> You can argue cannabis is harmless but that’s simply not true. Most studies that look at long term usage conclude it affects the brain.

Let's assume this is true. Nobody is saying they needn't be punished, but put them to death?

> https://youtu.be/-PXAOZwvv04

LKY says in the video: "In America they're changing their minds and sending people back to the death row." Yeah, but not for this.

> Let's assume this is true. Nobody is saying they needn't be punished, but put them to death?

There’s warning before you get off the plane. Warnings when you get off the plane. Warnings when you go through customs.

That’s not an argument for the death penalty. Are you saying that it’s ok to kill people for whatever reason as long as they’re informed?

> for whatever reason

But there's a very specific reason here, and it's easy to avoid.

No one is put to death for personal use. Only if you possess large enough quantities that makes you a dealer peddling typically peddling cannabis to large groups of people including underage kids.

I personally don't believe in death penalty and I hope it's abolished entirely. But facts needs to be stated with clarity.

Also Lee Kwan Yew is a legend. An absolute hero for bringing this country to where it is today. This is just my personal opinion, probably unpopular, but let me be free to state what I feel.

And to add - as of 2013 - laws have changed, death penalty rules are changing. Not changing fast enough, but changing. Hopefully they abolish it entirely asap.

> Most studies that look at long term usage conclude it affects the brain.

I take it then you're also in favour of the death penalty for alcohol consumption, distribution, and production then?

It would certainly be hypocritical if that were not the case.

Almost any type of contact sport too. Martial arts, boxing, football, all proven to cause permanent damage even when protection is worn.

Sports are virtuous, drunkenness is not.

Brain damage is virtuous to those that are probably brain damaged.

“One bad thing is too deeply rooted in society to remove, so we have to accept a different bad thing and allow it to take root?”

Alcohol and tobacco are empirically worse than cannabis, which is just as rooted in society. The choices of what is legal and what isn't came down to class and politics, not medical evidence.

So yes? Acceptance, regulation and social safety nets are probably the way to go for a lot of drugs. The alternative is to indefinitely fight an unwinnable war, to perpetuate a cycle of death and murder seemingly oblivious that the fight itself and the consequences of a punitive system are the things taking most of those lives, not the drugs.

* * *

95% of people will say a lot of things when they have a gun pointed to their head.

There is no gun to anyone’s head—in particular, tobacco use is neither illegal nor considered immoral, but people don’t smoke anyway. I know it shocks Americans to learn that people can exercise self control and refrain from vices.

I'm not an American, but Australian.

If that's the comment that you wish to make then by all means do so.

Adding quotes and a question mark makes it appear is if you are paraphrasing the comment that I made which I'd kindly ask you not to do as I can speak for myself and that's not what I stated.

You know what else affects the brain in a negative way? Execution.

Good. Those drug traffickers ruin too many lives.

Wow. Sucks that the nice lady who sells me my weed at the chemist I get under prescription is someone you think should die.

Maybe the reason why people are so miserable in your country is because they execute people. Drug use is a symptom, not a cause. A society that devalues life to the point normalizing of ending of it can never be a happy one. People abuse drugs to escape, what do you think they're trying to escape from?

If it's the drugs and the dissemination of them that you find are objectionable enough to murder those who participate, my nice pharmacy lady is just as guilty. You want her to die, or you're a hypocrite.

What makes you think people are “miserable?” East Asia has the lowest percentage of people who say they desire to emigrate elsewhere out of anywhere in the world: https://news.gallup.com/poll/468218/nearly-900-million-world.... Just 4%, versus 15% in North America.

A statistic showing a lack of desire to emigrate can't be equated to a happiness rating, given how political belief and other biases can be equal or greater factors.

Different cultures don’t equate “wellbeing” with “happiness” in the same way. To me, “happiness” is for children. For adults, I’d use something like “satisfaction” or “contentment.”

Looking at America vs Singapore. Pretty sure America is WAY more miserable. Singaporeans are probably miserable about the heat if anything. Because the safety of the country is amazing. You can chop a table in a cafe with your phone and no one will touch it. You can walk down the street with 100k hanging out of your pocket and no one will touch you. You can be a female walking in an alley at night and not worry about being raped.

In America you get shot just for being yourself.

I also see smoking, alcohol and gambling destroy families yet they are all legal in Singapore. Heck, they even built not 1 but 2 casinos in recent years.

Those casinos have been there for over 10 years. And locals have to pay to enter. And regularly get black listed. Locals with gambling problems are problems for the government and society. Foreigners gambling isn’t a problem.

Don’t do drugs then, simple way of avoiding both negative consequences

Nah, I can do drugs without my government executing me. It's cool, unlike murder.

Literally everything "affects the brain"

Do you drink coffee?

if harmful/harmless were the real test, the government would ban alcohol. But that’s not the real reason. Just like drug laws everywhere, it’s more about controlling a certain demographic of the population (i.e. poor people)

The fact that people in singapore still equate marijuana use to “harmful” “mind altering” “bad drugs” becomes more and more ridiculous as it gets legalized elsewhere. We’ll see what happens with thailand. As if for some reason asians can’t be allowed marijuana while it’s fine for white people.

They ban you drinking in public places. People used to drink on the bridge at Clark quay but that’s banned now. There’s less out of control people there now.

Alcohol can only be purchased during certain hours.

but alcohol actually kills people, unlike weed. and causes actual long-term damage, physical dependence, etc. just admit that the reason your country permits alcohol and executes weed smugglers is because alcohol is part of your culture and weed isn't.

Weed has long term damage. It’s easy to make alcohol at home. It’s not easy to grow weed at home. But keep trying.

In typical dang authoritarian fashion I’m rate limited because discussion and opinions are censored on HN.