cannabisnews.com: The Hippie City Can Stay 





The Hippie City Can Stay 
Posted by CN Staff on March 13, 2004 at 08:05:51 PT
By The Associated Press
Source: Associated Press 
Copenhagen, Denmark -- The hippie enclave of Christiania will remain Copenhagen's alternative lifestyle community as long as residents obey the law, pay rent and stop selling drugs, the government said. In a report on Christiania's future, the government said Friday that enclave residents must adapt their houses to building codes or tear them down.
The 84-acre former naval barracks that is the home of about 1,000 people "should still be an area where there is room to live in a different way," said Finance Minister Thor Pedersen. "But it must be normalized, it must respect the laws that apply in the rest of the Danish society." The enclave took root in 1971 when dozens of hippies moved into the derelict 18th-century fort on state-owned land. The freewheeling society became a counterculture oasis with psychedelic-colored buildings, free marijuana, no government, no cars and no police. In 1987, Christiania was recognized as a "social experiment" and residents were later given the right to use the land, but not own it. The government plan eliminates the agreement. By Jan. 1, 2005, residents must make agreements with the state to rent the areas they use. Adults now pay a fixed monthly fee of the equivalent of $266 to the community for electricity, water and other services. Two-thirds of Christiania's residents live on social welfare or have no official income. "It is not the intention to build new expensive houses or tall buildings, it should remain an alternative spot in Copenhagen," said Bendt Bendtsen, the economics and trade minister. "What we want is simply that the worse (violations of the law) disappear." In January, hashish dealers, who have openly sold illegal drugs, demolished their sales booths to avoid a crackdown they feared would lead to their eviction. Although the booths have disappeared, hashish is still being sold.Source: Associated Press Published: March 13, 2004Copyright: 2004 The Associated Press Related Articles:Going Up in Smoke http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18377.shtmlDenmark Enclave Tears Down Hashish Stands http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18086.shtmlEnd is Nigh for Commune That Kept Dream Alivehttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread18016.shtmlPoliticians Lay Siege To Copenhagen Hippies http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread16462.shtml 
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Comment #2 posted by FoM on March 16, 2004 at 17:58:18 PT
AP: Danes Raid Hippie Enclave; Dozens Held
By Jan M. Olsen, Associated Press WriterMarch 16, 2004 
 
 Copenhagen, Denmark (AP) -- Police raided Copenhagen's famed hippie enclave Tuesday, detaining 53 people in a major crackdown on the open sale of hashish.The drugs are illegal in Denmark, although authorities have tolerated the sale of hashish in Christiania, a counterculture oasis of psychedelic-colored buildings, no government, no cars and no police. Residents banned the sale of harder drugs in 1980.About 200 police officers moved into the 84-acre enclave at 5 a.m. local time, while also raiding homes in the city. The raid lasted 10 hours. Helmeted officers tore down a few small woodsheds and removed tables that were used to sell hashish, police spokesman Flemming Steen Munch told The Associated Press."The raid is not against Christiania, it's against the hashish sale," Munch said.Of the 53 arrested, 44 will be charged with selling drugs and could face sentences of up to 10 years in jail, he added. 
 
 
Ole Wagner Hansen, the head of drug squad, said police had seized some hashish but could not immediately say how much.Peter Plett, a spokesman for enclave's more than 900 residents, criticized the police actions."The whole thing is a big media stunt," Plett said. "We have decided not to do anything unless they start tearing down our houses."Police said they would not destroy any dwellings.Standing on ladders, officers dismantled store awnings along Christiania's badly paved Pusher Street, where vendors were selling hashish. Other tore down woodsheds of alleged drug dealers and removed parked bicycles before a police truck pushed away large rocks that residents had put up as roadblocks to prevent cars from entering.Residents and onlookers cheered as police officers left around 3 p.m.Tuesday's raid was part of a nine-month investigation into illegal drug sales at Christiania, Munch said. In recent months, police have carried out a dozen smaller raids.The government said Friday that Christiania could remain an alternative lifestyle community as long as residents obey the law, pay rent and stop selling drugs."If this can help our case and Christiania can survive, then this is OK," Peter Post, another spokesman for the residents, said of the raid.The enclave took root in 1971 when dozens of hippies moved into the derelict 18th-century fort on state-owned land. In 1987, Christiania was recognized as a "social experiment" and residents were later given the right to use the land, but not own it. The government now wants to end that agreement.In January, hashish dealers demolished their sales booths to avoid a crackdown they feared would lead to their eviction. Though the booths have disappeared, hashish was still being sold.Since January 2003, 1,903 pounds of hashish, estimated to be worth $7.5 million, have been seized.---On the Net:Christiania: http://www.christiania.org/
 Copyright 2004 Associated Press
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Comment #1 posted by Virgil on March 14, 2004 at 05:58:00 PT
Taboo or not taboo? That is the question.
I am surprised the residence get to stay. As for pushing Miracleplant off the open market, there was no doubt that the drunken hypocrites would rather inflict a prohibition on everyone that let those that benefit from cannabis use benefit on. Some want to shout taboo, taboo continuosly. If they get excited about chanting "Taboo" wait until the chorus that have heard the new chant of "Freedom" start in. The Danes need to modernize their view and apply reason generously. Cannabis Prohibition is taboo.
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