cannabisnews.com: Cabinet Proposes Making Marijuana Legal To Consume





Cabinet Proposes Making Marijuana Legal To Consume
Posted by FoM on October 03, 2000 at 07:41:33 PT
From Tribune News Services
Source: Chicago Tribune
The Swiss Cabinet proposed Monday making it legal to smoke marijuana but said other illicit drugs should remain so. The government decided in principle to decriminalize the consumption of cannabis products. It left open whether it would also eventually give a green light to growing and selling marijuana and hashish. It will now submit to parliament the proposed drug law revisions. The government said that a period of public comment on the amendments showed "broad support."
Swiss voters in 1998 rejected a proposal to legalize all drug consumption.Nonetheless, Switzerland already has one of the most liberal approaches in Europe toward treating heroin addicts, providing free drugs and needles to some of those who do not respond to other forms of treatment.A so-called four pillars approach to drugs aims at prevention, therapy, damage limitation and arresting users and those involved in the trade.Switzerland once had the distinction of being Europe's largest open heroin scene, concentrated in Zurich's "needle park," but city officials drove it underground in the mid-1990s after the park became a draw for Europe's drug addicts.Source: Chicago Tribune (IL)Published: October 03, 2000Copyright: 2000 Chicago Tribune CompanyContact: ctc-TribLetter Tribune.comAddress: 435 N. Michigan Ave., Chicago, IL 60611-4066Website: http://www.chicagotribune.com/Forum: http://www.chicagotribune.com/interact/boards/CannabisNews Articles - Legalization:http://cannabisnews.com/thcgi/search.pl?K=legalization
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Comment #5 posted by observer on October 03, 2000 at 14:25:03 PT
re: good journalism will end the war on weed
> I read about this story yesterday, but didn't think many US papers would carry the article. Was this story carried in the print versions of these papers, or just on the web I wonder? If it appeared in print, I wonder if they buried this tiny summary (complete with obigatory mention of "needle park") on the back pages? 
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Comment #4 posted by stevo on October 03, 2000 at 12:26:08 PT
good journalism will end the war on weed
I read about this story yesterday, but didn't think many US papers would carry the article. It's about time they are doing their jobs instead of feeding us all the prohibitionist's gibberish all the time. The marijuana issue and the war on drugs in general seems to be getting a lot less taboo and should finally get some attention from the big wigs over there in D.C.
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Comment #3 posted by MikeEEEEE on October 03, 2000 at 11:42:02 PT
The future of prohibitionist logic
The domino's are falling, one country at time, no-longer are they afraid of the US pressure. This had to happen, these countries can't afford a costly drug war. We could make an educated guess that one country waited for the other to take action, but that no-longer applies, now one country after another will change after seeing the other change. Brick by brick the drug war (or prohibitionist logic) will fail. This is great news, the prohibitionist logic will suffer in the many ways it has many Americans suffer. The US will have to change or else it will become one big jail, if it's not already. If you Feds are reading this, act now or else you'll be eating a big shit sandwich, of your own making of course. Bona petite.
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Comment #2 posted by drfist on October 03, 2000 at 11:18:56 PT
really already legal in Swizerland
I was just there, 30 hemp shops in Basel where you can buy the best buds, cheap "for incence only" RIGHT! and farmers can grow hemp, and there is no distinction as to type. Just no coffee shops to smoke it like in Holland.
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Comment #1 posted by FoM on October 03, 2000 at 10:52:59 PT:
Swiss Prepare to Decriminalize Pot
Source: Minneapolis Star-Tribune (MN)Published: Tuesday, October 3, 2000 Author: Peter Capella, The GuardianCopyright: 2000 Star TribuneContact: opinion startribune.comAddress: 425 Portland Ave., Minneapolis MN 55488Fax: 612-673-4359Feedback: http://www.startribune.com/stonline/html/userguide/letform.htmlWebsite: http://www.startribune.com/Geneva, Switzerland - Switzerland is preparing legislation that effectively would allow the consumption of marijuana, adding to the country's pioneering but controversial record on drugs policy.The government said it would draw up legislation next year after consultation among local authorities and community associations revealed that there was widespread support for decriminalizing marijuana.``Two-thirds of the organizations consulted said they were in favor of this move,'' Interior Minister Ruth Dreifuss said.But the same groups opposed any such move on hard drugs, and officials ruled out softer laws on possessing or using such substances.Switzerland has the most liberal approach in Europe towards the treatment of heroin addicts. Since 1998 it has provided clean needles and allowed the distribution of heroin to addicts under strict medical supervision.The policy, approved by Swiss voters in 1998 but criticized by international drug enforcement bodies, also involves tougher prevention measures, comprehensive social support for addicts and a police clampdown on heroin users as well as dealers.As many as 937 addicts were on record as following this heroin program last December. Health authorities said the system had improved the social conditions and overall health of about two-thirds of those treated for two years and brought their drug habit under control.Deaths from heroin overdoses have also been declining in recent years, according to official figures, but there has been a surge in the consumption of cocaine and synthetic drugs such as ecstasy.Swiss police and justice officials have said they fear ``drug tourism'' if soft drugs are legalized, especially if the country is out of step with its neighbors.The new legislation on marijuana is likely to include a minimum age of 16 or 18 years, and reinforced penalties for dealers and anyone who ``incites consumption.''But marijuana would, in effect, be put on an equivalent footing to alcohol and cigarettes.``We also need prevention measures because, quite frankly, we don't want young people to take up cannabis,'' said Suzanne Auer, a spokeswoman for the Swiss Interior Ministry.The Swiss cabinet has not yet decided whether production and sale of marijuana would also be tolerated, but Dreifuss said that if producers respected some restrictions, their activities ``could be tolerated even though still punishable by law.''© Copyright 2000 Scripps Howard News Service. 
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