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Drugs policy needs shaking up: reportThursday 02 July 2009 The Netherlands should raise the age limit for buying alcohol and soft drugs from 16 to 18. A government commission is set to make this recommendation on Thursday, the Volkskrant reports. The commission, set up to investigate the country's drugs policy, says drink and drugs should have the same age limit to reinforce the message that both are 'extremely damaging' to brain development in young people. At the moment, 16-year-olds can buy wine and beer and Dutch teenagers are heavy drinkers compared with other European countries. In addition, the policy of allowing small quantities of marijuana to be sold in cafes known as coffee shops should be revised, the commission says. Hashish and marijuana contain far more active ingredients than they did when the policy of turning a blind eye to their use was introduced in the 1970s, the commission was quoted as saying. Tourism At the same time, the bigger the coffee shops get, the more likely they are to be in the hands of organised crime. To that end, the commission recommends cafes must become smaller and should only sell to locals. More efforts must also be made to reduce drugs tourism, it said. Dutch drugs policy is coming under increasing pressure. Moves are being made in Limburg to turn coffee shops into members' only clubs in an effort to curb the flood of Belgian and German tourists. And in the border towns of Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom all coffee shops are being closed because of the nuisance they cause. © DutchNews.nl Get the DutchNews.nl newsletter in your mailbox: Click here to subscribe
There we go again.. here comes the "mob" reason again that the Dutch government always uses to further there undemocratic ways, but yet I still read nothing about all of these mobsters marching off to prison. The government must think the Dutch are idiots. Since so much more sorry and pain comes from alcohol problems than pot....May I suggest alcohol only be served to locals and certainly limit the size of the bars....as to not be an inviting place for all of those foreign drinkers.. These moralists are just too much! By alanposting | July 2, 2009 4:51 PM Is the intent of our big boys to control as much as possible. They will fail anyway! By woland | July 2, 2009 4:55 PM Good idea raising the age limit but the question is -does it really solve the problem of doing alcohol and soft drugs. By Dallas | July 2, 2009 6:28 PM the policy of tolerance works fine why change it eh, the rate of hard drug use and other ills will skyrocket, READ THE SCIENCE By adhd | July 2, 2009 6:29 PM It will be very good to place the ban but again Kids of 16-18 years are friends and what if 18year old buys the wine, beer or soft drugs for his 16year friend. By Anyi | July 2, 2009 8:36 PM Do you have any proof of what you are claiming, kos? If you looked beyond your own opinion you would find that there are studies who support that kids who parents let them drink early are more likely to abuse alcohol, rather than those who are taught to follow the law and common sense. So, before you tell everyone else to become educated, educate yourself with facts, not opinions. By xen | July 3, 2009 2:59 AM @xen. Statistics is the science of saying lies. Just go to a pub in the UK, and compare it with greece. Or see how UK youth, sweedish youth, norwegian youth behaves when it goes for vacation, to turkey, to greece, spain etc. WHy don't greeks or spanish are so heavy drinkers? By kos | July 3, 2009 9:25 AM In the US it's even worse. When you're 18, you can vote, get married, even buy a gun. But you can't drink alcohol (any alcohol,even beer)) until you're 21! But according to surveys, by the time they reach 21, 80% of the people already have used alcohol anyway. Totaly hypocrite. And yet, no US politician is willing to do something about this. When people are not mature enough to drink alcohol until they're 21, how could they be allowed to buy a gun, or start a business? By Keith Beker | July 4, 2009 9:08 AM @kos: My sources? Government endorsed campaigns in Norway, Sweden and Australia. I've never been to Greece, so I can't make that comparison. I do have been to a pub or two in London and found the people there very friendly. I'm Norwegian with close Swedish relatives, and what you are saying is extremely prejudges, biased and narrow minded. The Spanish I've seen in Amsterdam has been far from sober. Luckily I know they don't represent all the Spanish. Just some food for thought: By xen | July 4, 2009 9:33 AM Place your comments: |
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i was able to buy alcohol, (beer, wine, and others) in my country (greece) and still children are since I was 10-12, because my parents would send me for shopping for example.Never i had any problems myself or my friends. Here (europe) or in the US it is totally pathetic when i see pple to ask for an ID.If someone and especially children want to get @high@ they will do it no matter what...even with glue (to exagerrate a bit). It is the PARENTS and the way they bring up their children.Parents should be educated and not just put bans on everything.
P.s. i was a student in glasgow. I remember when i went there first year, fresher's (students at the age of 17-18) were not allowed to go to pubs ( i was totally AMAZED WITH IT) and then when they were turning 18, they were behaving like animals.drinking all day, smoking all day.Is that better? always when you ban something become attractive.
By kos | July 2, 2009 9:23 AM