VoyForums
[ Show ]
Support VoyForums
[ Shrink ]
VoyForums Announcement: Programming and providing support for this service has been a labor of love since 1997. We are one of the few services online who values our users' privacy, and have never sold your information. We have even fought hard to defend your privacy in legal cases; however, we've done it with almost no financial support -- paying out of pocket to continue providing the service. Due to the issues imposed on us by advertisers, we also stopped hosting most ads on the forums many years ago. We hope you appreciate our efforts.

Show your support by donating any amount. (Note: We are still technically a for-profit company, so your contribution is not tax-deductible.) PayPal Acct: Feedback:

Donate to VoyForums (PayPal):

[ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, 2, 3, [4], 5, 6, 7, 8 ]

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Date Posted: 23:20:08 04/16/03 Wed
Author: eom
Author Host/IP: 216-80-74-107.d.enteract.com / 216.80.74.107
Subject: kharn!!

in case you miss it, tone posted a link to an article that we want your firsthand perspective on.

I have always suspected this about the legalization of drugs, and it's nice to see it summed up in print.
what are your anecdotal impressions?
(besides your dad hissing at people)
and what are 'injection rooms'?

here it is:

DUTCH DRAWBACK: DRUGS EQUALS CRIME

THE optimistic account of the impact of injecting rooms in The Netherlands, and commending of the "Dutch model" of drug law reform ( "A room of their own", Features, 5/4 ) is misplaced.

Proponents of drug law reform in this country, including those who advocate injecting rooms, have projected an image of the Dutch situation that betrays a selective blindness to the reality of the drug problem in The Netherlands.

The following facts from well-researched and reputable sources ( Tbe European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, www.emcdda.org ) illustrate the unpalatable consequences of the liberal drug policy in The Netherlands.

The Netherlands sports the highest rate of cocaine use in the European Union. Drug-related deaths continued to climb steadily from 1991-1997. The prevalence of HIV infection in injecting drug users was among the top 5 out of 15 nations.

Hepatitis C infection rate was in the top four. Cannabis use is well above average and grew steadily following introduction of the cannabis "cafes". The number of heroin addicts has almost tripled since the liberalisation of drug policies, and arrests for drug offences showed the most rapid rate of increase for all countries assessed.

Dutch per capita rates for breaking, and entering, a crime closely associated with drug abuse, are three times the rate of those in Switzerland and the US, four times the French rate, and 50 per cent greater than the German rate ( Interpol, International Crime Statistics, 1995 ).

The Netherlands is also recognised as one of the primary countries in the region for the origin and transit of illicit drugs, with growing concern expressed by neighbouring countries about drug traffic across their borders from The Netherlands.

In all, The Netherlands prototypical image, promulgated by some, is not supported by the facts. For a conservative country that The Netherlands once was, these changes represent a huge swing of the pendulum. At the very least, given the turbulence of the current debate, accurate information is surely not too much to ask if we are to have an informed debate.

[ Next Thread | Previous Thread | Next Message | Previous Message ]

Replies:

[ Contact Forum Admin ]

Forum timezone: GMT-8
VF Version: 3.00b, ConfDB:
Before posting please read our privacy policy.
VoyForums(tm) is a Free Service from Voyager Info-Systems.
Copyright © 1998-2019 Voyager Info-Systems. All Rights Reserved.