cannabisnews.com: Hardening The Dutch Policy on Soft Drugs
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Hardening The Dutch Policy on Soft Drugs
Posted by CN Staff on January 05, 2011 at 20:08:05 PT
By Peter Valk, Epoch Times Staff
Source: Epoch Times
International -- The Netherlands is the only country in the world where it is legal to buy and smoke marijuana. The soft drugs industry is big business and attracts millions of “drug” tourists to Holland.Mayor of Amsterdam Eberhard van der Laan, estimated that for 1 million out of the 4 million tourists who visit Amsterdam each year, coffee shops are a reason for their visit. Weed and hash are bought and sold in designated establishments called “coffee shops.”
Most Dutch cities have at least one coffee shop; Amsterdam has 223. You can easily identify coffee shops from their appearance and by the pungent smoke that enters your nostrils when you happen to pass near one.Coffee shops have become part of the Dutch street scene, and in a weird way, symbolize Dutch tolerance and liberality. Smoking marijuana is no longer associated with flower power and peace as it was in the ’60s and ’70s, now it is Bob Marley tunes and red-yellow-green reggae paraphernalia on coffee shop walls. For many however, entering a coffee shop still feels like doing something illegal, it is not approved of by most Dutch parents and remains taboo.Oddly enough however, production, import, export, and possession of cannabis is illegal, and violators can be prosecuted. These rather incongruous policies make one wonder: Where do the drugs come from? When do they suddenly become legal? And who decides this? I really do not know.In any case, the new Dutch government is intent on some reforms and is now preparing legislation that would close coffee shops within 350 meters (1,100 feet) of schools. If the plan is enforced, it will close 6 out of 10 coffee shops, according to a research by a Dutch newspaper.Recently there was also talk of introducing a weed-pass that would allow only locals to buy drugs at coffee shops, making it virtually impossible for tourists to purchase them. It is likely that these measures will cause upheaval among pot-smoking Dutch and tourists, coffee shop owners, cannabis cultivators, and all concerned middlemen. Supporters of soft drug legality say that for various reasons the closure of coffee shops will push sales onto the street and into the black market, thus increasing crime. Under current laws, you must be 18 to purchase marijuana and can buy no more than 5 grams a day. Coffee shops are only allowed to stock half a kilo (1.1 pounds) and will be held responsible for disturbances caused by smokers. Dutch authorities currently regulate cannabis sales and quality. The state regularly checks, not to see whether it is "good stuff," but to determine whether the amount of THC, a psychoactive substance is still within the prescribed limit. THC levels distinguish soft from hard drugs.A final argument in favor of the legal purchase of soft drugs is that the percentage of soft drugs users in the Netherlands is not higher than in other European countries. The U.K., Germany, Czech, Spain, France, and Italy surpass the Netherlands in average percent of youths using soft drugs.But regardless of how Dutch politics play out, the choice to use drugs comes with consequences. No loss no gain; what goes up must come down.Source: Epoch Times, The (International)Author: Peter Valk, Epoch Times StaffPublished: January 5, 2011Copyright: 2011 Epoch Times InternationalContact: feedback epochtimes.comWebsite: http://www.theepochtimes.com/URL: http://drugsense.org/url/Am5thmlnCannabisNews -- Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #10 posted by MikeEEEEE on January 08, 2011 at 19:45:23 PT
measures will cause upheaval among
These people in the Nettherlands better fight for the tourist trade, because the next fight will be for their rights. The hallmark of the abuser is to take away freedoms slowly, then close the gap (control!)
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Comment #9 posted by FoM on January 07, 2011 at 20:14:00 PT
JoeCitizen
I thought your comment seemed accurate to me. So very sad.
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Comment #8 posted by FoM on January 07, 2011 at 20:12:26 PT
House Speaker Looks To Repeal MMJ Law
January 7, 2011
Helena, Montana -- Republicans and Democrats aren't seeing eye to eye on the Medical marijuana law. Speaker of the House, Mike Milburn, wants the law to go up in smoke.URL: http://www.nbcmontana.com/news/26406147/detail.html
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Comment #7 posted by paulpeterson on January 07, 2011 at 13:57:48 PT
JoeCitizen-good point about religious conservative
Good point-conservative religious bigots do think people are baad. And I got an earful yesterday-from a youth "minister" that said he wouldn't support a prison ministry movement if it was ECUMENICAL. Whoa-if Baptists didn't rule the roost, THEY WOULDN'T WANT ANY PART OF HELPING INMATES LEARN ABOUT RELIGION.Sounds just like Mormon bunk to me. A few years ago, I went church to church, trying to get a so-called SAFE RIDE program going, to protect young people from wrapping their cars around trees (because of youthful drinking, that is). The Mormons, it seems would rather SENTENCE YOUNGINS TO HELL, for drinking demon alcohol, rather than helping stop that carnage out on the road of life. SOUNDS PRETTY WEIRD, EH? They don't even want to help their own kids avoid the pitfalls of youth. NOW THAT HAS GOT TO TAKE THE CAKE HERE, EH? PAUL PETERSON
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Comment #6 posted by Hope on January 07, 2011 at 13:54:30 PT
JoeCitizen
A worthy two cents worth.Thank you.
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Comment #5 posted by JoeCitizen on January 07, 2011 at 08:56:43 PT
Vincent - Conservatives
A current line of thought (as explored in "The Authoritarians" and John Dean's "Conservatives without Conscience" is that conservatives are largely driven by fear.The basic conservative view of the world is that people are bad. They are lazy, wicked creatures at heart, and will do nothing good and much evil unless strictly controlled. Control is achieved mostly by fear: fear of laws, fear of police, fear of God. Control is also maintained by willful ignorance - believe only in the reality you want, and it will somehow come to pass. Actual facts, historical details, alternative ways of thinking - these are NOT appreciated or wanted. They conflict with "The Message."Conservative talk about "freedom" is a smokescreen. They want people to be free only to do what conservatives mandate and hold to be normal or mainstream. Everything else is subversive and immoral, and you should be locked up (or worse) for doing, or for even talking about doing.The basic liberal view is that people are OK, and tend to do pretty well until they get desperate. The entire goal of society should not be to control people, but to prevent them from falling into desperation and making bad choices. Things like minimum wage and the social safety net are concrete examples of this.Conservatives, who see everything through the lens of fear and control, immediately assume these policies are meant to control and enslave people. Many conservatives also adhere to a simplistic "Rich people are rich because they are special (or beloved by God), and poor people are always lazy, useless parasites ("useless eaters" in the words of that bastard Henry Kissinger.) So social policies and programs that take a little from the well-to-do and distribute it to the poorest in order to lift them a bit out of desperation, well those are at best punishing the good to feed the parasites, and at worst are defying the Will of God.Not only do I think the facts tend to more support the liberal side of the argument, but I find it a much more comfortable place to be. I try to be a pragmatic optimist about people, realizing that most people are good at heart, but everyone has a dark side, too. And also, even if the percentage of truly evil people is small, those people really get around and do a lot more than their fair share of damage, and we all need to watch out for them a bit.A quote by Robert Heinlein that I like, "You can go wrong by being too skeptical as readily as by being too trusting." In dealing with people, try to keep trust and skepticism in balance.My two cents, hope it wasn't too terribly off topic.
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Comment #4 posted by FoM on January 06, 2011 at 17:33:46 PT
Vincent
Some people believe conservative is about money. Less money spent type way of thinking. That means less money spent on social services mostly. Some mean conservative to make people be good religious moral people based on their beliefs. That means more laws, more federal money to lock up people, more religious types of intervention programs etc. They don't want 'the children' to be exposed to what they think is wrong. It's a strange thing. I am an inclusive type of person not an exclusive type of person. I am proud to be a liberal. I hope this makes sense.
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Comment #3 posted by Vincent on January 06, 2011 at 14:03:45 PT:
Religious Conservatives
What is it with Conservatives? I mean...what makes them tick? Why is it that they always talk about economic freedom and freedom of religion, but when it comes to freedoms that differ from their idea of freedom, their answer is always NO?
The New Dutch government is Conservative. And, don't you just notice that they want to practice prohibition?Karl Marx was right...organized religion is the opiate of the people.
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Comment #2 posted by b4daylight on January 06, 2011 at 12:23:55 PT
avoid it
I loved going there when mushrooms were for sale. Now I take my money elsewhere. Not because I can get mushrooms, but because I am not supporting their policies. NL is addicted to drug tourists. When you factor in where they are on the railroad. It easy to bypass these people. I pretty much have abandoned any hope of actually visiting any city to spend money, and stick to touring on my bicycle. At least I can spend as little as I can while waiting for freedom.
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Comment #1 posted by runruff on January 06, 2011 at 07:42:13 PT
Stop feeding the PIC, this is cannibalism!
If we end this 40 year old failed War on Drugs, we won't need half the judges already seated.In another push to confirm judges, Hillary tried to feminize the judiciary. The result was, we got lawyers who were not making a living being appointed as federal circuit judges.If you care about justice enough to check for yourselves, You will see a gang of shoddy self promoting appointees who are currently filling quotas as they are told!We on the west coast have our most disgraceful judge ever to pound a gavel and create a side industry for herself preying on citizens who do not belong in prison.You might want to remember the Octo-Mom Judge Ann Aiken-Kolinsky. She is a political animal who will no doubt go places in her department. All successful bureaucrats are master sycophants.
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