Austrian And Swiss Papers Look
Favorably On Cannabis Reform and Dutch Policies
February, 1999
From A Survey of the German language press, courtesy
of Harald Lerch HaL@main-rheiner.de of www.mapinc.org
Translation by Pat Dolan
Joseph Schorn writing in the Salzburger Nachrichten, ( http://www.salzburg.com/zeitung )
comparing Austria’s drug pollicies with those of the US, and some of the other
European states, also takes a forward looking, positive view:
What does every third Austrian have in common with Bill Clinton,
and Al Gore? Answer: they have smoked a joint. That it’s no guarantee of a top job in
politics is well known to the 16,000 Austrians prosecuted since 1997 for cannabis
offenses. In the most honorable way in the world Austrians are still coming into conflict
with the law over what must be the least dangerous of drugs.
See
Half A Million
Viennese Have Tried Cannabis; Police Have Stopped Arresting Users
(Marijuananews note: The population of Austria is around 8
million, of which about 1.5 million live in Vienna.)
Though the report released by Minister Hostasch is based mainly on estimates from the
‘drug front’, such estimates are a by-product of the decades long drug policies
practiced by most European states. These are based on the US
enforcement model. Prohibiting and criminalising the consumption of certain drugs has
resulted in driving the commerce and consumption underground. This makes it impossible
to obtain reliable research figures on drug consumption or the amounts in circulation.
Consequently, official pronouncements must be taken on faith. A drop in drug fatalities
alone is insufficient to confirm the validity of Austrian drug policy, whose motto is
‘To help, not to punish’. Not every fatality is found with a needle dangling
from the forearm. Many addicts die after years of misery from ‘natural causes’,
without ever finding their way into the record of drug fatality statistics.
We do not need to quarrel about statistics to know that the Austrian model which gives
priority to therapy over punishment is the only reasonable response to the chaos produced
by the current international drug policies. Rigorous prohibition has led to organized
crime becoming a power broker on the world scene. The Mafia, being the ones who profit the
most from it, would fight to maintain the status quo.
In the European context, Austria sets a middle course: no de
facto legalization of the so-called soft drugs, as in the Netherlands, but also no
knee-jerk Law-and-Order-reflex as in France. Across Europe, but also in the USA, the long
static front lines betray signs of movement. At the end of this century can be seen
glimmering the acknowledgment that there is no such thing as a drug-free society.
Our prime consideration must be the education of our young people in the area of right
relationships with drugs - legal and illegal; of bringing help to those who need it, and
tackling the problems of addiction with the most effective treatment methods available. To
do that, however, past drug policy idelogies must be overcome.
The NZZ (Neue Zuercher Zeitung, http://www.nzz.ch)
discusses the ebb and flow effect of international pressures on the Netherlands because of
its liberal drug policies.
See Swiss
Voters Reject Lumping Marijuana With Hard Drugs; Move To Legalize Marijuana Expected
Recent CEDRO statistics showing positive results, in particular
regarding the lack of increase in consumption, the disparity in figures for drug use in
hard line countries such as the US, Germany and Sweden (2 to 3 times the rate for the
Netherlands) and the increasing age of the average Dutch heroin consumer, have done much
to encourage its supporters.
See
New Dutch
Drug Use Data Show Success Of Policies of Truth And Tolerance
Full Text of Press Release And Tables With Data On All Drugs
The government, however, has no intention of riding point, challenging its neighbors
with its progressive policies as it appeared to do in the early 90s. Since 1996, under
intense pressure from its neighbors, it has been adopting a cautious approach, clamping
down on coffee shops which transgress any of the regulations and giving proof of its
cooperation with its neighbors by such compromise measures as reducing the amount of
cannabis which may be sold from 30 to 5 grams and continuing to prosecute drug dealers
with vigor.
See
The Best Overview of
Dutch Tolerance Policies I Have Ever Read;
And It is From A Little Rock Weekly!
Things have been much quieter lately and the government has no wish to do anything to
rekindle the ill will of its neighbors. The diplomatic approach can be seen in the recent
statements of the health ministry spokesperson who said that whilst the recent research
results were encouraging, confirming the wisdom of drawing a sharp line between hard and
soft drugs, the news from France and the UK showed that it was possible to achieve them by
a different approach. Nevertheless, account had to be taken of the better overall health
of the Dutch addicts.
The fate of the projected state controlled free heroin distribution is to be decided by
the Dutch parliament this week. In the meantime, the government is proceeding with its
plans for a show-piece trial to prosecute Desi Bouterse, a high profile politico-drug
profiteer from its former colony Surinam.
Supported