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NL: Parliament demands policy for the coffeeshop backdoors

De Volkskrant

Wednesday 28 Jun 2000

Parliament demands policy for the coffeeshop backdoors

Source: De Volkskrant

Date: 28 June 2000


A majority of Dutch parliament has demanded government for a policy in
which the police and the justice department "tolerate" deliveries to
coffeeshops by producers of cannabis that will have to comply with
extremely strict regulations.

The minister of Justice was not very happy with the outcome of the
parliamentary vote last tuesday and will discuss the political situation in
the cabinet meeting of next friday.

75 Dutch MP's voted for and 72 against a parliamentary proposal by the
Labour, Progressive Liberal, Green and Socialist parties, demanding
government to develop prosecution guidelines for the production and
delivery of dutch cannabis (nederweed).

The Minister of Justice (Korthals) refused to promise the parliament that
he would carry the proposal out.

He is afraid the proposal is in conflict with international treaties and
will attract "drug producers" from elsewhere...

The mayor of Nijmegen d'Hondt said that he will simply continue with his
plans and although the minister of justice has said that "the rules are
made in The Hague", he will regulate the deliveries of cannabis to the
coffeeshops in Nijmegen.

"I fail to understand why Government can't produce new prosecution
guidelines regulating cannabis production" said the Labor (pm party) spokes
person Apostolou. "It takes some time to organise the ins and outs of the
plan and this period can be used by Minister Korthals to explain the
policy abroad. He should start right away, now, this summer."

This means mt Korthals has some job as France will be presiding the EU
starting July 1 and the French have alway put great pressure on the
Netherlands demanding a more repressive dutch cannabis policy.

It is over a year ago now that mayor Stelenburg (Tilburg) representing 60
Dutch mayors, proposed the start of experiments in which cannabis is
delivered to coffeeshops under strict control by the City government and
Justice department. Producers and other parties in the proposal will have
to comply with extremely strict environmental and quality demands and
illegal trade will be dealt with in a harder way.
Through this proposal the influence and involvement of crime, criminality
and disturbance of public order can be dealt with more effectively.

Minister Korthals can't simply neglect the parliamentary vote. If he
doesn't want to carry out the wishes of the Parliamentary Majority he w ill
have to come up with an acceptable alternative

 

 

 

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