...the legalisation of drugs?
According to supporters, the legalisation of drugs that are illegal as yet is important because it reduces nuisance for the environment and limits the economic harm due to drug use. It remains to be seen, however, whether this is really true.
De Hoop considers legalisation to have undesirable consequences:
- Real criminals, such as dealers, will not be instantly satisfied with an office job or storage work. They will focus more intensively on other illegal practices. Moreover, dealers will look for new target groups, such as very young people or non-using problem groups.
- The formal status of drugs will not change the characteristics or effects of drugs. Drugs will continue to have a seriously harmful effect on the drug user. His social contacts and lifestyle as well as his emotional life and motivation will deteriorate. In reality, quite a large amount of drug addicts still decide to kick the habit. Many addicts decide to quit especially when they become older and it becomes too exhausting for them to venture about to buy drugs. The legalisation of drugs will make all hope of being cured disappear.
- A certain amount of users will not be eligible for supply because their condition is not poor enough. Therefore, the black market will continue to exist.
- It is profitable for the user that he can have a free legal dose of drugs but he will buy other drugs with the money he saves because of this free supply. Therefore, his total drug use would most likely not alter but will probably even increase.
- The legalisation of drugs will cause many people from abroad to come to The Netherlands to buy or deal in drugs.
It is obvious that De Hoop feels that the legalisation of drugs will not solve many problems but that it will probably create more problems. For that reason, De Hoop advises against legalisation.
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