This justifies the regulation of the current practice in The Netherlands. The Dutch cannabis policy is the cornerstone of overall Dutch drug policy aimed at decreasing the number of new hard drug users by separating the markets. The sort of regulation proposed should be acceptable by the international narcotic authorities as long as the Dutch government combats and punishes illicit exportation. This is exactly what is being proposed in the Netherlands. As the main objectives of the 1961 convention are the fight of addiction and illegal trade and allowing medical and scientific use of drugs, there is clearly room for a policy emphasising what is best for public health in The Netherlands.
Legislation ought to have precisely the same object in view.
But although these two spheres have the same end in view, they differ much in their extent. All actions, whether public or private, derive from morals. Morality guides individuals through life and through all the relationships of society. Legislation cannot do this, but even if it could, it ought not to try and interfere with individual conduct. Morality prescribes to each individual to do whatever is both personally advantageous and of benefit to the community.