h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Mayors of some of the largest Dutch cities recently proposed to legalize the supply of cannabis to the famed Dutch "coffee shops". The argument being that since buying weed was practically legal anyway why should people try to bother with criminals just to get it in stock?

Dutch farmers get upset over European legislation that forbids their cows and pigs from producing too much manure, and have more reasons to get upset when the police comes along to grab their illegal cannabis crop. They (the police) bring that crop to a furnace to have it burned. Suggestions that the officers put their noses too close to the exhaust pipe are routinely denied.

Perhaps the best argument in favor of legalization comes from financial analysts. An analyst who wished to remain anonymous stated that "We need to get a firm grip on this problem. We can levy sales tax and all kinds of other taxes on this product. Many people come to Holland just to get weed so it is paramount the stuff is totally illegal abroad; they will spend a lot of money here and with a good tax system in place we could grab at least 50% of all that dough. Problem is, you can't tax a sale that isn't legal. At least we're not that brilliant."

Not that there aren't a lot of criminals left in the weed supply chain Netherlands, mostly those importing it from Asia and South America. These are an unruly lot who think they have reasons to shoot people. Of course, legislation will turn these folks either into law abiding, tax paying citizens with a legitimate business or put them totally out of business.

As things stand however, "pressure from abroad" caused the cabinet to veto legislation, despite a majority backing it in parliament. However nobody in there is stoned enough to topple the government over a good blunt. Right now the "Abroad" has a nice weed problem in Holland that might just allow them to ignore the often extremely widespread use of this product in their own backyard.

More general factiods and some from personal experience.

A few weeks ago I saw a feature on the BBC 6pm news that said that some 80% of all teenagers in Britain or England smoked weed. Correct me if i'm wrong on that figure but I remember being totally astounded - the figure in Holland is something like 35 to 50 percent.

An aquaintance of mine in NY has actually seen one of her kids go to jail for ... smoking weed. I remember being astounded by that too... and being astounded by the widespread use of weed in the US.

It occurs to me often enough that it isn't the place of a government to tell me what substance I should or should not be using. Perhaps not all people on this planet are matured enough to be able to decide for themselves, but that's not my immediate concern. A great many laws have a paternal stance, assuming generically that I am not able to decide for myself; It seems to me to be out of date.

Hee You will never see those figures bandied about in hardline prohibition countries like the US and the UK - in fact they often lie about the facts - US Drug Tsar has said that The Netherlands having higher murder rates than the US!!!!!! Frightening and basically saying it is their drug policies fault!!!! Nightmare. The thing about the Netherlands model is that it seems to work - fewer people smoke cannabis per head of pop, fewer hard drug users, with longer life expectancies - never ever mentioned here. It is a sin.

http://www.marijuananews.com normally highlights most of the excesses, the lack of press coverage of positive cannabis stories, journalists taking Governmental Drug stats and info at face value - a bit Americancentric (as the mannie who runs it lives there), but overall it is a kick ass web site.
BCNU - Crescent

Well it was stated on the BBC news and they had even sent a reporter across the channel to get Dutch comments and stats from here.

Some German cities are also starting to use the Dutch model - if you can't beat 'em, join 'em It appears that local authorities - especially those in the big cities, have a much better clue concerning the facts and figures and the reality of the street.

I've yet to hear valid arguments against weed. Top scientists dont get further than stating inhaling any type of smoke is bad. One of the best arguments against it that I heard is that a shirt made out of hemp fiber will last a few generations and so the species should be wiped out to preserve jobs and prospects in the fashion & clothing business. "Yes this suit is actually mine through patrilinear descent". You'd still be wearing a kilt from the Danish longboat crews brother hehehe

Thanks for the link to that site - interesting reading! I guess in countries where weed is illegal people also smoke it as a political and anti-establishment statement - given how people are I guess that could well explain why usage levels are so much lower here than in the UK or US.