Why does Holland have such a relaxed view on drugs??

Question

Why does this system work there??? Why is there attitude to it different to everyone else??

Answer 1

Tourist attraction

Answer 2

Personally I would call it an sensible approach

Basically the motives for "tolerated" (tolerated under given conditions but not legalised as many Americans perceive) cannabis/marijuana ( is essentially because the Dutch government recognises that soft drugs like this are going to be purchased anyway by a given percentage of the general public underground, and by managing the sales then it takes away some of the criminal aspects behind the industry that inevitably exist

By doing this, it also allows the resources that the police have for drugs to target consumption & sales of hard drugs more stringently and effectively than having to spread resources (with the time and admin it takes for simple prosectutions of small quantities of soft drugs).  Note - the Netherlands does not have a relaxed view on hard drugs (another myth!) - the police actively and stringently act on sales, consumption and all parts of the hard drug trade

At grass route level - its a little bit like the kid and the cookie jar example. If you hide away the jar from reach of the child it becomes a big deal and the child will do anything to get to it. If the jar is on the counter every day then it just becomes normal and by not being "forbidden goods" then it's no longer interesting!

As a result at most age groups in comparison with most other countries in Western Europe, the Netherlands have a lower percentage of people who actually partake on a regular basis anyway

P.S. - for the two people above me, the Netherlands does not need the revenue from drugs tourists actually, and the vast majority of the general public don't want this kind of tourism anyway.  There are plenty of great places - culture, art, historical, adventure, sports etc etc things to do in the Netherlands.  If people want to smoke a joint while over here, then so be it, live & let live.  However, for the ones who come over just to get stupid drunk or comatosed from weed.... well, we can live without their brand of tourism quite nicely thanks

Answer 3

it's like this thing with the grass on the other side , which tastes better, knowing that weed ecc isn't any more bad than alcohol and sigarettes,it's easier to allow it, so we don't have - only talking of this case- a drug problem. the more you don't allow it, the more people want it, we see it at our german hash-tourist, who don't smoke one joint toghether with 5 others, enough for the whole evening, but they smoke bong's and joint's with 5 gramm in one joint, just to get as stoned as possible, allowing it, you take this away, the people use it more relaxed, just like you take a bottle of wine for the evening with your girlfriend at home..

Answer 4

When we were there this year- I noticed that while marijuana is legal, they don't seem to have a problem (as much as we do) with harder drugs.

The policy there seems to be "live and let live", letting people choose how they like to live.

With less government involvement- it actually isn't as big a deal...

Answer 5

They don't.

Technically soft drugs are NOT legal there, the police merely tolerate the sale of soft drugs because their stance on drug dealers is 'divide and conquer' - if they let the guys who sell the soft drugs work away, and focus on those who sell the really dangerous substances like cocaine, heroine, XTC and meths, then they automatically halve their problem. And if any of those soft drugs dealers, usually coffee shop owners, start dealing the hard stuff under the counter, the police do hear of it and move in and shut them down WITHIN THE HOUR.

It's not a bit relaxed, it's actually very closely monitored. There are always plainclothes police around. Most of the punters don't notice this because they're high as kites on space cakes.

The proof this system works lies in the fact that very few teenagers who experiment with soft drugs move onto hard drugs, the vast majority of them get bored with it and stop. I don't understand why other countries refuse to see the benefits of this system, because it addresses the cause of so many problems: addiction to hard drugs.  

Answer 6

There are many reasons for.

But unfortunately Dutch see only half of the picture. The other half is that although the Dutch are allowed to consume marijuana and other soft drugs, they are not allow to grow or produce ANY drug inside the Netherlands. As such they have created a huge market in their country but have also exported the crime of producing it in other countries.

Knowing the Dutch and their attitude towards..money, I can assure you there is no other reason of allowing it than tourism and profit. By the time they will close down all coffee shops, tourism from Amsterdam will disappear in a blink of an eye. They know it. We know it too.

Answer 7

Because they've probably seen the effect banning them has on other countries.

Answer 8

tourists and also they can make billions on tax