Legalise drugs

A majority of political players in the Netherlands reject the country's liberal policy of tolerating soft drugs. While the sale of hashish is allowed, trafficking and growing it are banned. But a ban on drug sales would not help combat crime, writes De Volkskrant newspaper: "A ban may sound logical, but it would be short-sighted. Of all people the dealers would be the only ones to really profit from a crackdown on soft drugs. That would push prices up, and the traffickers know all too well that bans only stimulate consumption. ... Criminality is not a result of drugs, but of our strange policy of toleration which pushes people into crime. I know it almost sounds old-fashioned, but let's finally just legalise the stuff! Now that the state is once more at the centre of things, there are no more obstacles to a hashish monopoly. ... And if people abroad find that funny, too bad for them."

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