From: civl097@csc.canterbury.ac.nz
Newsgroups: alt.drugs,talk.politics.drugs,sci.med
Subject: Liberal marijuana policy vindicated
Date: 19 Nov 91 02:32:20 GMT
Article-I.D.: csc.1991Nov19.153220.2931
Organization: University of Canterbury, Christchurch, New Zealand

From the Christchurch "Press"  18 November 1991 (from the "Daily Telegraph")
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       NETHERLANDS DRUGS POLICY 'VINDICATED' BY NEW STATISTICS

 Amsterdam's tolerant policies on drugs have been vindicated by new statistics
on the spread of AIDS and narcotics abuse, say health officials in the 
Netherlands.
 Amsterdam's authorities permit the use of soft drugs and freely distribute
clean needles among intravenous drug users with doses of methadone, which can 
be used as a substitute for heroin.
 The city's liberal line has been condemned for 20 years by narcotic experts
abroad. But figures now show that only 9 per cent of AIDS virus carriers in 
Holland are intravenous drug users, compared with an average of 30 per cent
in the rest of Europe.
 Drugs-related crime rates are also very low in Amsterdam compared with other
European cities, and the percentage of young drug users is decreasing fast.
The latest surveys show that  4 per cent  of Dutch addicts are under 21. Seven
years ago, the figure was 14 per cent.
 Mr Eddy Engelsman, head of the Health Ministry's drugs department, said:
"The American war on drugs is a failure. We  are in favour of a pragmatic 
policy, and statistics show that we are on the right path. We have applied
drugs policy based on harm reduction for the past 20 years. Our ideas were 
still regarded as lunacy years ago. But the urgency to combat the spread of
AIDS has finally proved us right."
 Mr Englesman is critical of foreign scare tactics, such as the British slogan:
"Heroin screws you up". He believes they can actually increase temptation
among teenagers to try hard drugs.
 "Abroad, drug addicts are often seen as dangerous monsters, with whom it is
impossible to have a coherent conversation. We treat them as responsible 
people," he said. Drugs campaigns concentrate on Hollands 7000 addicts and
especially 3000 intravenous drug users.  Mr Ernst Bening, a psychologist at the
Amsterdam drugs department, said: "We treat drug users like patients not
criminals."
 The Amsterdam approach benefits from almost unanimous political support in the
Hague, even though it costs more than 60 million pound (approx $NZ180 million)
a year. Mr Buning says the money is well spent. Amsterdam health officials
have been able to advise personally 80 per cent of the city's addicts, compared
with similar figures in the United States of 10 to 20 per cent.
 The first point of contact is the "methadone  bus", which drives around the
city distributing daily doses of methadone to registered drug users.
 Mr Hans Robilns, who works on the bus, said" "We don't ask questions, but we 
can talk to the patients and advise them on AIDS prevention or direct them to 
further assistance."
 However, some politicians fear the Amsterdam approach could lead to Holland
becoming the "social dustbin" of the European community when internal frontiers
are abolished next year.
                             - The "Daily Telegraph"


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Brandon hutchison,University of Canterbury,Christchurch
                  New Zealand
 
Article 7806 of alt.drugs:
Xref: boulder alt.drugs:7806 talk.politics.drugs:3489