Spending a few days looking at an organisation as diverse as the Jellinek left me feeling rather like one of the three blind men trying to describe an elephant by touch alone. One aspect cannot be viewed in isolation from the others, you have to stand back to consider the whole beast, both within its own context and that of its environment, to understand how it functions. In other countries civil war is being fought - a war on drugs and drug users. The Dutch have called a truce in this war, as they realise that the only casualties are their own people, caught in the crossfire of conflicting ideals and philosophies. Amsterdam is neither a haven nor a paradise for those who want to use drugs.
Drugs are illegal there, just as in many other countries.
Amsterdam is, however, a place where drug problems are treated seriously and realistically, but in a calm, pragmatic manner. The Jellinek is but one component of that comprehensive, integrated problem prevention policy.