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Netherlands: Weed for All, Again? Dutch Politicians Say Maybe Cecilia Rodriguez Forbes.com Saturday 13 Oct 2012 Despite considerable opposition, the central conservative government had managed to pass a law taking effect in January 2012 banning foreigners from transactions in the coffeeshops in the southern provinces of Zeeland, Brabant, and Limburg and intended to roll through the rest of the country by the start of 2013. Pot-buying locals were to apply for a special "weed pass" that would allow them to purchase and light up. Why mess with things as they were? To put an end to the country's renowned "drug tourism" and its ugly side effects, particularly traffic congestion, noise and crime. Very nice, but it also would mean an end to more than €400 million in annual taxes paid by the coffeshops. So since the right-wing government collapsed and called early elections last month, what to do about the cannabis trade has become a political hot potato among the parties trying to form a coalition government. Two important figures in the Dutch political scene – mayors of the two biggest cities, Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and both senior members of the Labour party currently in talks with the Liberals to form a new government – are vocal critics of the anti-weed measures. Warning that the weed-pass system risks undoing decades of investment and planning, they're insisting on a total recall. Prime Minister Mark Rutte is also fielding pressure from inside his own party as politicians in the three weed-pass provinces complain that the ban has sent drug-dealing back to the streets, where it's unregulated and overwhelming police who lack the resources to enforce the prohibition. True, the number of cannabis tourists to the country's southern coffeeshops has declined. At the same time, though, as street dealers emerge, so have "cannabis cabs" and drug runners who do home deliveries. Several studies show that the previous distinction between the sale of cannabis and hard drugs is disappearing. So, too, the age limits that were strictly enforced in the coffeeshops on penalty of closure. For almost three decades, the Netherlands has been a global pioneer in cannabis policy reform, evolving from "zero tolerance" to de facto legalization through the coffeeshop network. The system, however, suffers from serious holes. The "back door" problem is one such Catch-22. While coffeshops can sell minor amounts of marijuana legally, the law bars them from actually buying their supplies from providers. A coffeeshop owner described the situation to a local newspaper: "Every day, I'm obliged to commit crimes because I have to stock up illegally. But at the same time I pay taxes on the sales." The left and centre-left parties favor new regulations of the supply of cannabis to the coffeeshops, arguing the resulting taxes would bring the treasury €500 million – €300 million in taxes and €200 million in savings to the police and criminal justice system. Polls indicate that the 'cannabis pass' has little support among the Dutch, with 60% favoring its abolition. Also, few are willing to apply for the pass for fear of ending up in the government's files. The mayor of Maastricht, the capital of the southern region and one of the strongest advocates of the coffeeshop ban recently was forced to backpedal, announcing an end to the weed pass. So take heart, weed-loving tourists around the world. The Dutch government that was about to extinguish your flame may soon be ready to light it up again. http://www.forbes.com/sites/ceciliarodriguez/2012/10/12/weed-for-all-again-dutch-politicians-say-maybe/
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