Dutch Drug Policy - Your opinion?

[GWF]

In Holland we can smoke marijhuana and hashish almost legal, but this is threatned by our clean cut minister president Balkenende and his posse, where do you stand in this question, and what do you want for your own country. legal or illigal?

[UnionofSovietSocialistRepublics]

Well i've been to Amsterdam, and people were pretty responsible with marijhuana , however here in good ol' england i dont think that wud b the case, people would abuse it to the extreme so i say keep it illegal.

[Anonymous]

Personally i like the idea that you can use it in liscensed bars but are not alowed to have it on the street.

Seems to promote moderation and taking in a responsible environment as part of a controlled habit. Perhaps this is unattainable when you consider how much booze and the like gets out onto the streets despite laws.

[canikickit]

My opinion on the Netherlands' drug policy? "fucking brilliant"

[Dr. Rosenpenis]

I agree with Canikickit
marijuana should be legal everywhere
it can be used in moderation
just like alcohol
or it cab be abused
just like alcohol

[Anonymous]

OK then, hypothetical questions. If marijuana was made legal:

*What should be the age limit
*Should it be regulated to specific premises
*Would you need a license to sell it
*How would you regulate imports (brand names?)

[canikickit]

*What should be the age limit

- 18 to purchase. But legal to smoke at any age. People would be encouraged to not smoke before the age of 18, as is the sensible option.

*Should it be regulated to specific premises

- Yeah, you could smoke in your home and in designated areas. Private instalations, such as cafés, pubs, resteraunts would be free to have their own policies on smoking. You could also smoke on the street, but not in queues.

*Would you need a license to sell it

- yeah, you'd need a license to be an actual cannabis dealer, but you wouldn't be persecuted for selling some to a friend, or even door to door selling, similar to girl scout cookies and so forth.

*How would you regulate imports (brand names?)

I don't see any need for imports. I would gladly grow my own share. No brand names, but different blends would be available.


Of course, the Netherlands' drug policy is far more than legal weed. The hard drug addicts are treated as sick people who need help, not violent criminals in need of "rehabilitation". It's also amazingly easy to get cocaine on the main street of Amsterdam, across from the railway station. I guess the policing is quite lax.

[Nobody]

I agree with canikickit, legalize mar. in bars and "coffeeshops", but I disagree in one regard, you can only smoke it at 18+. Studies have shown that smoking pre-18 can hurt brain function quite a bit. So keep it out of the really young crowd hands. But if they have it, just take it away, don't throw them in jail, it not worth doing that to them.

[canikickit]

So keep it out of the really young crowd hands.

I agree with the sentiment of your post, LevTrot.

It is not the place of the state to decide what people do in their free time, or with their own body. The people around the pre-18 year old, their friends should advise and help them avoid the pitfalls of abuse. That is why only people above the age of 18 can purchase it.


if they have it, just take it away, don't throw them in jail

As to whether it should be taken away, but it must be given to the friends and those around the minor, not taken as "evidence".

[scott thesocialist]

it should be legal and used to treat some medical conditions like ms, me and arthritis. people all over the world smoke it so they should be able to do so without the fear of being charged or getting the jail for the night.
in my opinion the government is so far of the mark when it comes to drugs that they are failing not only the non-drug users but also the drug users.

[Invader Zim]

I Think it should be treated in exactly the same manner as alcahol...

Girl scouts cookies.... LOL

:little girl in scouts costume comes to door:

Girl: -"Mister would you like some home grown skunk?"

Man: -" Ohh how nice, Hmm I will take an 8th of your finest oil, and perhaps a little grass for the wife."

Sorry I thought the mental image was funny as hell.

[highway star]

I think marijhuana and hashish must be illegal.Because things like this show us wrong ways and force us to forget our aim.Instead of this fun we must work for revolution.***DEV-GENÇ***

[scott thesocialist]

i wouldn't class it as fun, i would say that its a spiritural thing with me when i smoke a joint i feel like i can really get into what i'm all about. i feel passion that i don't feel with alcohol which in my opinion should be banned! the weed its a mind fucker like no other but its good cause it gives me new ideas and lets me communicate with myself and others.
tell me highway star have you ever smoke weed?

[highway star]

First i must say that my English isn't good like yours.I'm Turkish.Please try to understand me.
First in our community-DEV-GENÇ-we were considering like you.Everyone can use what he/she wants.eroin,marijhuana,hashish,...But then in our community we saw that a lot of young friend lost himself.They forgot their aim.A lot of men could't come meetings,actions with rightists because of hashish,marijhuana .While we fight for Socialist Turkey,they stayed home and used that things.Then our community decided to restrict this things.Also many of us understand that they(hashish,...) aren't for us and our fight.
And at last I have to say that i used all that things more than you.But if i haven't wake from that dream,i wouldn't have discussioning with you.Instead of that i would be using marijhuana in my room.OK?

[scott thesocialist]

i think i get what your saying, but i don't think you can class everyone as having the same problems/experience as you, i can still go to meetings particapate in activities. i don't feel that there is a major problem with weed, the problem is with the individual who has to prioritise their time. there are more problems with alcohol, when i get drunk i do things i wouldn't normally do and sometime si wake up and i've forgot what i've done which is usually something stupid. so you see i'm totally pro-weed.

[highway star]

In fact i wanted to say that marijhuana,... are more bad than alcohol.Because if you use them twice or three times ,it is very hard to stop using them.Its like a drug , you must use it .If you didn't use ,you would shake and start to lose your mind.And you don't know what you do.And also its effect is longer than alcohol.Tonight i drink raký*,beer,martini,... and sleep then tomorrow of course i don't know what i did last night.But if i use hashish,... i must use following days.It prisons you.And it isn't major.And don't forget that it is a trap for us ;young people(especially us).Producers of this things falls us their traps and earning a lot of money from us.And don't think that we are living like monks.
(I need a Turkish-English&English-Turkish dictionary program.Do you know a site for this?)

[GWF]

Hashish and marijhuana aren't as bad as alcohol, it is scientificly proven! With alcohol you don't know what you have done, with cannabis, you do, and it makes you more calm than alcohol, so you aren't going to do something stupid.

[oki]

well since I'm sitting here behind my computer with a big joint in my hand that I just rolled after buying some nice weed in my favourite coffyshop,I'd say I like the dutch drugpolicy... :)and I think any country would be sensible with it once it's legalised.maybe at first people would abuse it a little,but then it becomes normal and there is no need to do it for the thrill of secrecy anymore,or to be a toughguy.

[highway star]

Last point:
I don't need no arms around me
I don't need no drugs to calm me
I have seen the writing on the wall
Don't think I'll need anything at all
(Thank you Roger Waters),

(And i know he used that things too.)

[scott thesocialist]

Free The Weed
Ban The Booze!
(scott thesocialist)

[Vinny Rafarino]

Lev-
I agree with canikickit, legalize mar. in bars and "coffeeshops", but I disagree in one regard, you can only smoke it at 18+. Studies have shown that smoking pre-18 can hurt brain function quite a bit. So keep it out of the really young crowd hands. But if they have it, just take it away, don't throw them in jail, it not worth doing that to them.

Can you provide links to this information? Remember, the goverment came up with "reefer madness" in the '50's and as far as I can recall there have been do direct links that THC causes any time of brain damage in anyone. Save for making you think you're the smartest person in the world when you are high and that you simply must eat as many twinkies as possible.

highway Star-
In fact i wanted to say that marijhuana,... are more bad than alcohol.Because if you use them twice or three times ,it is very hard to stop using them.Its like a drug , you must use it .If you didn't use ,you would shake and start to lose your mind

This is absolutely false Highway Star. There is no medical evidence that THC causes any type of [physical] dependency. It also takes well more than 1 session to develop withdrawl symptoms from any drug as you first must "build up" a dependence to the drug. If you exibited any signs such as these from smoking once HS, then it is either completely psychological or you have an allergy to THC. Either way, I say it definitely isn't your stick so stick to booze brutha.

[Nobody]

I read it in an old issue of Scientific American, I think. Apprently there was reduced brain fuction in the logic part of the brain in younger smokers of pot. They found that people who smoked later had very little reduction in brain power, like they scored a little less on average in three out of four hundred test, and the difference was tiny. Younger smokers of pot scored sig. less in something like 50-75 tests. I will try and find the issue, hope I didn't throw it out.


(Edited by LevTrosky at 2:59 am on June 17, 2003)

[scott thesocialist]

as far as i'm aware only one person has died from hash/weed he was waiting for a drop of from is dealer(major) so his dealer chucks his load out the plane and it falls on the poor chap below killing him instantly.
deaths from alcohol- thousands
deaths from weed-1

[WUOrevolt]

marijuana should be legalized everywhere!!!!!!!

[oki]

Quote: from scott thesocialist on 1:00 pm on June 17, 2003
as far as i'm aware only one person has died from hash/weed he was waiting for a drop of from is dealer(major) so his dealer chucks his load out the plane and it falls on the poor chap below killing him instantly.
deaths from alcohol- thousands
deaths from weed-1


well you don't count the lungcancer cases.one joint stands for a lot of sigarettes.but that's only because people smoke,if you'd eat spacecake all the time it would be better.for the rest it does make a lot of people paraniod and can in severe cases cause psygosis.most peopel here in holland smoke for a sertain period and then eventually stop.there are mutch more people that get hooked to alcohol and keep drinking their entire lives.which is allso not really unhealthy if you only drink a bit a day.me,I'll probebly will still smke in the retirement home for demented seniors...

[scott thesocialist]

there is something wrong with everything that people do, so why just debate weed, too much alcohol,fatty foods ,salty ready made meals, lets just say that weed is good it gets you high if you don't like it don't do. i hate poeple saying oh its bad for you it can give you this or give you that, fuck it i know but i don't care i WANNA get high.