The Dutch cannabis cafe debate
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/4595018.stm
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghh!!
If there's one topic that makes me want to head off for the hills this is it.
I know the arguments for both sides. I agree with points from both sides and disagree with points from both sides and am not sure if this means that I want to see them closed or not or just changed.
There've been coffee shops in the Netherlands for over 30 years now. And yes I did for a while. Now I don't.
I'm sure that having the cafes has cut down smoking dope in the Netherlands because it's kind of mainstream and has lost it's rebellious image. It's more a tourist thing.
Unfortunately the tourists it brings in aren't just those interested in the cafes. Some people from other countries believe that the Netherlands is soft on all kinds of drugs so you get some Eastern European junkies coming in. Though I don't know if you'd call them tourists or not. I guess not. The Netherlands isn't soft on hard drugs though it does have a lot of debate going on about the best course of action with addicts. The present situation also brings in lots of dealers who don't mind what they're supplying. The dealers are often part of criminal gangs.
Also Dutch grown cannabis has been growing in strength and this has led to opposition to the cafes and calls for cannabis to be reclassified.
But at the same time there has been calls for legalisation of low strength cannabis. And politically this has been quite well supported.
But some people only want the sale of cannabis to apply to Dutch people because they are tired of the problems that the cafes are causing. This is a right wing attitude politically. A few people have called for them to be closed altogether stating that they are really just there for the tourists and it's just not worth the inconvenience.
Some people don't like the idea of the cafes because they think they are just there for the tourists who aren't interested in the Netherlands at all (and can't speak a word of Dutch!!). Considered bad manners but that is because so many people in the Netherlands speak foreign languages. Language learning is very popular there. (Gives you so much more to be interested in and you can watch lots of TV in the original languages and listen to music and, and, and ....)
Well, here're a couple of easy words.
Hi .... Dag
Goodbye ..... Dag
the g is pronounced like the ch in loch.
Should get a smile.
You can use Hi or Hallo for Hi but Dag sounds more Dutch.
There's the debate that having the cafes isn't giving out a good message as far as drugs go.
Then there's the medical argument that cannabis can start schizophrenia off in those predisposed to the illness and can cause psychotic incidents. This is much more prevalent these days than it used to be because cannabis has changed from the drug it used to be back in the 60s and is much more potent now in most of its forms.
The tolerance stems from the Dutch tradition to "live and let live" known as "gedoog" .. difficult pronunciation that one!!!!
The debate will ricochet round in one form or another I guess until all the questions have been answered politically and laws passed.
The argument goes round and round.
Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarghh!!
If there's one topic that makes me want to head off for the hills this is it.
I know the arguments for both sides. I agree with points from both sides and disagree with points from both sides and am not sure if this means that I want to see them closed or not or just changed.
There've been coffee shops in the Netherlands for over 30 years now. And yes I did for a while. Now I don't.
I'm sure that having the cafes has cut down smoking dope in the Netherlands because it's kind of mainstream and has lost it's rebellious image. It's more a tourist thing.
Unfortunately the tourists it brings in aren't just those interested in the cafes. Some people from other countries believe that the Netherlands is soft on all kinds of drugs so you get some Eastern European junkies coming in. Though I don't know if you'd call them tourists or not. I guess not. The Netherlands isn't soft on hard drugs though it does have a lot of debate going on about the best course of action with addicts. The present situation also brings in lots of dealers who don't mind what they're supplying. The dealers are often part of criminal gangs.
Also Dutch grown cannabis has been growing in strength and this has led to opposition to the cafes and calls for cannabis to be reclassified.
But at the same time there has been calls for legalisation of low strength cannabis. And politically this has been quite well supported.
But some people only want the sale of cannabis to apply to Dutch people because they are tired of the problems that the cafes are causing. This is a right wing attitude politically. A few people have called for them to be closed altogether stating that they are really just there for the tourists and it's just not worth the inconvenience.
Some people don't like the idea of the cafes because they think they are just there for the tourists who aren't interested in the Netherlands at all (and can't speak a word of Dutch!!). Considered bad manners but that is because so many people in the Netherlands speak foreign languages. Language learning is very popular there. (Gives you so much more to be interested in and you can watch lots of TV in the original languages and listen to music and, and, and ....)
Well, here're a couple of easy words.
Hi .... Dag
Goodbye ..... Dag
the g is pronounced like the ch in loch.
Should get a smile.
You can use Hi or Hallo for Hi but Dag sounds more Dutch.
There's the debate that having the cafes isn't giving out a good message as far as drugs go.
Then there's the medical argument that cannabis can start schizophrenia off in those predisposed to the illness and can cause psychotic incidents. This is much more prevalent these days than it used to be because cannabis has changed from the drug it used to be back in the 60s and is much more potent now in most of its forms.
The tolerance stems from the Dutch tradition to "live and let live" known as "gedoog" .. difficult pronunciation that one!!!!
The debate will ricochet round in one form or another I guess until all the questions have been answered politically and laws passed.
The argument goes round and round.
posted by Zeb at 9:03 AM
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