Is The Marijuana Policy In The Netherlands A Failure?
Some individuals think that the marijuana laws in the Netherlands, which allow anyone over 18 to use, sell, or purchase marijuana openly, has significantly increased marijuana’s use in the country. Those folks therefore consider the policy a failure.
Here’s an explanation of the policy and why that’s not an accurate statement. In 1976, the Dutch Parliament decriminalized cannabis possession and retail sale. This was not done on a whim – it followed the recommendation of 2 national commissions. This law did not officially legalize marijuana altogether, but it did allow coffee shops to sell it without living in fear of prosecution.
They are not complicated rules. The minimum age to purchase marijuana is 18, no advertising is permitted, and a five gram limit is placed on indiviidual transactions. Coffee shops may not sell illicit drugs on the premises. There are over one thousand coffee shops in the country where people can purchase hashish and marijuana.
What prompted the Dutch Parliament to allow marijuana to be sold in coffee shops? One reason was they wanted to lower the youth rebellion attitude associated with az medical marijuana being an illegal drug. A second reason was the decrease the chances of having marijuana users being exposed to cocaine or heroin if it’s being sold illegally.
Scare tactic drug programs are not incorporated in the Netherlands. Education provided to the younger population includes drug danger cautionary warnings and overall drug information.No different than what those who receive an Arizona Marijuana Card will be given.
Evaluating the marijuana use statistics between the US and the Netherlands overall, 31% of Americans have tried marijuana and 28% of the Dutch. Looking at older teens, 38% of Americans have tried marijuana versus 29% of the Dutch. It’s very interesting to see that once teens reach legal age in the Netherlands they are 9% less likely to use marijuana than in the US.
Fewer adolescents in the Netherlands use other illegal drugs than in the US. In the mid 1990’s, teens in the Netherlands had a 5 fold less incidence of having tried cocaine than in the US. The Netherlands appears to have done a good job of separating phoenix medical marijuana from “hard drugs”.
There is broad support for the Dutch policy. Dutch citizens widely approve of the policy which desires to normalize rather than dramatize marijuana’s use. Rather than a dramatic failure, the policy has been a dramatic success.
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