Sat, 21 November 2009
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Alarmed by the side effects of its tolerant approach to soft drugs, the Dutch government announced plans this week to limit drug tourism by reserving hundreds of cannabis-vending coffee shops for locals.Faced with the dilemma of criminal control over cannabis cultivation and the "nuisance" created by millions of drug tourists a year, authorities have been taking an increasingly tougher stance on recreational drugs.
Some analysts point to a growing conservatism under the Christian Democrat-led government.
In the clearest indication yet of its global vision for the future, the cabinet on Friday broadly adopted the advice of a committee it had appointed to help in a review of national drug policy.
The commission said in July "the situation has gotten out of hand", advising that "coffee shops should again become what they were originally meant to be: vending points for local users and not large-scale suppliers to consumers from neighbouring countries."
The cabinet said it wanted to "limit the nuisance and crime risks".
"The consensus is that it should be much more difficult for tourists to buy from Dutch coffee shops," justice ministry spokeswoman Karen Temmink explained.
A draft new drugs policy is to be presented to parliament by year-end.
The Netherlands decriminalised the consumption and possession of under five grammes of cannabis in 1976. There are some 700 licensed coffee shops.
Paradoxically, cultivation remains illegal and the two-billion-euro-a-year industry, according to police, is effectively in the hands of the criminal underworld.
In another unintended consequence, several border towns complain of the burdens associated with a weekly influx of tens of thousands of tourists, mainly Belgian, French and German.
Among recent steps taken to deal with these problems, Amsterdam has said it would halve its number of coffee shops, citing criminality as a reason. Other cities will close coffee shops within a certain radius of schools.
I am an American citizen unfortunately who uses cannabis as an anti-depressant. Here I face the possibility of being prosecuted until I\'m buried under the jail for my choice in medication. Amsterdam had always stood as a beacon of tolerance, and hope for alternative lifestyle persons who live by a \"moderation never excess\" ideal when using any drug as I do use drugs in my recreation. I had always dreamed of moving there someday, to learn your culture more-so than the access to drugs. I wanted to basically see and experience the many faces of European culture and share my experiences in doing so. Now as I learn about the changing face of Europe I begin to see that it is becoming no different than the small-minded masses of my own country. It is unfortunate that western culture is becoming the culture of the world. Soon there will be no place for freedom on this Earth that no religious, or wealth aligned persons have no control of.
It is very disappointing indeed. Why hasn't the Dutch government triy to get other countries in Europe to legalize and regualte then there wouldn't have been the problems associated with marijuana tourism. This is NOT drug tourism is freedom tourism. Lets get that straight. Unfortunately, the Dutch are ruled by little Harry Potter and the small minded religious nuts. What a shame. Marijuana smokers are NOT criminals! They are people who would rather smoke a joint than get drunk. Why is it that with so many people wanting to smoke marijuana that the capitalists aren't standing up and demanding this new market be tapped? The Dutch government just lost my tourist dollars and I will write them to tell them so.
This is an intereresting revelation. Suprising how many people are attracted by cannabis, causing huge traffic problems through soft drug tourism. The whole concept of allowing Dutch nationilists to smoke and banning the rest of the world makes me wonder how ethical that is.
This is surely a debate for every country as the majority of the world can get the stuff but dont like going underground for it. A sad state of the times I think to see that the draw is that enticing. We have cannabis in the uK but we have to buy it illegally from back street dealers if we want to try it. Come on Holland - you guys have promoted it for years, at least share it out!
I thing the dutch drugs policy has been very succesfull in the last years . There has almost no violent crime involved in the selling and trade of soft drugs . So it has been very succefull in reducing drugs related violence. If the dutch would also libarate the growing of canabis all the problems could be eleminated and it could bee seen the same as the the use of alcahol
The problem is that other coutries like UK, US and France do not have the same policy and bij attacking the dutch well funtioning system the try to avoid a change in system . If all other countries would adapt the same system as in the Netherlands we would not have so many problems with the tourists and that would also solve the problem .
You should see the problems it causes in the UK both in mental health and crime. It is effectively hidden and the damage is devastating to peoples families. At least in Holland it can be fairly safe. I think that there are no problems associated with home cultivation and there is a big advantage in licensed premises. There should be global action on this subject now before another young adult gets led down the route of crime and danger.
Paul, I am not sure I understand the mental health angle, but you are on the right track with private cultivation. It is the black market that exposes people to harder drugs and to crime. I believe any mental health problem caused are because of the fact that one is made to feel guilty and less than human simply for engaging in a peaceful consensual behavior that is not toxic and is less harmful than alcohol. Also, jail, civil asset forfeiture, rape in jail etc can be hard on ones psyche. What message does that send to the children?The lies that are perpetuated by the anti-marijuana fanatics just astound me.
Another problem that has developed over time is that, while most of Holland's coffee shops were once run by somewhat stereotypical mellow hippie types, a significant number have been taken over by organized crime, in particular Eastern European gangs who since the end of the cold war have moved West to cities like Amsterdam. This change of management has inevitably make the entire industry much less benign than it once was.
If they stop selling me herb ,for sure i ll wont stop smoking if thats what they want, i will start to grow it myself, so insted of spending my money in going to the coffeshops in the netherlands ,well i will spend it on a grow shop near by , wich exist in every major european country.i think the dutch goverment cant take the heat from the neo-cons in the US and in the EU.
if you dont allow normal people to grow the cannabis that is sold in the shops who will take the risk.....hhhmmm........thats real difficult let me see
maybe criminals...whoa do you think?? would they be out to make a buck
tax free ........no way ....allow people to grow it and give every coffeeshop a way to grow it and tax it before it gets to the shop that way the gov makes more and the weed able to be checked for pesticides ect
the dutch dont take peoples health into concern only their own pockets...
Let me see.. I bought plane tickets, 8 nights hotel in Amsterdam for the Cannabis Cup in November. I will be travelling from the US. That cost about 1500 Euros.. I have another 200 Euro/day budget for food and coffee shops, and another 500 Euros for souvenirs, tours, and transportation. So that is about 3600 Euros for my vacation. IMAGINE WHAT THAT IS IN US DOLLARS!! :( Anyway, I am going there exclusively for soft drug tourism. I am pretty sure mine is the average US/Canadian outlay for this week long event. Does the government of The Netherlands really not want my Euros?
My wife and I have visited the Netherlands twice. We enjoyed it so much, we considered moving there and opening up a gallery cafe featuring live classical guitar music at nights.
Not anymore. What a stupid policy change.
oh yeah.. good idea.. makes sense. let's cut the 4 million tourists to amsterdam every year by 75%. no more weed, no more hookers. of course - they will probably come anyways. because holland has so much more to offer! ..... oh wait.. they don't. grumpy, lazy and selfish people. lousy climate. well - good luck. at least i can still always get weed anywhere. just don't have to waste my money supporting the dutch economy.
Here’s a current guide to health insurance, doctors, dentists and pharmacies.
Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2009.
Some basic facts and figures about living and working in the Netherlands.
The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.
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