Roosendaal setting a bad example.

[leo-rcc]

In a totally moronic effort to stop drug tourism to the city, Roosendaal has ordered the closing of all coffeeshops that used to sell Marijuana legally. These shops used to be very adherent to the local drug policies and I have never met anyone as long as I have lived there that had a problem with these shops or its clientele. the only ones that did annoy us were the illegal sellers that started peddling after the official shops closed as they would deal next to cars standing still in the middle of the street holding up traffic. And these people are now going to get more customers than ever of course.

The city has also launched a website explaining (in Dutch) that the golden days of buying cannabis in the Netherlands is over, so don't even try.

Bad idea, bad.

I am not a user of cannabis, but I fully support the legal status of cannabis use (and pretty much any other drug as long as it doesn't harm others).

[Feck]

So no nice gentle stoners ambling around your streets ? All your tourists will be there for sex or tulips ,not a great idea .

[leo-rcc]

So no nice gentle stoners ambling around your streets ?

Of course there will be, but they will just get ripped off by the illegal dealers.

All your tourists will be there for sex or tulips ,not a great idea .

Sex, possibly, but I have yet to find a tulip in Roosendaal.

[devogue]

I fucking hate Jim Rosenthal.

Oops. Wrong thread.

[leo-rcc]

Yeah, I never understood the name either. It means Rose valley, but it is not in a valley and there are no roses.

The silliest thing though, the website is aimed at drug tourists from Belgium and France predominately but the whole site is in Dutch. Like the tourists will understand that. http://www.cestfini.be/

[Trolldor]

Christ, don't they get it? Prohibition doesn't work.

[AshtonBlack]

Awwwwwwwww........ Fuckin' Haters Man!!!

[charlou]

The city has also launched a website explaining (in Dutch) that the golden days of buying cannabis in the Netherlands is over, so don't even try.

Is this correct? Is cannibis no longer to be legally obtainable in the Netherlands? If not, it's a very misleading claim on the part of one particular city.

I agree that this action is naive, but I'm wondering what problems, if any, have arisen due to 'drug tourism' that may have brought about this decision?

[Feck]

The city has also launched a website explaining (in Dutch) that the golden days of buying cannabis in the Netherlands is over, so don't even try.

Is this correct? Is cannibis no longer to be legally obtainable in the Netherlands? If not, it's a very misleading claim on the part of one particular city.

I agree that this action is naive, but I'm wondering what problems, if any, have arisen due to 'drug tourism' that may have brought about this decision?

Not many ... look at Portugal they decriminalized personal possession of all drugs and the crime rate fell through the floor ,compare and contrast with the UK drug related crime stats ,and HIV infection rates .Even if it is just cannabis that you decriminalize at least you would not be funding organised crime .look at the history of heroin abuse in the UK ...but a hundred years before they made it illegal 5 out of 6 households had laudanum in the bathroom cabinet .
we ALL got fucked when the governments sold out to the tobacco barons on this one .Prohibition a policy that has never worked anywhere ,with any substance .The worlds Biggest economy is Cocaine ....coke makes more money than the US .

[Trolldor]

The city has also launched a website explaining (in Dutch) that the golden days of buying cannabis in the Netherlands is over, so don't even try.

Is this correct? Is cannibis no longer to be legally obtainable in the Netherlands? If not, it's a very misleading claim on the part of one particular city.

I agree that this action is naive, but I'm wondering what problems, if any, have arisen due to 'drug tourism' that may have brought about this decision?

Not many ... look at Portugal they decriminalized personal possession of all drugs and the crime rate fell through the floor ,compare and contrast with the UK drug related crime stats ,and HIV infection rates .Even if it is just cannabis that you decriminalize at least you would not be funding organised crime .look at the history of heroin abuse in the UK ...but a hundred years before they made it illegal 5 out of 6 households had laudanum in the bathroom cabinet .
we ALL got fucked when the governments sold out to the tobacco barons on this one .Prohibition a policy that has never worked anywhere ,with any substance .The worlds Biggest economy is Cocaine ....coke makes more money than the US .

People will use drugs whether they are legal or not, but if you legalise, regulate and tax them you not only control the flow you eliminate a large source of income from criminal organisations - and sometimes official ones - and actually generate money off their use instead of wasting millions, or billions, in trying to enforce prohibition which doesn't do shit.

[leo-rcc]

The city has also launched a website explaining (in Dutch) that the golden days of buying cannabis in the Netherlands is over, so don't even try.

Is this correct? Is cannibis no longer to be legally obtainable in the Netherlands? If not, it's a very misleading claim on the part of one particular city.

Cannabis is still legal in the Netherlands, but there are more strict rules about it since September.

- Smoking of cannabis inside the shops is still allowed (the phrase is tolerated). Up to 5 grams may be purchased and consumed inside the shop. So far only Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom have closed coffee shops completely. Amsterdam has closed a few coffee shops because they were too close to high schools.
- Taking Cannabis outside the coffee shop is at all times illegal.
- If Cannabis is found on your person outside the coffees hop it will be confiscated.
- If you take Cannabis across the border both the cannabis and your vehicle will be confiscated. Also any large amounts of money.
- If you travel with more than one person every person will be charged with possession of the total amount of cannabis found. So if you have 5 grams, and 2 friends also have 5 grams each, all three persons will be charged with possession of 15 grams.
- For export of Cannabis is a maximum sentence of 4 years imprisonment.
- If you have been caught before stronger sentences may be imposed.

This took me about 5-10 minutes to translate and double check, funny that a government website aimed at foreigners doesn't have translations on its site anywhere isn't it?

So the rules have become a lot more strict than before, but most drug tourists will smoke inside the coffee shops anyway so that is no big deal. And it's not like everybody that steps outside a coffee shop is being stopped and searched. Specially not in the major cities.

I agree that this action is naive, but I'm wondering what problems, if any, have arisen due to 'drug tourism' that may have brought about this decision?

I have lived in Roosendaal for 12 years, about 200 meters away from the Blue moon coffee shop that has closed now and in those 12 years neither I or any of my neighbors that I am aware of had any problems. The only bother that I know of is of Belgian friends of mine driving into the street after closing hours (which is 8PM for coffee shops) and some guy practically jumping on the bonnet with the universal "wanna smoke?" gesture, trying to sell cannabis on the street. Those are the people I would like to see some action undertaken on, because these are the very persons that will benefit from this new legislation.

[The Dawktor]

I fucking hate Jim Rosenthal.

Oops. Wrong thread.

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