PLEA FOR A MORE FLEXIBLE DRUGPOLICY

PLEA FOR A MORE FLEXIBLE DRUGPOLICY

BRUSSELS – Prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende must reach an agreement with other countries to draw up new international drug treaties. The treaties of the early sixties hinder Holland in the pursuit of a more tolerant soft drug policy.

Thus plead a number of (ex-)politicians to prime minister Balkenende. Among the petitioners are ex-prime minister Dries van Agt, ex-minister of Public Health Els Borst and mayor Gerd Leers of Maastricht.

They think the current cannabis policy is no longer credible and effective. Earlier initiatives to extend the tolerant cannabis use policy to cannabisproduction and supply for the coffeeshops, were always blocked by Dutch governments based on compliance with international treaties. So maybe it’s about time to adjust these treaties, reason the petitioners.

Others underwriting the letter include mayor Ruud Vreeman (Tilburg) and Thom de Graaf (Nijmegen), MEP Kathalijne Buitenweg (GroenLinks, green left party) and the police district chiefs of regions Limburg Zuid and Midden- and West Brabant.

In 2008 the UN scheduled a conference on drug policy. ‘In 1998 UN member states agreed to rid the world of drugs by 2008. This repressive approach has failed completely. It is obvious that we must chose a different approach in 2008,’ says Buitenweg, member of the European Parliament.

Resolution Invitational Conference on Cannabis Policy

The Hague, October 31, 2007

The guests here present, representing a pluralistic view from politics, government, justice courts, police and experts, have assembled in The Hague on October 31, 2007, to voice the urgent need to end the negative consequences of the tolerant policy concerning the sale of cannabis.

It is established that many countries in the world suffer similar negative effects affecting their separate cannabis policies.

This means that countries should cooperate to search for international judicial adjustments of the current international treaties that obstruct the further development of the national cannabis policy.

We argue that the Netherlands and other countries should jointly strive for a change in the international judicial context, as to reach a more credible, not repression-only based and effective alternative to the present policy on a national level.

The petitioners of this resolution,

I. ascertain that the present cannabis policy:

a. is based on an international judicial context originating in the sixties of the previous century that is no longer adequate to tackle contemporary problems, and is thus obstructing the sound development of the policy;

b. is conducted based on a tolerant policy, making use of the legal space found in the international judicial context; that this tolerant policy is a practical but temporary solution, as long lasting tolerance policies undermine the credibility of government;

c. is inconsistent and therefore difficult to explain to citizens; use and sale of small amounts are allowed in daily practice, but production and wholesale are prosecuted; the governmental energy put into cannabis prohibition is disproportionate to the associated health risks, especially when compared to alcohol and tobacco and their health risks.

d. is ineffective in a number of aspects: there are positive aspects like the separation of markets (soft and hard drugs) and the restriction of the criminal portion in retail sales; on the other hand, no legal means are available to control the quality of cannabis (THC-level, pollution) or to take necessary measures reducing health damage; furthermore criminal wholesale profits and production remain huge and homegrowing is stimulated through the current policy.

e. puts a heavy burden on government and law enforcement and provokes criticism from some countries and UN control agencies.

II. and also observe that:

a. attempts by the Dutch Parliament and local administrators to eliminate the inconsistencies in current drug policies in tolerating not only sale, but also production and distribution of coffeeshops, have been blocked by consecutive governments for not being in accordance with international agreements,

b. an international debate should be held to explore possibilities of an international state of law that allows national governments to implement a more consistent policy

c. a growing number of countries feel the need to regauge their own policies in order to improve protection of public health and to combat organised crime

d. cannabis is grown and sold everywhere and is used by more than 170 million people worldwide, which demonstrates that production, trade and availability are mutual problems

e. the 10-year evaluation of the 1998 UNGASS on drugs and the meeting of minsisters for this occasion, early 2009, provide an excellent opportunity to bring the matter to public attention

III. therefore call on our government to:

a. start an international debate with other interested countries in order to devise a credible and effective alternative for current cannabis policy

b. actively strive to come to an agreement with these countries to formulate proposals that can be presented and discussed during the upcoming UNGASS evaluation

c. allocate adequate provisions (financial and personnel) to accomplish the goals above.

The Hague, October 31, 2007

mr. A.A.M. van Agt, minister-president van 1977 tot en met 1982

dr. E. Borst-Eilers, oud-minister van VWS

drs. A. Apostolou, oud-kamerlid

Kathalijne Buitenweg, europarlementariër voor GroenLinks

mr. R. Dufour, voorzitter van de Stichting Drugsbeleid

drs. G.B.M. Leers, burgemeester Maastricht

dr. R.L. Vreeman, burgemeester Tilburg

mr. Th. C. de Graaf, burgemeester Nijmegen