The Dutch Outlaw Canna-tourism
Written by: Kayla Blandford
By January, the Dutch Government will adjust laws that ban tourists having access to purchasing cannabis in the world-renowned coffee shops located there. Global stoners from all over the world travel especially to Amsterdam, popular for having over 220 cafés that provide a menu of strains for people to enjoy in a pot friendly atmosphere.
Only Dutch customers will now be granted a membership that they have to sign up for, and cafes will only have about 1500 members each. Coalition government made this decision because of a nationwide program to promote health and fight crime. “In order to tackle the nuisance and criminality associated with coffee shops and drug trafficking, the open-door policy of coffee shops will end”, explains the Dutch Health and Justice Ministers.
This decision is absolutely hypocritical. When comparing marijuana to legal substances alone, you’ll find there have never been any reported deaths from cannabis all throughout
history. If the intentions were to actually promote health, they’d more likely focus on the most preventable deaths from the widely available substances such as tobacco, which kills over 5 million annually worldwide and alcohol that kills over 2.5 million people per year.
The other reason for the government’s decision is the criminal association of drug trafficking and cafes. In the Netherlands, the cafes were introduced in the 1970’s to make a clear distinction between hard and soft drugs. Since the 1980’s, heroin addiction has decreased 30% since the introduction of the Dutch model for drug policy. Cannabis is still a controlled substance in the Netherlands, where possession over 5 grams and personal production of over 5 plants is punishable by fines.
The rules of the coffee shops are regulated by local authorities with an agreement that strictly prohibits the sale of alcohol, the sale of hard drugs, selling to anyone under 18 years of age, any advertising of the café, and selling no more than 5 grams of cannabis to an individual. Any café that does not have a license or disregards to follow policy would have to close immediately. Depending
on the infraction, closing could be between a minimum of three months to never reopening again.
Where exactly is the dangerous criminality that burdens society to the Dutch government’s standards? The cafés that were producing their own cannabis are being targeted and destroyed by police in raids, forcing owners to purchase sub-standard marijuana, which actually creates the criminal association. The government is creating the connection to trafficking and the underground market for the tighter restrictions for the 5 plant minimum. They should be more focused on actually fighting crime instead of destroying safe marijuana, and placing people without memberships in risky situations of street deals from strangers.
One of the world’s most progressed nations against the drug war is taking a step in the wrong direction by falsely giving the impression that marijuana isn’t healthy and creates more crime than prohibition. Just remember cannabis is much too important of a resource for our planet’s survival, our health, and our well being to ignore. Regardless of the laws, we know people will always find a way to toke, considering we already do and will forever continue!
http://newsoftheweed.com/?p=639
http://www.sensibud.com/index.php/amsterdam-coffee-shops-laws
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drug_policy_of_the_Netherlands
