cannabisnews.com: Belgium Agrees To Legalize Cannabis





Belgium Agrees To Legalize Cannabis
Posted by FoM on January 19, 2001 at 12:09:54 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Newsday
 The Belgian government agreed Friday to decriminalize the use of marijuana, following its neighbor the Netherlands in granting legal tolerance to use of the drug.The Belgian legislation, which is expected to be approved by parliament early this year, will legalize possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal consumption. It will not allow sale of the drug, unlike in the Netherlands, where ''coffee shops'' selling marijuana cigarettes are a common sight in many cities.
''We are establishing the basis for tolerance in the law, but our country will remain within the lines of international law,'' the government said in a statement.The legislation, which modifies a 1921 law outlawing the drug, will still prohibit use of marijuana judged to be ''problematic'' to the user or a nuisance to others. The law also allows the cultivation of marijuana plants for personal use.The decision by the governing coalition of socialists, liberals and greens was criticized by the conservative opposition.Source: Newsday (NY)Published: January 19, 2001Copyright: 2001, Newsday Inc.Address: 235 Pinelawn Rd., Melville NY 11747Fax: (516) 843-2986Contact: letters newsday.comWebsite: http://www.newsday.com/homepage.htmForum: http://www.newsday.com/forums/forums.htmCannabisNews - Cannabis Archiveshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/list/cannabis.shtml
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Comment #22 posted by Madog Ab Owain on January 26, 2001 at 05:28:37 PT
changing attitudes
I've been living in paris for six months and life is better here for the smoker than anywhere else i've been the choice is incredible.They've got the right idea in Europe but Britain I feel will never follow. 
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Comment #21 posted by Nins + Daf on January 25, 2001 at 11:33:10 PT:
Wehay
Lead the way Belgum!!!! Please encourage our government to do the same thing!
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Comment #20 posted by jdg01 on January 25, 2001 at 11:18:52 PT:
Finally
Hi, I'm from Belgium. Now I can smoke shit and the cops can't catch me anymore!!!I LOVE IT !!!!For all the smokers outthere: I hope that it will be legalized in your country also!Now I've got to water my plants!!!Bye
The Belgian Cannabis Page
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Comment #19 posted by fios on January 25, 2001 at 10:43:42 PT:
great news for the continent!!!
 i always felt that perhaps the dutch tolerant attitude was more to do with (eec) eu external pressure more than to do with sovereign decision-making.can anyone correct me on this one??? now maybe the rest of the eu,(ireland in particular,where they burnt approx 15 million irish lids worth of block as fuel for an electric plant) will take our point of view as a higher state of mind than their own self perpetuating retrograde decisions. (for knowledge of the english tokers,the irish state bought the minds of the 'cops' and civil servants before '12.1-1 faces blair made it his strategy for their next election) now all we need is something that benefits us all without the need for airfares or pasty-faced paranoia. do the institutions of the eu work together to reshape laws such as changing as these two??
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Comment #18 posted by Sam on January 25, 2001 at 02:26:05 PT:
Well done Belguim
Very good news my next holiday is to belgium Smmmokin
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Comment #17 posted by Bancha on January 24, 2001 at 13:29:07 PT
Voice from Russia
 Times are sertainly changing. Hope every other country will follow including my area of Wild East.                   Happy Toking.
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Comment #16 posted by danny d on January 24, 2001 at 05:38:12 PT
Ignorance
Well done Belgium. Unfortunately it is probably too much to hope that something similar will happen over here. The government in their blind ignorance will happily continue to apply one rule to themselves and another for the rest of us. Whilst my friends and 'business' associates rack up more prison time, mo mowlams smoking a fat reefer she got off jack straws son who does favours for other MP's on clapham common who tell old bill to let him off. Hypocrites 
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Comment #15 posted by Stefan Koran BoD on January 23, 2001 at 14:26:58 PT:
Marijuana... mmm...
Hehehe.Good.Marijuana is good... m'kay?
http://www.geocities.com/stiofan_w
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Comment #14 posted by madness on January 23, 2001 at 11:21:04 PT
RE: comment #6
hehehehhehehehehhehehehehhehehehedraw reserves, hehehehehe
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Comment #13 posted by oli on January 23, 2001 at 09:13:46 PT:
Welldone Belgium !
welldone ! lets hope the rest of europe follows this line of legislation and realises that recreational marijuana use does a lot less damage to the individiual and society than other substances such as alcohol.
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Comment #12 posted by THC-bird on January 23, 2001 at 06:12:30 PT:
legalisation
Britain will learn toking RULES! I wouldn't be too fussed about the price of legal puff, whatever they charge. There is always a black market + personal cultivation can be undertaken. Sesh on people, happy chonging.........
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Comment #11 posted by Stella Artois on January 23, 2001 at 05:13:39 PT:
What planet does Kane live on?
Kane, I don't know where you come from but I have lived in London and Plymouth and it's only because I would rather eat £20 worth of blow that I haven't been arrested in both cities for possesion.I would also like to know where you get the idea that it makes it more expensive! I buy an oz for £55-60. If the government offer me it at say £75 per oz simple economics means that my dealer is still going to be seeing an awful lot of me in the future. Yes? Good.Happy toking all. 
http://asb.50megs.com
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Comment #10 posted by MrNice on January 22, 2001 at 05:00:10 PT
RE: comment #6
what are you talking about, you do get done for possession loads of my mates have been done, an i live in the city, it would not be more expensive either, how could it? if it was it would fast become the biggest industry in the world, countries could have draw reserves instead of gold.
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Comment #9 posted by madness on January 21, 2001 at 18:53:39 PT
belgian tokers
I met some belgian tokers recently. They said it was already no problem being a toker in belgium. I myself have made (unintended) use of the easy access into belgium from holland... I was trying to stay in Holland whilst I had herb on me, but shit man the only road that was possible to follow led straight accross the border - with nothing but a roadside sign (2 feet across) to tell you that you'd just entered a different country. Europe must be becoming more like the U.S. in the state-border area...Keep it elavated
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Comment #8 posted by jake on January 21, 2001 at 08:22:12 PT:
R.E comment #6
Apparently 85% of all drugs crime in the UK is cannabis possesion
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Comment #7 posted by Bones on January 21, 2001 at 04:25:12 PT:
Reply to comment 6
I'm sorry Kane but I think your wrong, if it were legal then people would grow it, which is less expensive than buying it. People do get arrested for possesion still. Maybe not in the cities, but in smaller communities people and police still treat cannabis possesion as a terrible crime. One of my friends recently had to spend a year in prison becuase he got busted when getting himself a 1/4, and the people he was getting it off dropped their drugs (which my friend was unaware of) in his car. One year in jail, front page news in my area and the last time my friend could get a decent job
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Comment #6 posted by Kane on January 20, 2001 at 12:11:43 PT
Legalisation
It really shouldnt make any difference whether they legalise it or not. It would just make it more expensive. No one ctually gets arrested for possesion anyway
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Comment #5 posted by eco2man on January 20, 2001 at 01:56:55 PT
Greens changing the world! 
*POWER LINKS. INTERNATIONAL. Saner Cannabis and Drug Policies worldwide. Older compilation of many world press articles. Many with Green Party info. In chronological order. [Click table of contents (TOC) names, not the TOC URLs.]http://homepages.go.com/homepages/m/a/r/marthag1/power_links.htm and go to the "research" section at:http://www.cannabis.com/linkscgi/#research*Greens and the Drug War. Worldwide. LINKS. Green Party candidates, positions, platforms, etc.. Concerning the Drug War, cannabis, marijuana, harm reduction, etc.. Ralph Nader info, links.http://www.angelfire.com/rnb/y/greens.htm and http://members.fortunecity.com/multi19/greens.htm and *9-00. MAP/DrugNews SEARCH SHORTCUT for many press articles about RALPH NADER's September 8, 2000 press conference in Santa Fe, New Mexico where he called for legalizing cannabis/marijuana, and for harm reduction drug reform. Ralph Nader "called for the legalization of marijuana as part of an overhaul of the nation's 'self-defeating and antiquated drug laws.' ... Legalizing marijuana, Nader said, would allow the government to regulate and potentially tax its use like tobacco products." -Albuquerque Journal, September 8, 2000.http://www.mapinc.org/find?BK=nader+johnson+santa&YY1=1997 
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Comment #4 posted by zenarch on January 19, 2001 at 13:52:13 PT
Hooray! but . . . .
for those who lack a green thumb (or maybe arms & legs) the law still treats them as criminals. I may light up in celebration tonight, but I'll be back swinging my hammer tomorrow!  Congratulations Belgians!!!
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Comment #3 posted by TroutMask on January 19, 2001 at 13:41:15 PT
Awesome!
"The decision by the governing coalition of socialists, liberals and greens was criticized by the conservative opposition."But THEY DIDN'T PRINT ANY OF THEIR CRITICISMS! That's GREAT! People are really starting to get tired of the reefer madness BS spouted by the US. Rock on Europe!-TM
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Comment #2 posted by freedom fighter on January 19, 2001 at 13:17:38 PT
Yipppie yup!
This is a good news.\/
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Comment #1 posted by Neutrino on January 19, 2001 at 12:38:57 PT
Legalization
And another one bites the dust. One small step for humanity, one giant step for Blegium.
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