Holland’s Harry Potter aims to magic away drug caf

[bongme]

hi

From: http://www.ccguide.org.uk

Source: The Sunday Times, UK

Pub Date: Sunday, 19 May 2002

Subj: UK: Holland’s Harry Potter aims to magic away drug cafes

Author: Justin Sparks, Amsterdam and Peter Conradi

URL: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/newspa...-300180,00.html

Contact: editor@sunday-times.co.uk

HOLLAND's HARRY POTTER AIMS TO MAGIC AWAY DRUG CAFES.

THE coffee shops of Amsterdam, where cannabis and other soft drugs are sold

openly, are under threat after the swing to the right in last Wednesday’s

general election.

The Christian Democrats, likely to form a coalition with the radical

anti-immigration Pim Fortuyn List, have vowed to close such cafes across the

Netherlands, blaming them for the growing drug use among the young.

>This statement shows how little Mr. Balkenende knows about coffeeshops and their guidelines, it is not allowed to even enter a coffeeshop under the age of 18 years. Anyone younger than that will have to find and buy cannabis on the street.<

The party leader, Jan Peter Balkenende, a devout Christian who is expected to

be prime minister, promised to end tolerance of cannabis.

>Ending the Tolerance status for coffeeshops can only be cheered, a tolerance situation is meant to experiment with something that is actually forbidden. The experiment lasts 28 years now, and was started in 1976, when the minister of Justice in that period, van Agt, a devout Chritian, (KVP, now CDA), managed to persuade ‘his’ senators to go along with the separation of two markets, cannabis and harddrugs, and take cannabis out of the Opiumlaw. The experiment shows that coffeeshops did not harm the Dutch society, as other countries around us are suffering from extending drugproblems. Closing the coffeeshops would ruin all results made over the last decades, and will turn back the clock in the coffeeshopbusiness about 12 years.

Closing the coffeeshops is practically impossible, tthey are all registered, taxpaying, staff-employing leisure companies, with licenses to sell drinks and snacks. If a new PM would try to stop the coffeeshops from selling cannabis, they would go back to the illegal, but very efficient way of selling it, like in the old days, with a dealer in a corner, no connection to the coffeeshop, of course, no more tax to be payed. Booking the sales of cannabis would incriminate the entrepeneur, so we will keep it out of the books, no more tax !

Not smart, and not easy to maintain, the police would have to put an officer in front of every coffeeshop to ‘uphold the Law’.

Ending the experimental sttatus of a tolerated situation, does not automatically mean that the intended act should be forbidden, an experiment should be judged by its results, what else are experiments for. The only comparible situation in the Netherlands is the recent change of Law on prostitution, that experiment ran for 65 years, and resulted in a full legalisation, a few years ago. Why? Because a lot of people kept on using the services of prostitutes, and it did not harm the Dutch society.

Even Balkenende’s supposed Magic can not make the Dutch cannabist stop growing and smoking their drug of choice, as we are entitled to use those in our country. The demand for good quality cannabis will not disappear, no formula can ‘fix’ that !

Where there is a demand, there is a market, choosing to close the coffeeshops is choosing for the return of organised crime, and for the re-instatement of the Gateway to harddrugs, by sending people back on the streets for their cannabis, where poly-drugdealers rule. We have seen the results of that, but not in Holland…<

“This is not a battle we’re going to win overnight,” said Marcel Maer, a

Christian Democrat spokesman. “But we will chip away at the coffee shops,

greatly reducing their number over the next two years until hopefully we can

get rid of them altogether.”

>The Purple coalition, in charge over the last 8 years, did that before Mr. Maer’s statement, but only in order to get the numbers adjusted to the number of inhabitants of the city or area. They also started the separation of alcohol and cannabis in coffeeshops<

Balkenende, nicknamed Harry Potter for his youthful, owlish looks, expects

resistance not only from the shops and their users but also from his

prospective coalition partners.

>He might get some discussion with all drug related institutes, who do not want cannabis sold on the strret, increasing the number of hardrug entries, a phenomena they have succesfully been fighting, wich would be impossible without separated markets.

Fortuyn, assassinated a week before the election, was known for liberal views

on drugs which some members of his List are believed to share.

The government of Wim Kok, the outgoing Labour prime minister, had reduced the

number of coffee shops in the country from 1,200 to 840 — a quarter of them in

Amsterdam. The amount of drugs a customer may buy was cut from 30g to 5g.

>Cities or areas with the desired number of coffeeshops, like Haarlem, with 16 coffeeshops for 160.000 inhabitants, wich means 1 coffeeshop for 10.000 Haarlemmers, allow the coffeeshops to be moved to a new location, or even to be sold, with the coinciding tolerance permit.<

A recent report concluded that the average age of drug users was continuing to

fall, however, and drug-taking was common among schoolchildren.

>Again, this can not be charged on the coffeeshops, 18 year and over only ! Coffeeshops that break the rules, get a Yellow card, three Yellow cards would mean the definite end of the coffeeshop, and the forfeit of the license.<

A sharp rise in

sales of hard drugs has challenged the view that tolerance of cannabis frees

police to combat the trade in heroin and cocaine. Concern has also been growing

over links between some coffee shops and organised crime.

“We expect rules making it harder for coffee shops to keep their licences,”

said Reier Elzinga, chairman of the Association of Cannabis Retailers. “With

Pim at the helm we were safe, but we’re no longer sure.”

Drugs policy is only one of the issues that Balkenende will have to hammer out

with his coalition partners. Immigration could be even more

contentious.Fortuyn, who called Islam “backward”, demanded an end to all

immigration — a policy dismissed by Balkenende as unacceptable. Fortuyn’s heirs

have made little mention of the subject since their victory, however, and seem

prepared to soften their stance.

While talks continue, attention has focused on some of the more colourful MPs

who were elected under Fortuyn’s banner. The party, which came second with 26

of the 150 parliamentary seats — compared with the Christian Democrats’ 43 —

was formed just three months ago. Reports last week suggested that Fortuyn was

so concerned about some of his colleagues that he hired a detective agency to

investigate them.

One member believed to have been under scrutiny is Cor Eberhard, a sports

photographer who became a pornography magnate and earned millions from erotic

websites. Eberhard denies impropriety. “I’m clean as a baby,” he said.

Internal feuds have led to several resignations and only one founder, John

Dost, remains. He drives a Rolls-Royce Corniche convertible and keeps a yacht

in the south of France, but has faced embarrassing questions about his

financial affairs.The Dutch tax authorities confirmed that in lieu of unpaid

taxes, they took control of an office building in Rotterdam in which the party

had its base, and seized other assets.

Dost blamed his accountant. “The tax office has forgotten to pass on

information to the registry office,” he said.

Even more disappointing is the disappearance of Winny de Jong, a former model

and actress who worked for the agriculture ministry and was seen as a possible

succesor to Fortuyn.

“Winny’s at home in bed,” said Mat Herben, Fortuyn’s former spokesman who was

chosen as party leader instead. “She’s worn out by the pressure and hasn’t been

able to get over Pim’s death. It’s difficult for many of us suddenly to be at

the centre of media attention.”

>Balkenende’s magic should be focussed on his coalition partners first, before he can even think of starting to eradicate the coffeeshoppolicy.<

>Everything between two arrows was added by Nol van Schaik.<

Bongme

[Mr_Friendly]

that sounds bad. if the netherlands goes down the toilet of prohibition what hope is there for the rest of us.....

[Edwin J]

bugger.

Oh well, thy never going to stop us toking, no matter how many things they try to do to us.

why dont they judt let people control there own lives? doesnt the bible say something about respecting ohter cultures???

Arrogant, moronic hippocritiacal twat.

taht bloke should look at his religion once in his life before using it to enforce his stupid ideals.

[blessedherb]

Funniest thing Ive ever heard!!

Can u imagine the uproar in places like amsterdam, after 20 odd years of tolerance, you couldnt stop it, it would take decades, and I imagine would alienate a large proportion of the elecorate, leading to the rapid relection of the left!

I really cant see it happening, it would all go underground, and thered be a big increase in crime, and a very sharp fall in tourism!!

[Guest 123456]

DON'T PANIC -

read this;

http://www.uk420.com/cgi-bin....;t=3031

[Edwin J]

thats a little alleviating, but we all know america dont give a fuck about people when it comes to stamping out the innocent herb.

:nervous: