cannabisnews.com: Parliament Moves Towards Legalising Cannabis Parliament Moves Towards Legalising Cannabis Posted by FoM on December 13, 2001 at 12:51:00 PT Swissinfo with Agencies Source: Swissinfo.org The Senate has approved a government proposal to allow the consumption of cannabis. Pending approval by the House of Representatives, the production and trade in hashish and marijuana could also become legal under certain conditions. The amended law, which was accepted by 25 votes and no opposition in the Senate, is aimed at catching up with present-day reality. More than 700,000 people between the age of 15 and 30 have smoked cannabis at least once in their lives. While the consumption of hashish and marijuana would be legalised, the cultivation and sale of cannabis would only be allowed under certain conditions. The interior minister, Ruth Dreifuss, said during Wednesday’s debate that the liberalisation was in line with the government’s anti-drugs policy. It is based on prevention, repression, therapy and harm reduction. She stressed that hard drugs, including heroin, will not be allowed in Switzerland under the amended law. Heated debate The issue of legalisation of cannabis consumption divided the Senate. Many speakers from the French-speaking part of the country argued that the decriminalisation of cannabis could send the wrong signal to young people. They said by adopting a liberal attitude towards cannabis Switzerland would further isolate itself and become an island in the heart of Europe, which has a more restrictive policy. They warned that drug addicts from neighbouring countries would travel to Switzerland to buy cannabis. A majority of senators, however, pointed out that the amended law was merely a pragmatic step to bring legislation in line with reality. The current situation was hypocritical and not satisfactory from a legal point, they said. The Dutch example The Netherlands, where soft drugs are decriminalised, were quoted a number of times during the debate to show how a laxer policy on drugs can work. While hard drugs are illegal there, it is allowed to carry up to 30 grams of soft drugs. “You also have coffee shops, where you can drink coffee or buy and smoke a joint,” Elsbeth Gugger, a Swiss journalist in the Netherlands, told swissinfo. “I think the Dutch policy is working, because there are not more young people consuming soft drugs than in other countries in Western Europe.” Gugger said. “The other effect of the policy is that hard drug addicts are getting help, and are not looked upon as criminals, but rather persons with a health problem.” Source: Swissinfo.orgPublished: Thursday, December 13, 2001Copyright: 2001 swissinfo/SRIWebsite: http://www.swissinfo.org/Forum: http://messages.swissinfo.org/cgi-ubb_en/Ultimate.cgiRelated Articles:Swiss Want Cannabis Laws Lightenedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8679.shtmlHeidi High - Swiss in a Fix Over Legal Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7577.shtmlEurope Mellows Out Over Cannabishttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7319.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #5 posted by Sam Adams on December 14, 2001 at 07:17:23 PT Of course they realize... anyone with half a brain can see that the rest of Europe will soon be following Switzerland's LEAD. Has the Netherlands been "isolated" in ANY way since the late 70's when they legalized?The Swiss antis are just firing off the last volley of lies and propaganda before they are forever stamped as "losers" and dismissed, never to be heard from again.Has anyone been paying attention to Congress here in the US? Tom DeLay is about to be named majority whip for the Republicans, the Democrats are psyched because he's apparently extreme right-wing, and they feel he will marginalize the Rep. party because of backlash. I couldn't agree more. The current Bush administration is a freak occurrence - because of Nader, the most right-wing presidency EVER slipped into control. I predict this is going to result in the pendulum swinging back and a serious revival of liberalism in this country. The next administration will have to sweep away a lot of right-wing crap that's accumulated over the years - for instance, all the treaties that Bush threw in the trash. And hopefully the drug war will get a new look at that time also. We'll see in few years......... [ Post Comment ] Comment #4 posted by mayan on December 13, 2001 at 16:36:29 PT Join the Crowd! How would Switzerland isolate itself from the rest of Europe by adopting a liberal attitude towards cannabis? The rest of Europe has a more restrictive policy? Their media must be blacked-out like the U.S.'s! Don't they realize that most of Europe has either gone decrim or is considering? [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by i420 on December 13, 2001 at 16:32:59 PT So this explains it... No doubt john wayne maybe this could explain our wild "mood swings" as I was reading this article that Tom Petty song came to mind "Refugee" maybe we all will be one soon. lol [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by FoM on December 13, 2001 at 14:21:14 PT john wayne I'm glad. I like to bring people good news and hate to post depressing news. Some of the news can drive me to drink but I don't drink so I just sit and stew. [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by john wayne on December 13, 2001 at 13:58:22 PT damn! It's hard to be cynical and naughty today. So much good news out of switzerland england and seattle and about narconews. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment