cannabisnews.com: Swiss May Ease Rules on the Sale of Cannabis


cannabisnews.com: Swiss May Ease Rules on the Sale of Cannabis





Swiss May Ease Rules on the Sale of Cannabis
Posted by FoM on March 25, 2001 at 08:50:41 PT
By Elizabeth Olson
Source: New York Times
Once a month, Didier, a clean-cut 37-year- old government worker, stops by a little shop called Growland, just around the corner from the city's elegant concert hall. Like 10 other shops in Bern, Growland sells hemp products and is listed in telephone directories under cannabis.Didier, who declined to give his full name, said he was a regular smoker and had come to stock up. So did a steady stream of other customers.
While the sale of cannabis for smoking at Growland and its competitors is illegal, that law is not strongly enforced in this part of Switzerland. Drug laws are applied more strictly in the French-speaking western part of the country, where Didier lives. And that is why he comes here, instead of buying at home in Neuchâtel, an hour away. "It's not a problem," he said. "Everybody knows you can come to Bern and get it."But even if laws remain unevenly enforced for now, more and more Swiss, it seems, openly flout them and more police officers overlook it. The scent of marijuana can be found on trains, in stations and in restaurants, and cannabis is available for home delivery from Internet sites.In fact, a government survey in February found that as many as one in four people in this nation of seven million have smoked marijuana. Among the 90,000 estimated to smoke daily, nearly one-third are teenagers. An additional 500,000 are thought to smoke occasionally.Faced with such numbers, officials announced in early March that they were bowing to "social reality" and would take steps to remove the penalties for consumption of marijuana and hashish, also made from hemp, and lift some restrictions on their sale and production.The move to liberalize its laws has put Switzerland at odds with its neighbors, which have tougher laws regulating drug use. It has also drawn anger from some United Nations agencies, which were already critical of a Swiss program that provides needles and heroin to certain hard-core addicts in an effort to reduce crime and the spread of AIDS.Swiss officials say they are setting a new course on soft drugs — simply because the traditional one is not working. "Young people don't understand anymore why it's forbidden when there are so many problems with alcohol and cigarette smoking," said Dr. Martin Büchi, a federal health department official.Health officials are struggling to find ways to control the use of marijuana among teenagers. The draft law would allow sale of small amounts to Swiss residents at least 18 years old. And the shops would not be able to advertise, though some already do. The proposed changes — which are unlikely to take effect until 2003 — have inevitably invited comparison with the Netherlands, where marijuana "coffee shops" have become nearly a part of the national identity. Switzerland's controlled opening of the cannabis market, once approved by Parliament, could go further than the law in the Netherlands, where cannabis consumption is only partly decriminalized. Critics say the changes will create a magnet for "drug tourists" in a country where young people already flock to hike, ski and take part in other adventure sports.Dr. Büchi insists that the measure still discourages use of other drugs like heroin, cocaine and Ecstasy. They will remain illegal, although violations will not necessarily be prosecuted, officials say. Although all details of the law have to be worked out, proponents — including officials in Bern — say the police would be able to concentrate on large-scale producers and traders.Passage of the measure is far from sure. The right-wing Swiss People's Party says it will fight any such change in a national referendum. In 1998, voters rejected a broader initiative to legalize all drug consumption. But Swiss federal authorities believe that liberalizing cannabis is likely to attract widespread support because it "takes into account the social reality," said Ruth Dreifuss, the former president and social welfare minister — and because 53 percent of those polled in February said they approved of decriminalizing soft drugs.If it comes to a vote, the government can count on support from an unlikely group: farmers. The government says hemp is being grown on hundreds of acres — maybe thousands — around Switzerland. Growing hemp is legal as long as the tough, fibrous plant is not sold for production of narcotics (parts of the plant are used to make fabric or cosmetics). The proposed law would legalize growing hemp for smoking as long as it was sold in Switzerland.Earlier this year, the federal drugs commission estimated that sales for smoking could exceed $1 billion a year — something farmers, hard pressed by declining subsidies and the impact of mad cow disease, would welcome.Bern, SwitzerlandSource: New York Times (NY) Author: Elizabeth OlsonPublished: March 25, 2001 Fax: (212) 556-3622 Copyright: 2001 The New York Times Company Address: 229 West 43rd Street, New York, NY 10036 Contact: letters nytimes.com Website: http://www.nytimes.com/ Forum: http://forums.nytimes.com/comment/Related Articles:Swiss Clear the Way for Cannabis Legalisation http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8940.shtmlSwiss Want Cannabis Laws Lightenedhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8679.shtmlHeidi High - Swiss in a Fix Over Legal Pot http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread7577.shtml
Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help




Comment #3 posted by Imprint on March 25, 2001 at 15:18:44 PT:
The boomers have forgoten their past
Lookinside,Thanks for your thoughts. They are greatly appreciated by me. I hear you and totally believe in what you say. The above article shows just how far ahead the Swiss are and just how far behind the US is on this issue. As far as the baby boomers go it seems as though, as a group, the more invested in life they become the more conservative they become. And, yes, their use of drugs in the past becomes forgotten. But, more importantly they become afraid that their own kids can’t make the right decisions. I believe in my kids and I know I have given them as much guidance and information as possible, I feel confident that they will navigate through their young adulthood well. Are there any guarantees? No. With or without the drug war bad things can happen to good people. As a group, the baby boomers need to come to grips with this. Boomers can’t intact enough laws to make each child’s life perfect. I wish your wife the best in her fight against pain. I look forward to the day that people can freely decided on the type of relief they want. 
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #2 posted by jAHn on March 25, 2001 at 12:06:42 PT
Ahhhh...
...I can smell the Peace and Happiness, Laughter and Longetivity burning through their air from the Imprisoned States Of America: Very United: Not Equally.
[ Post Comment ]


Comment #1 posted by lookinside on March 25, 2001 at 10:40:06 PT:
sanity
i came to the conclusion 30 years ago that the only way todeal with the use of marijuana in the united states is tolegalize and regulate it...example alcohol laws......in moststates(if not all) an individual can make their own beer,wine, and even spirits for personal use...the rub comes ifyou sell your booze without licensing and taxing of thestuff...(revenoors from prohibition days) as it stands,people under 18 can get pot(as well as "harder" drugs) moreeasily than beer(personal observation, but ask any highschool student)...marijuana could be a huge cash cow for thefederal government as well as local governments...the actualproduction costs are no higher than those of most fruitcrops per acre...the cost to the consumer would be a fairprofit to the farmer plus production costs plus taxes plusthe wholesale and retail distribution markups...the cost ofmarijuana on the street is based on supply and demand, withmost cost based on risk and greed...easily 3 times whatregulated pot would cost...  my wife has 2 doctor's recommendations for pot to treat avariety of ailments(the use of marijuana eliminated the needfor, or reduced the dosage of ALL 6 prescription medicationsshe was previously taking)...mostly for pain...she musttravel 100 miles to get "legal" pot in the san francisco bayarea...why isn't it available at the local liquor store orpharmacy? her monthly cost: $600-$800...that is a MINIMUMamount..maintenance only...she actually would be using about$2000 worth if we had the ability to afford it...at thatlevel of use, the narcotic effects have subsided...theprimary purpose is PAIN relief...high quality marijuana hascontinuous analgesic properties that don't diminish asmorphine's or heroin's do...her consumption hasn't increasedin several years beyond the higher level...but the cost ispreventing her from getting the level of relief she needs...  it's my belief that anyone of average or higherintelligence who is against the legalization/regulation ofmarijuana is either motivated by money(trial lawyers, cops,judges, major drug dealers, prison employees) or iscompletely uninformed about the negative repercussions ofthe "war(pogrom) on drugs"  recreational drugs are a fact of life in america..theycan be regulated but never eradicated...as long as someonecan make a buck manufacturing methamphetamine, they'll doit...the same with LSD or any of the "designer" drugs thatkeep popping up(anyone can grow pot...dirt, water, sun andnon judgmental neighbors)...illegal pot is what set up theunderground economy in the 60's and 70's...taking marijuanaout of the "black" market would go a long ways towardstifling the distribution of more harmful drugs...  if we want to eliminate the use of recreational drugs inamerica, education of our children is the only answer...i'mtalking about TRUTH...tell them the facts...the fact thatalcohol and tobacco are legal puts the lie to anything anauthority figure says about marijuana, and by extension allthe other drugs and self destructive behavior that societywishes to prevent...kids KNOW alcohol and tobacco are moreharmful than marijuana...they see that at parties andanywhere else kids gather without supervision...(source: my3 teenagers and their friends) if they think you are lyingabout something, they'll very often go see for themselves...  we baby boomers should know better...have we forgottenour teenage years? presidents clinton and bush have bothadmitted using illegal drugs...bush has admitted to alcoholabuse... it looks like we've run out of "clean" candidatesto vote for...hopefully we all learn the truth about theeffects of abusive behavior before it damagesus...preferably by 3rd grade...  considering the nature of this forum, i doubt many whoread these words would disagree with me...i wish all themajor media would publish or broadcast these thoughts(hopefully written by a better spokesman)...anybody have theclout to get them there?
[ Post Comment ]


Post Comment


Name: Optional Password: 
E-Mail: 
Subject: 
Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message]
Link URL: 
Link Title: