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Cannabis: To Ban or Not to Ban

Tolerant Drugs Policy a Mistake?

According to a poll conducted by the Telegraaf newspaper, 71% of people say that the current tolerance policy regarding soft drugs needs to be changed in the Tweede Kamer (Lower Chambers of government)

Due to pressure from the Tweede Kamer, the cabinet are now going to review the drugs policy of the last 30 years. The results will form a new ‘drugsnota‘ that will be ready in a years time.

Most of those that participated in the poll don’t see why it has to take a year. Around 70% reacted negatively or very negatively about the current drugs policy regarding soft drugs for the past thirty years.

“Smoking joints is allowed, the sale of cannabis in coffeeshops is tolerated, but the cultivation of weed is rigorously fought. How bent can the policy be?. Typical Dutch. Try to explain it to a foreigner”, was the reaction of one participant. “Every Monday I have students that have spent the weekend drinking and smoking joints. They aren’t completetly in the same world and are stressed out and irritated”, said a reader from the education system.

But there are also those with a different view.”You can only keep soft drugs out of the illegal circuit by having a tolerance policy. This will lead to less dealing, cheaper drugs and less criminality”, said one participant. “A ban on soft drugs will bring people to street dealers who also offer hard drugs with all that goes along with it”, said another respondent.

Amongst those asked there were those that said the current policy should be scrapped and just legalise cannabis altogether, and concentrate on attacking hard drugs use in a much stronger way.

Nearly two thirds of those questioned found that the current seperation of hard and soft drugs is no longer applicable this day and age. The quality of soft drugs has increased in leaps and bounds the past few years where it has now reached a point where experts say it now has addictive properties. “The difference between soft and hard drugs is now extremely vague”, said an ex dealer. Around two thirds of people now believe that soft drugs must be banned just like hard drugs are now.

Three quarters of people are against smoking of joints in public and compare it with ‘parksex‘. “I don’t want to even think about my children seeing such things going on. Only in Holland”, was the view of one woman. Nearly 3/4 are calling for a ban on smoking in public.

2/3’s of people are in agreement with the tackling of ‘growshops‘, although many are doubtful about it’s effectiveness because most of the things needed to grow weed at home can be bought in garden centres.

2/3’s say that the drugs policy of the last thirty years has had a bad effect on the health of the nation. 52% say that Holland would be better if it had had the same policies as neighbouring countries, and 2/3’s believe the policy must be on a European level being dictated by the EU.

From all those questioned, 37% said they had smoked a joint and 12% admitted to using hard drugs. “A happy smoker is no unrest causer”, said one of them.

Source

they woulndnt ban weed they would loose a billion dolllers in torusim and in maby 5 years they would be soooooooooooooooooo poor

EDIT: also who knows how many people that live there would leave they would be sooooooo poor

De telegraph is a conservative rag. It's like the daily mail in britain

I couldn't understand from the post but was the poll conducted in the Twede Kamer? Because it's not surprising that a bunch of polititions have these opinions. But ask the people what they want and you get a different answer.

Bottom line is that marijana will still be legal to smoke in Holland even if the coffeeshops disband and there will always be people to sell it. This will lead to more criminals getting the money instead of the sensibly regulated way cannabis is sold today.

The only problem is that cannabis is not legal to grow and sell to coffeeshops but as someone suggested, they should be able to grow their own and cut out the (sometimes criminal) middle man.

Cannabis is becoming more tolerated all over the world with medical marijuana and decriminalisation and reclassification (to a lower class) of marijuana. I look forward to a day where all the European Union has adopted a similar drug policy to the Dutch. For the Dutch to start going backwards now seems stupid to me.

Just my two cents...

chinashirtgirl wrote:Bottom line is that marijana will still be legal to smoke in Holland even if the coffeeshops disband

Cannabis smoking is not legal in the Netherlands. It is only tolerated.

mindatlarge1389 wrote:they woulndnt ban weed they would loose a billion dolllers in torusim and in maby 5 years they would be soooooooooooooooooo poor

EDIT: also who knows how many people that live there would leave they would be sooooooo poor

The Dutch economy is not dependent on weed and tourism. A drop in the ocean. Anyway, lots of people who are put off by the seediness would probably visit instead.

And it's euros, not dollars, that they stand to lose

Tall Guy wrote:

mindatlarge1389 wrote:they woulndnt ban weed they would loose a billion dolllers in torusim and in maby 5 years they would be soooooooooooooooooo poor

EDIT: also who knows how many people that live there would leave they would be sooooooo poor

The Dutch economy is not dependent on weed and tourism. A drop in the ocean. Anyway, lots of people who are put off by the seediness would probably visit instead.

And it's euros, not dollars, that they stand to lose

I think you dont see the point. If the coffeeshops close, IN MY OPINION, this scenario would follow:
- people losing their jobs, if the legal ones in the coffeeshops or the ones who are working in the seed-production, who would either have to change their job or go to Spain to work their on seeds
- many visitors wouldnt come! of course there would still be the people who come for the nature and so on, but the customers who spend most of the money are IN MY OPINION the ones who come there for the weed. they buy munchies, they buy t-shirts full of bullshit, they buy everything. the people who come there for the great nature wont bother buying a shirt which says "Stoner" or something, you know what I mean
- nothing would change about the Netherlands being a transport-way for drugs. This has nothing to do with their drug-policy but with their big economy ports like Rotterdam where ships from around the world arrive. So people from Belgium,Germany and France would still go there to buy their weed. If not in the coffeeshops, then from a private dealer......


Of course the dutch wouldnt be poor without the shops, but they would lose much money!

Aproximately 10% of Amsterdam's tourism is based on weed..... who knows how many stay away because of it.

The figure for other towns is much less.

That 10% would easily be filled by other businesses and attractions. And as for the job losses, I doubt hotels would be hit, it may even make a few book there ideas up.

So 250 ish coffeshops would close, what's that? A loss of 1000/2000 jobs? What if bars open up in their stead? Surely they'd employ more people.

Honestly you only have to think about it for a short while to see that the Dutch don't need cannabis, but they do retain their policy of tolerence... it's just about how much they value that tradition, all evidence points to the fact that the current conservative government couldn;t give a rats.

Add to this the pressure from neighbouring EU countries.....the shortfall in tax revenue could easily be made up in 1 or 2 trade agreements with large corporates.

I think you actually miss the point!

DrGonzo wrote:Aproximately 10% of Amsterdam's tourism is based on weed..... who knows how many stay away because of it.

The figure for other towns is much less.

That 10% would easily be filled by other businesses and attractions. And as for the job losses, I doubt hotels would be hit, it may even make a few book there ideas up.

So 250 ish coffeshops would close, what's that? A loss of 1000/2000 jobs? What if bars open up in their stead? Surely they'd employ more people.

Honestly you only have to think about it for a short while to see that the Dutch don't need cannabis, but they do retain their policy of tolerence... it's just about how much they value that tradition, all evidence points to the fact that the current conservative government couldn;t give a rats.

Add to this the pressure from neighbouring EU countries.....the shortfall in tax revenue could easily be made up in 1 or 2 trade agreements with large corporates.

I think you actually miss the point!

Good point here.

I didnt want to point that one out, but I will have to:
Many coffeeshop owners have much money and so they have power....think about it

You'll probably find that it's the landlords that have the power and not the actual license holders.

You only have to look to t'Nes and HGF for perfect examples of this.

Tall Guy wrote:?

Tall Guy where's that cool goat thingy, that you once had as an avatar gone ?

I miss it.