Legalising cannabis ‘could earn Treasury £3.5bn’

For people reading this who have come across the term skunk but have no idea what people mean when they mention the fact it's bullshit propaganda, please actually read into it.

Skunk isn't the catch all term for strong weed the government and media make it out to be. Skunk isn't even remotely close to the strongest weed available. And the very idea of high THC weed being some how more inherently dangerous is seriously being questioned with ever growing body evidence suggesting it is, well... Bollocks.

In short, the term skunk when correctly used is to describe one "breed" (or strain as it's typically called) of the plant that was developed many years ago.

This skunk that develop isn't some how unnatural or man-made, at least no more so than different colour roses. Skunk was literally developed through the process of breeding for favourable characteristics, the exact same (though on a far less sophisticated scale) process that brings us big bright red (if shit tasting) strawberries. Or the same process that brought is different colour rose flowers. They were all developed for their favourable characteristics, skunk was developed for its favourable THC (the thing that gets you high) content.

The term skunk literally refers to the plant. We've now made far more reliable and easy to produce "breeds" that have taken over from skunk. Skunk in this sense hasn't been available for years as the person I'm replying to says.

Skunk has come to be used as a catch all term for strong weed. But it should be pointed out that the negative connotations the government and media place on strong weed are largely lacking in evidence. Skunk isn't even the strongest weed you can get, it isn't even the strongest weed you can get in plant material for.

In US states where it has been legalised recreationally far, far more potent forms of weed have been developed. And there is absolutely no evidence from them states to suggest it is any worse.

This idea that skunk = more dangerous is not only founded on a complete mistruth about the word skunk, but is based on little to no evidence.

/r/unitedkingdom Thread Parent Link - theguardian.com