neuseeland-news.comJ-P.C. Grund (Jean-Paul) 1 and J. Breeksema (Joost).

1: CVO - Addiction Research Centre


2013-07-01


Coffee Shops and Compromise


Publication


Separated Illicit Drug Markets in the Netherlands


Building on a long history and culture of tolerance, the Dutch responded to illegal drugs with years of practical measures without judgment. A central aspect of modern-day Dutch drug policy was a crucial decision to develop a legal and practical separation of cannabis- evaluated to pose "appropriate" threats to consumers and society-from controlled substances associated with undesirable danger. This policy successfully decriminalized possession and use of cannabis and unlocked for tolerated outlets for small-scale cannabis sales that ultimately took the form of the well-known Dutch "coffee shops." By all procedures, the coffeehouse suc- ceeded in making it possible for cannabis consumers to avoid direct exposure to controlled substance scenes and markets. Dutch cannabis consumers have actually also been spared the profound costs of bring a rap sheet, and the public has not needed to pay of incarceration for small offenses. Drug policy in the Netherlands was defined by a pragmatic bottom up advancement in which policies developed through trial and error at a regional level often initiated by local officials in consultation with agents from civil society who were supported by national policy makers. With regard to heroin and other hard drugs, the Dutch federal government at nationwide and local level put a premium on reduction of specific and social harm. This commit- ment has actually been reflected in the federal government's financial investment in detailed health and social services. Low-threshold methadone and safe consumption rooms in addition to needle exchange programs multiplied earlier and with higher coverage than in the majority of Europe. Even prior to these services were established, nevertheless, tolerance for sale and usage of illegal controlled substances in designated "house addresses" significantly reduced the threats of an open drug scene, including exposure to unrestrained criminal aspects. It likewise added to a preference for drug consumption not involving injection. The Netherlands was spared the significant drug- connected HIV epidemic that ravaged drug users and their families in other European coun- attempts. An essential element of this success, at times, was not just practical nationwide policy however likewise the degree of autonomy that local officials needed to workout of practices that did not conform to the letter of the law. None of this lacked its challenges. For instance, while the coffee shops provided a place for safe and regulated consumption of cannabis without exposing customers to harmful hard drug scenes, successive federal governments have not effectively resolved the so- recalled door problem-coffee stores being provided with cannabis by a prohibited market. While there were instances of popular assistance for the complete legalization or federal government guideline of the cannabis market, which would resolve this issue, there were constantly political challenges to protecting such a policy. Though confidently preserving the core of their policy and continuing to focus on decrease of private and social drug-related harm, suc- cessive Dutch federal governments have felt international pressure to not "step over the line" into areas such as legalization and regulation of drugs. In addition, tries to attend to drug tourism by making coffeehouse special Dutch-only clubs appear to produce more problems than they resolve, stimulating opposition from proprietors, patrons, civil society, legal experts and city mayors alike. Nevertheless, some towns continue to complain of drug tourist while delighting in the substantial earnings created by coffee shops. This report is a thorough analysis of the politics and the practicalities that enabled or led the Dutch authorities at national and local levels to make the drug policy decisions that have actually formed the lives of people who utilize or are otherwise impacted by drugs in the Neth- erlands. It is the authors' hope that it will be of use to those outside the Netherlands, in government and civil society, who seek drug policy options that What Are The Pros And Cons Of Medical Cannabis? considerate of human rights and based highly in science and good public health practice. If there is one lesson to take away from the Dutch experience, it is that when taking steps toward controling cannabis or other psychedelic compounds meant for human consumption, these ought to include the entire chain of supply, from production to consumption.
nih.gov