Pressure mounts on soft drugs strategy

[prepress420]

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archive...soft_drugs.php

Pressure mounts on soft drugs strategy
Monday 10 November 2008

The Dutch policy of turning a blind eye to the sale of small amounts of cannabis came under further pressure on Sunday when the leader of the Christian Democrats in parliament called for an outright ban.

Speaking at the CDA party congress, Pieter van Geel said the current policy had failed and that all the cafes where soft drugs are sold, known as coffee shops, should be shut down.

The CDA’s minority coalition partner ChristenUnie also supports the closure of coffee shops. Labour, the third party in the government, is opposed.

Van Geel’s call comes just weeks after two border towns said they planned to shut down all the coffee shops within their boundaries because of the nuisance being caused by tens of thousands of drugs tourists from Belgium, France and Germany.

Coffee shops

Erasmus University professor of criminology Henk van de Bunt says in an interview in Monday’s Trouw that he expects all the coffee shops in the country to be closed within two years.

The policy of turning a blind eye (gedogen) is impossible to explain, the paper quoted Van de Bunt as saying.

Under Dutch law, the possession of under five grammes of cannabis is tolerated, but producing and trading in soft drugs is illegal

‘When our soft drugs policy was being drawn up in the 1970s it was a miscalculation to think the idea of ignoring sales would ever be accepted abroad,’ the paper quoted Van de Bunt as saying.

Poll opposed

In a poll published in Monday’s AD newspaper, two-thirds of the 1,200 people questioned are opposed to ending the current policy of ignoring soft drugs sales, and 68% think growing marijuana should also be decriminalised. One third of those polled actually smoked cannabis.

Last month, police chief Max Daniel said in an interview with the NRC that he estimated Dutch-grown marijuana exports to total €2bn. He also warned of the growing involvement of organised crime in its production and sale.

Do you think the Dutch policy on soft drugs works? To take part in our poll, click here

© DutchNews.nl

 

[Harry Gypsna]

morons

 

[trichomefarmer]

I wish christians would get their medling hands out of everyones policies. if they want to place restrictions on themselves fine. but why must we all suffer.

There is also a problem with how many people behave.
leaving their cars running half parked on sideways, or blocking traffic etc.

smoking stronger stuff than used to while drinking and leaving there last meal behind.
it can be easy to see why locals can get fed up.
The dutch policy is meant for their cannabis using population not that of mid to northern europe, and countless people from the rest of the world.

if the other countries in europe also adopted many of the dutch policies that are obviously working.(too many tourists) then the dutch border town problems would ease away.

 

[Rosy Cheeks]

Last month, police chief Max Daniel said in an interview with the NRC that he estimated Dutch-grown marijuana exports to total €2bn.

Not that police estimates has any value or significance, but there's a lot of money involved.
As you all know, money always win in the end (which is basically why the War On Drugs is doomed to fail), so I would not give too much credence to this threat. Holland might as well ban their tulips or wooden shoes, nobody would profit from it, and it would hurt their tourist industry.

Van Geel’s call comes just weeks after two border towns said they planned to shut down all the coffee shops within their boundaries because of the nuisance being caused by tens of thousands of drugs tourists from Belgium, France and Germany.

Lol! Are these people retarded? Do they have any brains at all? There's a global economical crisis hitting us all, and they want to shut down a thriving, booming industry developing at their doorstep?

Imagining the people of Andorra (a miniscule tax haven Principality lodged between France and Spain) saying no to the tourist industry (with no sales tax, 80% of their economy is based on selling underpriced goods to French and Spanish tourists), because of the nuisance of tourism...

 

[ojd]

oh here we go again

id like to see them get rid of all coffeshops and growshops
there would be outrage as there is alot of jobs to lose plus tax money would be real lite without coffeshops paying up

i doubt the goverment could completely get rid of all coffeshops
let hope not anyway