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Look at this:

AMSTERDAM - Amsterdam, the introduction of a wietpas ignore the usual "selling soft drugs. It says the Groningen professor of jurisprudence Jan Brouwer, also director of the Center for Public Safety, a research institute of the university.

'The basis of''a ban on selling soft drugs to foreigners in the local regulation should be established. .'' If the council does not want, the government can jump high and low, but it will not happen.''

I In Amsterdam the city with Mayor Eberhard van der Laan an opponent of the wietpas, which the government wants to combat drugs tourism. De wietpas maakt van coffeeshops besloten clubs voor leden. The wietpas makes coffeeshops private clubs for members. Net als Van der Laan voorziet Brouwer dat dann provides Brouwer then the crime will increase rather than decrease. ''Er is een reële kans dat de handel dan onderg

Brouwer agrees that the trade in soft drugs involve a major economic importance in Amsterdam. Tourists are''not just for coffee shops.''That is different from the border region, where mayors complain of drug tourism, said Brouwer. He believes that a "weed flick useful, an alternative to wietpas he has developed with students. (BAS SOETENHORST) (BAS SOETE HORST)

Bron : http://www.parool.nl/parool/nl/4/AMSTER ... eren.dhtml Source: http://www.parool.nl/parool/nl/4/AMSTER ... eren.dhtml

Not sure what is new there...its just a professor's opinion. Every bit helps though...

thanks for posting.

thanks for posting... not sure what this meant... hard to understand.

any ideas?

dconstrukt wrote:thanks for posting... not sure what this meant... hard to understand.

any ideas?

It sounds to me like a University professor saying there is a big difference between the border towns and cities like Amsterdam. He goes on to say that the decision should be up to local, city officials (about the pass), not a central law for the entire country. Finally, he states that there will a major economic impact on cities like Amsterdam. I hope he has some data there.

That is how I read it.

Found a better article. Now here is good news, about the Dutch constitution!

Amsterdam wietpas can ignore "
rss print - by Mick (Philosocles) on 2/25/2011 @ 2:39

According to the Groningen professor of law Jan Brouwer to cities like Amsterdam wietpas, which requires the government to make, ignore them. For example, relying on public policy, would visit coffee shops by tourists through the local regulation may continue.

According to Brouwer in Amsterdam is a very different kind of tourists than in the border region, where the issues surrounding cross-border commuters foreigners gave rise to the debate on the introduction of the pass. This adult will be allowed only residents of the Netherlands a limited amount of soft drugs purchased per day. "The basis for a ban on sales to foreigners at a local regulation will be laid," says the professor. "If the council does not want, the government can jump high and low, but it will not happen."

In Amsterdam tourists come not just for drugs, says Brouwer. Therefore there is a large economic interest in soft-served market, one of the reasons that the mayor of Amsterdam, Van der Laan and the council to exclude tourists from coffee shops do not like. But also leads to go underground drug trafficking and thus to a rise in crime and nuisance. Amsterdam is also reason against introducing the wietpas, and most criminologists are Brouwer agrees with the city.

Brouwer also doubts the legal feasibility of the pass under the principle of equality. The European Court of Justice considers the wietpas while not contrary to EU law, because soft drugs banned in the rest of Europe, but according to Brouwer does not mean the exclusion of tourists from coffeeshops runs against the Dutch constitution. "All persons in the Netherlands shall be treated equally," said the professor. He argues that no reasonable legal basis for a distinction between Dutch residents and foreign visitors, it would not be that hard

Now since this guy is a law professor, I give his argument serious weight. For those that don't remember, the idea of the wietpas was taken to the EU court in Luxembourg. They ruled that since weed is not legal in NL, it does not fall under the guarantees of the EU constitution (that all citizens can move, shop, etc where they want). But if the pass can be challenged under Dutch law, that is good news!

The best news would be if they do nothing of course

More good news. The D66 is a liberal-left party (the current prime minister if from the liberal right party, the VVD) which has decent representation in the Amsterdam city government.

D66: 'whole council should reject wietpas'

02/25/1911 11:02 hours

AMSTERDAM - The Amsterdam city council to decide that the wietpas not going to enter. Gerolf Bouwmeester, leader of D66, it will propose next week when the council returns from recess.

A growing number of cities taking a stand against the government's plan for a wietpas aimed at combating drug tourism. With such coffee shops are only private clubs where only members can go for soft drugs.

Amsterdam architect wants to connect to other cities. The D66'er has been in touch with the Groningen professor of jurisprudence Jan Brouwer, who yesterday in Het Parool Amsterdam stated that the introduction of the wietpas can ignore the usual "can continue selling in coffeeshops. A ban on sales to foreigners should be recorded in the local regulation. About the council decides there. Brouwer:''If the council does not want, the government can jump high and low, but it will not happen.''

According to Brouwer Bouwmeester has a strong point.
On the CDA after all the groups in the council against the pass. As mayor Eberhard van der Laan they fear that the market may go underground. Street''will occur,''expect Bouwmeester. The problem is that''there is hardly any police capacity to go against that.

The police are already under pressure and the animal police, according to the coalition comes, must come from the current capacity. So it is not getting any better.''(Het Parool)

Thanks for the updates Marco

Epsilon wrote:Thanks for the updates Marco

Thanks, but didn't you get the memo, I am a trolling cock???

We all like "positive" articles and news, thanks Marco

Can anyone tell us what the election cycles are like in NL, IOW when are the next elections, how do they work, and when might there be an opportunity to change the government if the Dutch people want it?

Lafe wrote:Can anyone tell us what the election cycles are like in NL, IOW when are the next elections, how do they work, and when might there be an opportunity to change the government if the Dutch people want it?

There are provincial elections later this month. Other than that, its a parliamentary system like you have in UK. They hold elections when the government falls. Here there are always, always coalition governments.

/\There are Senate elections next week and according to this - http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2 ... er_gov.php - the Govt.are going to lose control to the Labour/Groenen LI nks opposition...not sure how this works tho...Anyone know ?

Marco -

They hold elections when the government falls.

Right, but what is it that causes these changes? I'm an American, I am vaguely familiar with the process (was paying attention to the recent changes in London), but in the Dutch system, what causes this?

No confidence votes, coalition fracture, ????

thanks