Productions
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26 November 2011
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BBC Scotland / Eorpa
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Stricter Dutch soft drugs policy |
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As is widely known, the Netherlands has for many years operated a policy of tolerance towards soft drug use. This is not a laissez-faire policy, however, as the distribution of hashish and marijuana to the public is strictly regulated by means of the coffee shop system. A common misconception is that soft drugs have been legalised in Holland whereas in fact cultivation and possession remain a criminal offence. Personal use is tolerated, however, and there are many coffee shops where smoking joints on the premises is allowed. The actual conservative Dutch government decided to start seriously restricting the policy by introducing new measures that have to turn coffee shops into private clubs where only Dutch citizens can purchase soft drugs. Besides this also the restrictive distance between a coffee shop and a school is changed from 250 to 350 meters, and cannabis with more than 15% THC will be regarded as hard drugs, so will be forbidden. Time to talk to coffee shop owners, a specialised lawyer, people that oppose the cannabis ban en the new legislation and to locals that are afraid that annoyance in the streets will rise, due to the sales going back to the street. Is this the end of the successful Dutch soft drugs policy?
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