My answer to the lock down rules - dope.

Alright, dude.

The jury is out, I think, on whether it does lead to stronger drugs.
www.drugabuse.gov/publications/research-reports/marijuana/marijuana-gateway-drug

Well when it leads to something stronger..... I have worked with young people whose life changed with this stuff. . A girl of 18 in a long term coma just looking at the ceiling. Her distraught parents filling the room with teddy's and balloons hoping their girl would come back to them. The young lad in prison who told his story of dead houses as they were called. All so completely damaged and off the heads on heroin, that when one of them had died, they would all leave the dead house, and leave the dead heroin addict behind. No dignity in death from this stuff is there.......

Recipe MerylStreep?

You don't have to smoke it. You can make biscuits ?
Not every supplier is a county lines drug runner.
I sourced it for years for a friend with MS to ease her pain before she had the implant.

60’s joints have no relation to what is being smoked now.

As others have said it’s not the smoking it’s the County Lines dealing, it’s the knife crime and gangs surrounding the culture.

I have to admit to rather liking the smell

The stuff reeks. A young chap who used to live a couple of roads away used to pass down the lane here and you could smell him before he was anywhere near you. I think the family must have moved as I haven't seen him for months. He was off his head at times too .

A doctor who lived about half a mile away used to " obtain " it for her daughter who had many medical problems----it certainly didn't do her any good from what I used to see of her. The same doctor fought for contraception for Catholic women, and won then wrote a book ---which I have.

The cannabis being smoked now is a completely different drug to what was being smoked in the 60’s,70’s and 80’s.

What’s available now is a hybrid known as “ skunk” it is a dangerous gateway drug and highly addictive

Dope earned its name as it tended to make one soporific
Skunk is a different animal.

For every joint smoked be it in a derelict squat or a Chelsea dinner party someone has had to farm,harvest and run these drugs, these people are often vulnerable and they are slaves to the drug barons.

It’s a massive no from me.

Perhaps he didn't put the dope all the way through the joint, or put it the end opposite the tip and smoked it first?

Dunno Dinahmo to be honest and I was too disappointed to spend another tenner and try again!

I tthink the sensible thing to do is lift all the social limits on young people, whether at university or not and let them all get the virus. It is unlikely to kill them or do long term harm, compared with the risks they already face from drink, drugs and mental problems.

Lots of them will get COVID and the herd immunity rate will rise. The one restriction on them will be that they are not allowed to mix with, or share a house with anyone over 45. It will mean staying on campus or within restricted areas and they will have to quarantine for a fortnight before any prolonged contact with older people. Such as going home during vacations, but I am sure that the freedom of association within the university community will make them happier and ready to study and older university staff could lecture online, which they are already doing.

Just an idea, only half tongue in cheek but a lot better idea than that of the OP.

With luck the number of people who have had the disease will rise and once they ahve had COVID, the chances of them catching it again are slight.

As a poacher turned game keeper (smoked dope as a teenager, later became a specialist drugs worker in the criminal justice system) I would add the Stuff that we smoked in the early 70’s was very different to the THC laden stuff that is available today. I too have known young males who smoke dope suffer serious mental health issues . However many would come under the “dual diagnosis “ umbrella. It can be that the young person starts to smoke dope to block out the early symptoms of mental health issues particularly schizophrenia.
Personally I can’t stand the smell of the stuff now, particularly the skunk that is around. I stopped smoking fags completely 4 years ago and know that I can never puff anything again or I would be immediately back to the cigs.
I do know that from experience in the criminal justice system I had more offenders commit crimes through the excessive use of alcohol than smoking a bit of dope occasionally.

I'm in favour of legalising cannabis.
You rarely see groups of stoners on the rampage; they're too relaxed and mellow to fight.

The fair few people I've met who ran into problems with their mental health said that they felt they had issues already, which the cannabis exacerbated.

Chewbacca

Well, I managed to miss the excitement of smoking a joint when I was a teenager and decided to give it a go when I was in my early fifties. A young friend sourced the cannabis for me and carefully rolled a joint. And I waited for that sense of peace and calmness, or even a fit of the giggles to settle in. Nada. Nothing. No reaction whatsoever. What a disappointment. So that was £10 wasted.

Perhaps he didn't put the dope all the way through the joint, or put it the end opposite the tip and smoked it first?

I’d happily do time for the damage I’d do to anyone supplying drugs to any if my grandchildren..... you read it here first!

Well, I managed to miss the excitement of smoking a joint when I was a teenager and decided to give it a go when I was in my early fifties. A young friend sourced the cannabis for me and carefully rolled a joint. And I waited for that sense of peace and calmness, or even a fit of the giggles to settle in. Nada. Nothing. No reaction whatsoever. What a disappointment. So that was £10 wasted.

Bluebelle If you must know I'm 73. I started smoking cigarettes when I was about 19 and was quite a heavy smoker. It was one way to keep my weight down!!

No hangovers from smoking dope.

I agree that not everyone falling out of pubs is young not that I said people were falling out of pubs. I said falling over.

Funny though, that lots of people smoke dope in order to deal with serious health problems.

We have some very old friends, the husband being one of 3 siblings, all male. Each one has children and one or more of their children have mental health problems and none of them have smoked.

I was always afraid to try drugs of any kind in the '60s. I still am. I'll stick to a few glasses of Pino Grigio.
.

What a stupid post what age are you dinahme I have seen a young friend of the families life totally ruined by smoking nothing more than cannabis he was a good looking clever young man he has never had any type of normal life been in and out of mental health establishment never been able to hold down a full time job, a life ruined by smoking joints
Did you know that cannabis is worse for your lungs than Cigarettes when I worked for the NHS and we did breath tests the Cannibis smokers were way higher than cigarette smokers
Very irresponsible and any not every person falling out of a pub Is young I bet there are just as many old drinkers ‘falling out of the pubs‘
There’s nothing gentle about regular cannabis smokers lucca

There are far more problems with alcohol than drugs. The reason, I reckon, why the government makes more of a fuss with drugs is that they get a huge amount of tax from the sale of alcohol! If we all started smoking dope it would be taxed in an instant.

Lucca

I’d quite like some but can’t do smoking any more. It always struck me as a gentler form of fun than boozing. It always surprises, amuses me how so many of the older generation look down on cannabis while cheerfully swigging claret and gin.....

I agree with you Lucca My OH and I stopped smoking cigarettes when we were in our mid to late twenties bu smoking joints. We were on holiday in Wales with friends and the joints started being passed after breakfast. We didn't smole cigarettes during that time. The dope ran out around the time we left but we didn't smoke cigarettes again. Ever.

Thousands of people smoked dope without developing mental health problems or moving on to harder drugs such as heroin.

I know two young men who developed mental health problems whilst at uni, neither of whom took drugs of any kind.

You may know someone who has developed schizophrenia after using cannabis but I know two people who have “drunk themselves to death”.

I’d quite like some but can’t do smoking any more. It always struck me as a gentler form of fun than boozing. It always surprises, amuses me how so many of the older generation look down on cannabis while cheerfully swigging claret and gin.....

Just replacing one bad thing with another .