'Wetgeving ineffectief bij tegengaan van cannabis gebruik'

In een onlangs verschenen boek, uitgegeven door de Beckley Foundation en Oxford University Press, concluderen de auteurs dat strenge wetgeving om het gebruik van cannabis tegen te gaan in meerdere opzichten geen effect hebben en dat een nieuwe benadering dringend nodig.

In dit boek verklaren experts dat hoewel het gebruik van cannabis voor sommigen schadelijk kan zijn, zijn de effecten hier van op de samenleving minimaal. Dit in tegenstelling tot middelen als cocaïne en alcohol, die voor beduidend meer problemen zorgen.

Onderzoeker Peter Reuter zegt dat overheden moeten erkennen dat er "steeds meer bewijs opduikt dat het criminaliseren van gebruik weinig afschrikwekkend werkt", en dat het van belang is om "verantwoorde manieren te vinden voor regulatie van het aanbod, in plaats van het creëren van illegale markten." Eigenlijk wordt gepleit voor een soortgelijk systeem als dat van Nederland en zijn coffeeshops, al staat dat systeem door de huidige conservatieve regeringspartijen de laatste paar jaar behoorlijk onder druk.

In het boek wordt geconcludeerd dat er geen duidelijk verband bestaat tussen cannabis wetgeving - liberaal of draconisch - en prevalentie van gebruik. Een liberale benadering zou daarom de voorkeur hebben en de nadelige gevolgen die voortvloeien uit de wet en de handhaving ervan zal minimaliseren.

Het volledige artikel kun je hier lezen.

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Reacties

Joe - 2010-01-27 02:23:53

+12

the absolute truth. people will always smoke weed. i expect it will be the case untill the end of time (or plants).
the law cant stop it, but only make it illegal. William Blake claimed that "prisons are built with stones of law"
by which he meant it is only the laws that make crimes bad. energy and natural desire has been made sin. this shouldnt be the case.

just look at Holland, the people who like weed smoke it. the people that dont like it dont smoke it. easy.
look at Portugal. all drug use decriminalised. usage has not increased and may have decreased.
in Australia they want to ban bongs, but it wont make a difference. maybe more people will smoke from bent coke cans and do their lungs in, or even in more joints and get more addicted to the tobacco.
this is all very stupid.
the government need to sort it out.
let it be. let weed flourish. just incourage responsibility!

Sponge - 2010-01-27 10:53:39

Sad thing is, as true as the article and what Joe said may be, it probably wont make a blind bit of difference to the government's way of thinking...
:(

Joe - 2010-01-27 13:56:10

yep.
u are exactly right Sponge. they refuse advice from their drugs commities and they show real prejudice when it comes to drugs users...
i wander if any of them actually do enjoy a nice joint or two...? cos so many of them tried it at school... what they always fail to mention when they say that is the second line: "and i loved it!"
noone is willing to make a move in the right direction or even make a stand because politics is too much about covering ur own back, too little about the answers and the best options.
the drugs czar was dismissed for just telling the truth, he wasnt even attempting to force any change.
i'm not very optimistic.

gaboss - 2010-01-27 21:10:10

me neither :(

Manos - 2010-01-27 22:09:51

Yeah...The biggest problem lies not in the government but in the industry and the banks.Their point of view is making profit wherever possible.How can they do that?Through making wars,leeching out smaller countries and through debts everybody has.All governments have huge debts to the banks.Because of that they don't want open minded people,they don't want thinking people,they want aggressive,stupid and fanatic people,they are easy to control,they will make wars,they will make huge debts without thinking...That is how the controlling people behind the scene want us to be...Simpleminded morons,just nothing to cause trouble...Therefore it is fact that as long as nothing changes with the whole corrupt system they wont legalize weed and other mind expanding drugs....Really sad :/

Truth - 2010-01-28 10:42:57

People shouldn't expect anything (rational or wise) from governments. Take life in your own hands, don't wait. Governing isn't done through wisdom or careful examination, it never has been. It has always been done through brute force and the playing out of people against eachother: Divide et impera.

The fact that stupid decisions are made concerning mind-altering substances has nothing to do with that the governments in question aren't properly informed. It is and has always been about controlling people, their behaviour, their viewpoints and their mindset. Alcohol, tobacco (the Western version that is) and caffeïne are the propellants of the current dominant culture.

Peaceful resistance and civil disobedience is the greatest power people have...

SKA - 2010-01-29 02:48:50

This truth has been publicly available for many many years now. It's about time Politicians start listening to their people and their experts (in the field of public health & drugs) and stop trying to shove their ignorant, blind,and drunk ideologies down everyone's throat.

I'm affraid to break free from the conservative, ignoble agenda there's going to have to be "a bit" of violence.

matti - 2010-01-31 15:02:46

uiteindelijk weten ze wel dat alle Psychedelics de mind opent, dus das niet zo goed voor het klote systeem waar we nu in zitten.. er zouden te veel mensen beginnen denken, en dat willen ze absoluut niet. als mensen echt eens de waarheid ontdekken waarom onze vrijheid stap per stap wegvalt.. zal dit systeem als een kaartenhuisje in elkaar storten..

Mindlessly - 2010-02-02 19:40:23

The ammount of political slander and false propaganda behind the original prohibition of cannabis use in the U.S. and then the rest of the world is shocking. The intire process is depicted in detailed in the film 'Grass' (1999).
The world is so close minded about cannabis use that it is now nearly unthinkable to question the validity of the prohibition laws.
Watch the film, very interesting...

smasher - 2010-02-03 07:05:53

governments waste so much time an tax payer money fighting this war against pot a war they have been loosing for year after year completly ignoring the cold hard facts thats it pot is very safe and like it was said earlier only responsibility should be encouraged