T
The420Guy
Guest
BRUSSELS -- Tourists will be able to smoke spliffs while sitting in
cafes in Brussels' Grande Place and European Parliament members will
be able to puff marijuana in their offices after the Belgian
government agreed to decriminalize cannabis.
Vincent van Quickenborne, 27, a Belgian MP, is already promising to
celebrate the directive, which will take effect this spring, by
inhaling cannabis in parliament.
The move makes Belgium the second European country after the
Netherlands effectively to decriminalize cannabis, and is bound to
encourage campaigners in other countries to relax their rules.
A Belgian government statement said: ``The limited consumption of
alcohol, tobacco and cannabis is more and more socially accepted.
``There is no objective reason why cannabis should be treated
differently from alcohol and tobacco.
``A society without drugs is an illusion.''
The directive, accepted by Guy Verhofstadt, Belgium's prime minister,
and his cabinet, says cannabis use will be tolerated among those 18 or
older unless it leads to ``problematic'' consumption; creates a social
nuisance; or poses risks to others by, for example, encouraging
children to use the drug or driving while under its effects.
Health Minister Magda Aelvoet said: ``All possession for personal use
won't elicit a reaction from the judicial system. There'll be no
charges.''
The authorities will continue to prosecute cannabis dealers, but not
the growing of cannabis plants for personal use.
Hard drugs will remain strictly illegal.
Belgians flock across the border to buy and smoke cannabis in
Holland's legalized ``coffee shops.''
``We have to take account of reality,'' said Alain Gerlache, the prime
minister's spokesman.
He did not believe drug users from other countries would rush across
to Belgium.
``If large groups of drug hooligans come to Belgium to enjoy a freedom
they would not have in Britain, this could be considered a problematic
use,'' he said.
Officials acknowledged that permitting the use of cannabis, but not
its sale, could fuel the black market. The judiciary will decide what
quantities individuals should reasonably be allowed to possess for
personal consumption, or what constitutes ``problematic'' use.
The Belgian decision to permit cannabis use is part of a comprehensive
new drug strategy that includes measures to discourage and prevent
drug use, improve treatment and rehabilitation services, and crack
down on dealers.
The Netherlands decriminalized soft drugs in 1976 and, under Dutch
law, the country's 1,500 ``coffee shops'' can sell customers up to
five grams of cannabis as long as no public nuisance is created.
The Belgian directive will not permit coffee shops, nor will it
technically legalize cannabis possession. What it will do is formalize
the existing situation. One prosecutor told the Belgian newspaper La
Libre that he had long ceased pursuing simple possession cases because
of a lack of resources.
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Website: Ottawa Citizen
Address: 1101 Baxter Rd.,Ottawa, Ontario, K2C 3M4
Email: letters@thecitizen.southam.ca
Copyright: 2001 The Ottawa Citizen
Fax: 613-596-8522
Pubdate: Tue, 23 Jan 2001
Page: News A1 / Front
cafes in Brussels' Grande Place and European Parliament members will
be able to puff marijuana in their offices after the Belgian
government agreed to decriminalize cannabis.
Vincent van Quickenborne, 27, a Belgian MP, is already promising to
celebrate the directive, which will take effect this spring, by
inhaling cannabis in parliament.
The move makes Belgium the second European country after the
Netherlands effectively to decriminalize cannabis, and is bound to
encourage campaigners in other countries to relax their rules.
A Belgian government statement said: ``The limited consumption of
alcohol, tobacco and cannabis is more and more socially accepted.
``There is no objective reason why cannabis should be treated
differently from alcohol and tobacco.
``A society without drugs is an illusion.''
The directive, accepted by Guy Verhofstadt, Belgium's prime minister,
and his cabinet, says cannabis use will be tolerated among those 18 or
older unless it leads to ``problematic'' consumption; creates a social
nuisance; or poses risks to others by, for example, encouraging
children to use the drug or driving while under its effects.
Health Minister Magda Aelvoet said: ``All possession for personal use
won't elicit a reaction from the judicial system. There'll be no
charges.''
The authorities will continue to prosecute cannabis dealers, but not
the growing of cannabis plants for personal use.
Hard drugs will remain strictly illegal.
Belgians flock across the border to buy and smoke cannabis in
Holland's legalized ``coffee shops.''
``We have to take account of reality,'' said Alain Gerlache, the prime
minister's spokesman.
He did not believe drug users from other countries would rush across
to Belgium.
``If large groups of drug hooligans come to Belgium to enjoy a freedom
they would not have in Britain, this could be considered a problematic
use,'' he said.
Officials acknowledged that permitting the use of cannabis, but not
its sale, could fuel the black market. The judiciary will decide what
quantities individuals should reasonably be allowed to possess for
personal consumption, or what constitutes ``problematic'' use.
The Belgian decision to permit cannabis use is part of a comprehensive
new drug strategy that includes measures to discourage and prevent
drug use, improve treatment and rehabilitation services, and crack
down on dealers.
The Netherlands decriminalized soft drugs in 1976 and, under Dutch
law, the country's 1,500 ``coffee shops'' can sell customers up to
five grams of cannabis as long as no public nuisance is created.
The Belgian directive will not permit coffee shops, nor will it
technically legalize cannabis possession. What it will do is formalize
the existing situation. One prosecutor told the Belgian newspaper La
Libre that he had long ceased pursuing simple possession cases because
of a lack of resources.
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Newshawk: creator@mapinc.org
Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON)
Website: Ottawa Citizen
Address: 1101 Baxter Rd.,Ottawa, Ontario, K2C 3M4
Email: letters@thecitizen.southam.ca
Copyright: 2001 The Ottawa Citizen
Fax: 613-596-8522
Pubdate: Tue, 23 Jan 2001
Page: News A1 / Front
