Soft drugs toleration 'to end'
The Dutch policy to tolerate the sale and use of marijuana and hash will not exist in 10 years time, Health Minister Han Hoogervorst has predicted at a drugs congress in Mexico. He expects that the Dutch drugs policy will become increasingly stricter and become relatively the same as the rest of Europe.
Source: http://www.expatica.com/actual/article. ... y_id=35477
I sure hope the current Health Minister is wrong in his predictions. It would be a shame to see the soft drugs go underground again since there has been SO much blood, sweat and tears spent by the Dutch to establish the tolerant soft drugs policy that is in place. Free the Weed! Peace.
Soft drugs toleration 'to end'
dutch toleration of soft drugs to end
This won't happen.
First off, let's look at the context. A conference on drugs in Mexico--international conference. One of the things the Dutch have done well is, in terms of paper pronouncements and discussions, to "blend in" with the majority of drug policies. No Dutch statement to the world will endorse the use of drugs, nor glorify their "tolerance policy." In 1998, Drug Czar Barry McCaffery called the policy an "unmitigated disaster" and threatened sanctions; the Dutch replied by giving the US air bases in her colonies to operate in South America against cocaine warlords. Dutch troops are on the ground in Afghanistan, too, trying to destroy opium poppyfields.
The truth of the matter is that Dutch government policy towards cannabis is, in the official sense, hindered by the UN 1998 Convention on Psychotropic Drugs which advanced as its goal the "eradication of all drugs by 2008". Within this statement of international law and policy, it was impossible for Hoogsverost to say anything other than what he said. And statements at an international conference, in my reading, have never coincided with legal decisions made at home by parliament.
The number of coffeeshops is down by 3 percent since 2001. It'd be awful hard to eliminate them, unless parliament suddenly radically changed and determined to wipe out the entire policy. Read the statement rendered in 2003 on cgi.nl, the consulate website: the adherence to the current policy by the government is strong and researched. But I wish to emphasize to you that Hoogsverost, standing where he was, could not have said anything different. There's just no correlation in practice when one looks at the number of shops, the expansion of many into chains, Hoogsverost's own decision not to ban "super skunk," and the makeup of Parliament.
Don't worry. They're not changing.
Qahouaji
First off, let's look at the context. A conference on drugs in Mexico--international conference. One of the things the Dutch have done well is, in terms of paper pronouncements and discussions, to "blend in" with the majority of drug policies. No Dutch statement to the world will endorse the use of drugs, nor glorify their "tolerance policy." In 1998, Drug Czar Barry McCaffery called the policy an "unmitigated disaster" and threatened sanctions; the Dutch replied by giving the US air bases in her colonies to operate in South America against cocaine warlords. Dutch troops are on the ground in Afghanistan, too, trying to destroy opium poppyfields.
The truth of the matter is that Dutch government policy towards cannabis is, in the official sense, hindered by the UN 1998 Convention on Psychotropic Drugs which advanced as its goal the "eradication of all drugs by 2008". Within this statement of international law and policy, it was impossible for Hoogsverost to say anything other than what he said. And statements at an international conference, in my reading, have never coincided with legal decisions made at home by parliament.
The number of coffeeshops is down by 3 percent since 2001. It'd be awful hard to eliminate them, unless parliament suddenly radically changed and determined to wipe out the entire policy. Read the statement rendered in 2003 on cgi.nl, the consulate website: the adherence to the current policy by the government is strong and researched. But I wish to emphasize to you that Hoogsverost, standing where he was, could not have said anything different. There's just no correlation in practice when one looks at the number of shops, the expansion of many into chains, Hoogsverost's own decision not to ban "super skunk," and the makeup of Parliament.
Don't worry. They're not changing.
Qahouaji
dutch toleration of soft drugs to end
PS--
Hoogsverost mentions that Dutch policy "will be more in line with other countries in Europe."
First off, the Dutch REJECTED the EU Constitution. Second, Berlin recently decriminalized possession of up to 15 grams, and Switzerland is considering adopting the Dutch policy. Italy decriminalized possession of "1 gram of THC content." There's just no reason to be afraid of this kind of talk, none.
I was there last December; I can assure you I saw no "change of heart" or mind among the Dutch. They ain't changing.
Hoogsverost mentions that Dutch policy "will be more in line with other countries in Europe."
First off, the Dutch REJECTED the EU Constitution. Second, Berlin recently decriminalized possession of up to 15 grams, and Switzerland is considering adopting the Dutch policy. Italy decriminalized possession of "1 gram of THC content." There's just no reason to be afraid of this kind of talk, none.
I was there last December; I can assure you I saw no "change of heart" or mind among the Dutch. They ain't changing.