or deliberate harm.

[magrathean0]

Nick Cleg is deliberately misusing simple logic - The problem isn't objective harm in the sense he is using the word but NON CONSENSUAL HARM. For instance, boxing is an act that causes harm, but we allow this between consenting individuals. The old situation in which pubs chose to be smoking or non smoking and people chose whether they would attend, allowed for people to choose whether or not to be affected by smoking.

[2edsajdmsa]

Common UK, you guys have a shot at getting these guys elected next time around. A real shot actually. Go go GO, make this happen. If the UK gives the middle finger to America and goes ahead with this, the rest of the world will follow you in time. Be the first.

[Ste0wnz]

Dodging the question like the cunt he is.

[wordforge]

What a horrible little man Clegg is.

[khazal12]

yh because he's obviously following through on the things he said pre election now isnt he? all politicians are bullshit. now nick cleggs just nodding behind cameron in the houses of parliament and not even trying to get anything liberal through. doesnt anyone else find it interesting how quickly VAT changed all across the country! how quick would it have taken, for example, 50 million people to be able to change a law? probably years. yup thats democracy :)

[carl5192]

nick u bitch

[mickey22011]

Just because this idiot is trying to quit smoking he thinks now we all have to quit or be out of sight pathetically sparking up in some back ally like he does, as for the science. Fact: there is no such thing as second hand smoke, stick that in your pipe and smoke it Nick Plebb.

[magrathean0]

@mickey22011Nick cleg is either a halfwit or a liar - he even begins "liberalism means to allow others to do what they wish as far as possible" and clearly it is POSSIBLE to allow smokers to smoke in bars without harming people who object, and yet he skids without sufficient explanation into the opposite conclusion.

[mark66510]

I wish he did get into Hypotheticals this man makes gordon brown look like a total fossil

[bfmv580]

Why didn't you idiots vote lib dem?!

[sodslawparty]

I did and got a Conservative Government Lib-Con .....con thr uk party

[bfmv580]

@sodslawparty I know man, its a fucking disgrace!

[SweetFire96]

England is already the biggest cannabis using country of the E.U.

But now we/they must be mature enough to discuss the idea i had when i was younger.

Heineken can have it's daughter company called 'Wiedeken".

Controlled market, jobsupply, great support for any broken financial pillar.

But foremost the acknowledgement of our mental viability. Grey area thinking.

[SweetFire96]

If my stephfather would have smoked cannabis instead of beeing the drunk policeman he was...

Hope that will be scientific enough for ya.

[weirdsleepovergirls0]

hes handsome

[DackIsBack]

@DJBROOKSEY If people voted Labour and they won they would try to stay in for a 4 year term, Which = 17 Years.

Fortunately we Now have a Hung Parliament with a Minority Torie government, The Tories will get torn to shreds in the house of commons, The Lib-Dems have the possibility of more influence than they probably could have imagined atm.

Nick is striking deals with Labour and the Tories as I type.

This election is a win for democracy, Electoral Reform will be passed(hope it's by Labour).

[TheCldrummer]

He doesn't sound so strong as a leader here :/. I'd still VOTE LIB DEM

[cliterousman]

Legalise cannabisss VOTE NICK CLEGG ALCOHOL AND CIGGS are one of the biggest Killers in the u.k cannabis has never been proved to kill any1

and i also like Nick Gleggs honesty saying he some times have some puffs on ciggs Great Man Great Party!!

[Champylol]

Clegg is Europhile. Enough to vote for him.

[chrisbceltics]

The present system of drug classification is based on historical assumptions, not scientific assessment.

[jimmy2k4o]

we love you nick, give us our weed!!!!

[babybinladen123]

Vote Lib Dem legalise cannabis enough said

[DackIsBack]

I hope we have a Parliament that is as WELL HUNG as Nick. ;d

The lib-dems need to take power in the next 10 years or I'm leaving this shit hole(Britain).

17 years of Labour? GTFO, That's NOT Democracy.

The Tories? They will run this country so far into the ground it will burst into flames.

I'll attend a few riots and fight for my freedom for a year or two, After that I'm leaving if things don't change.

[DackIsBack]

Nick, You have at least half the country behind you on Legalizing Cannabis.

Please get it done, People will see that it's less harmful than both Alcohol and Cigarettes VERY QUICKLY.

Drug dealers don't ID, I was smoking cannabis when I was 13, I didn't get my hands on a beer 'till I was 16.

Decriminalize, Legalize, Tax, Regulate.

[peteyg1]

It said in their manifesto they want to legalise it for medical use. I dunno why he was dodging the question here, probablys cause these shitty interviewers keep asking questions to purposely catch them out without hearing proper reason.

I imagine if Clegg answered the question with a simple 'yes', the media would be all over it exposing it as bad even though they have no fucking idea of the amount of benefits cannabis has, mainly because current politions fire anyone with actual sense.

[Unfavourably]

Please Nick, become our next Prime Minister!

[SloFloMcRetro]

f*** you legalise mary jane now

[concernedagain]

Mark my words,....Conservatives will win,....i dont want them in and nobody in their right mind does but you will see, just come back here to see my historic words......i really hope im wrong

Peace

[D413373R]

@concernedagain you were half right lol (hung parlment) :P

[concernedagain]

@D413373R LOL, thanks man :)...first time for a coalition as well!! :),..who would have seen that hey?, especially when the Lib dems are a splinter group that was in the labour camp many years ago, my how times have changed :). Lets hope we get the 'best of both worlds' with this coalition :)

Peace

[concernedagain]

Nick will not get in power, it will go the tory way unfortunatly, too many pigs feeding from the troth NEED drugs to be illegal , why, well, it has a knock on effect that will turn around the economy, hows that?, well, lets say you arrest somebody for cannabis, cops get paid, solicitors get paid,judges get paid, you get fined and more people get paid. Without these laws(mostly non victim) people in positions of power get paid, how can you vote against that!..?

[agentchronicthc]

LIZARD

[Jakemeow49]

at least hes not giving false hope about leglising cannabis. hes looking at the whole shabang. still got that politiciian skill of avoiding questions but he is actually getting at an actual point that the public are addressing here. our collective view must change on substances. we have to fight for a transparent system!

[shiril01]

I like this guy. he's not showing off, he actually gives a fuck about britain.

[TopGearrules]

@shiril01 Does he now?

[bertbaxter72]

@shiril01 There is only one thing he cares about and thats himself !! I take it your not British !

[shiril01]

@bertbaxter72 I take it you didn't see the date I posted that... bloody pillock. of course I'm british!

[tiddlywinks98712]

lol not answering the question...typical politician...all fucking scumbags...LEGALISE CANNABIS!

[ilikelight]

Tobacco kills more people annually in Britain than Murder, Car crash, Heroin, Crack, Alcohol and many others all put together. There has been known use of Cannabis for thousands of years and no records have said anyone has ever died. To get a toxic ammount of Cannabis you need to smoke about 19500 joints in 15 minutes. Make weed legal and make tobacco illegal.

[shamone10]

I have to say this is the best interview i've ever seen Nick Clegg give. Although I do think all the lib dem policies are for fucking fairy land! and would highly discourage anyone voting for them... no nuclear deterrant, reduce defence spending - they've got their priorites mixed up.

[fudge1monkey]

i dont personally see how you can whack a whole massive group of drugs into three (well four if you count "legal") categories, they just dont fit in like that, some are on the border, some are in categories that they shouldnt be in (alcohol....5th most dangerous recreational drug to humans behind heroin and crack cocaine..... great categorisation) it isnt fair, it isnt just and its focus is to make criminals out of people. "you light plant matter, you're a criminal, you are from a broken family

[lee869]

i doubt they will every legalize it if the lib's wont even legalize it we have no hope what so ever.

every one apply for a dutch visa lol lets go feed our coffee addiction over there =)

[wakey741]

he never answered the question.... the one policy which might of swayed my vote just proved that his party is no differet than the other.

[Lpoolboy]

@wakey741 He can't answer the question outright like that, he'd be crucified by every moron going. However, if the interviewer would shutup and let him get his answer out it looked like he was going down a 'sanctions' route, which, like alcohol, would simply mean limits on when you can use it.

You heard him, he used to smoke cigarettes and agrees that if something doesn't harm others, it's fine. If the scientists say weed is less harmful than tobbaco, then he has no choice bu to legalise it.

[monteoner]

he well doesnt want to say "yes we should legalise cannabis" because the daily fucking mail would definately abuse him for it. but you know hes thinking it

[failzzee]

So Clegg follows the 'liberal' policy of not allowing people the freedom to smoke a cigarette in a pub, how very libertarian.

[yoitsdan]

Personally I do not smoke cannabis but the is no denying the reasons why cannabis is illegal. When compared with alcohol that has zero benefit to health the argument for the non-legalization of cannabis is impossible to defend. Luckily for our government there is the stigma attatched to cannabis that will not disappear for as long as they can keep the truth silenced.

Freedom of information? Not to the masses.

[Dan070]

@yoitsdan I agree with you 100%. I saw your last comment too, 'prescription drugs would become obsolete and cost pharmaceutical companies billions.' Yes: Cannabis is less harmful and less addictive than alcohol and as for money, the government could legalize and tax it! I'm sure there would be loads of tourism to the UK too ;) bring back the British Summer Holiday!!!

[geekymarianne]

@Dan070, Cannabis is *extremely* harmful, dangerous, and deadly........ to the pharmaceutical industry :P

[Dan070]

@geekymarianne I LIKE THAT. Hahaha :D

[yoitsdan]

Also, with the legalization of cannabis many prescription drugs would become obsolete, cost pharaceutical companies billions. It's all about money at the end of the day.

[snail19]

@yoitsdan However if they legalize and tax cannabis they will make profit from it.

[yoitsdan]

This isn't about "what is good for us" because if it was then alcohol and tobacco would be criminalised immediatly. This is about Sodexho and the other multinational conglomerates that all politicians are in bed with wanting people behind bars, draining money from the tax payer and putting it straight in their back pocket.

[LucioCuddeford]

What I like about Nick Clegg is that he's got a no-bullshit approach to telling things.

Vote Lib Dems!

[Misunderstood246]

mmm... i'd prefer if he said he'd legalise it ''/

[Studas2006]

Cannabis takes away moeny and motivation

[hkcross]

Voting LibDem myself, not just for the drugs policy but 'Our Nick' has a point...

The goverment shouldn't be allowed to pick and choose what drugs are criminalised, against the advice of 'the experts'.

Imagine if cannabis were declassified... or dare I say legalised.... and alcohol classified as a harmful drug with criminal penalties. I think there'd be an over night revolution! Huge drop in violence, no-one going prematurely grey from stress... Just sunshine lolipops and all that jazz =D

[Aristox116]

@hkcross ever heard of the US prohibition? learn some history

[hkcross]

@Aristox116 that was a bit smarmy. and the noble experiement of corse was a disaster. at the end of the day we are in the UK not the US (thank god) and I don't think for one moment that they would illegalise alcohol but its the idea that they may actually consider decriminalizing cannabis, of which is far less harmful then alcohol. I never said that I wanted a repeated of the US prohibition era, just that I believe that alcohol harms far more then some drugs tat are illegal

[zdillz]

yeah, politicians dont listen to scientists enough, it was the eighties when serious warnings of climate change were put through, and they were completely ignored.

[cjonesabc]

well he didnt say no to the question asked so he must of thought yes

[shackles99]

@cjonesabc

He said he would follow logic. So if the committee places cannabis lower on a scale of harmful drugs, he would leagalise it. Following logic.

[ViolatedCunt]

Nick Clegg can suck my sweaty nuts

[OrangeJuice101]

John Stuart Mill would be proud of this man!

[SethFinegoldable]

OH YES PLEAS VOTE NICK CLEGG and save lives!!!!!!!!!!!! He wants to decriminalise cannabis! thing about it, he wants to listen to the experts. The experts who have been fired for proving to the current government that cannabis would be a useful medicine. I know people who with MS that have benefited greatly from the drug please help save more lives! (i can not say there names because they will be arrested for having to grow there medicine.)

[godyah]

@SethFinegoldable Depressing situation, isn't it? I think my views on drug policy are what made me so politically apathetic in the first place!

Clegg's getting my vote this year, though.

[drummerj]

@SethFinegoldable and dont forget about arthritis, glaucoma, lukemia (and any cancer with radiotherapy treatment), just to name a few.

[leemond09]

@SethFinegoldable even if it isn't decriminalised he's still listening to the experts, which will be good

[Aristox116]

@SethFinegoldable *their. and they arent going to be arrested because you post their names on youtube you douche. do you have any comprehension of how the world works?

[Ste0wnz]

@SethFinegoldable

Too bad he fucking LIED like all fucking bullshit politicians!! Absolutely fucking pussy.

[sod16]

How do you feel that you where wrong? LOL

[MrMattman101]

Didn't the lib dem's call for legalisation in 2002? Nick knows full well Cannabis should be legalised. Over 30,000 people die of alcohol related illness every year, not one person dies from cannabis. But it seems America will legalise it long before the UK. But I'm glad to see the Lib Dems would actually listen to the advice of scientists. It's because of they're logical approach to issues that I'll be voting for them on May 6th.

[rory997]

cannabis is less harmful than alcohol, right?

[e15london]

@rory997 Tobacco And Alcohol are far much worse than Cannabis

[rory997]

@e15london totally agree - so by Nicks logic.....regulate and control cannabis...? but i doubt if he will come out and say that

[mikeyrose94]

It shouldnt be legalised tho - or the goverment will continually allow drugs which will become out of control.... : /

[rankycharvis]

@mikeyrose94 by your logic, shouldn't everyone be an alcoholic ?

[JoshThynne]

@mikeyrose94 whats that based on. think about it, its never been done before, i dont see why it can't be done

[godyah]

@mikeyrose94 I can see your point, but what we have currently is an outdated system where 'drugs' are sensationalised into a a cultural 'evil'. Our national drugs policy forces a black market, where benign substance users (in particular of marijuana and hallucinogens) fill prisons. Legalisation would both create controls on manufacture and revenue. By understanding drug use and abuse, we can reduce prison populations, better helping addicts of hard drugs like alcohol, heroin, and crack/cocaine.

[rory997]

@mikeyrose94 Drugs are out of OUR control now. Criminal gangs currently control the quantity of drugs sold, which street corner to sell them (outside of a school perhaps?), the quality of the drug (its purity, what it is cut with etc.) and worst of all - the age limit to who they will sell drugs to.

Criminal gangs control that. The police dont. Nor do parents or our democratically elected politicians.

Its time we began to control them - that means we need to legislate for them.

[zdillz]

@rory997 Its and interesting point. for example Heroin. if the government had a controlled amount to give to addicts it would be much safer, same purity everytime.

not only this but, it would put the illegal drug gangs out of buisness, thus less of the drug on the street = less addicts.

[JoshThynne]

@rory997 in one word... yes

[Ollay245]

I just think people are far less menacing to society when they're stoned, but alcohol runs rampant. Seems a bit unfair :<

[Ollay245]

he is SO gonna make weed legal :D

[squatr0t]

if only, he may relax the laws on it but legalising cannabis would sacrifice big business in pharamaceuticals and draw more attention to the benefits of hemps fibres. it's more about about power really. cannabis is so powerful, they just can't let the people have it.

i'm not talking about getting high btw. it's far bigger than that!

[squatr0t]

so no it'll never be legalised! :(

[simpleJb]

his replies are fair, im voting lib dems, i absolutely agree about the scientists, its dispicable to discard scientists research when they have plenty of proof, labour for example totally discarded their advisor's

[radbot1]

Smoking is not one of those classic examples at all, jeez, he's just as out of touch as labour and the conservatives. He's doesn't get my vote. He's just full of sh....ahhhhh nonsence like all the rest of them. He calls himself a liberal yet he's perfectly happy to carry on bossing us about just because the anti-smoking lobbies (funded by those that sell quit smoking products BTW) demands it on the basis of junk science so he's just as hypocritical as the rest of them too.