Drugs policy in the Netherlands: Annex II

Appendix

Annex II

Principal policy intentions indicated in the policy document on drugs

General

1. Neither hard nor soft drugs to be legalised.
2. Continuation of policy geared to market separation and harm reduction, with a tightening up in certain areas:
   • renewal of care;
   • more action to combat nuisance and crime;
   • organised crime to be tackled;
   • more consultations with other countries.
3. Integrated approach: prevention, care, social rehabilitation and penalties under the criminal law for criminal behaviour and nuisance.

More specific measures

1. Establishment of national support office to provide information, improve expertise and develop policy on drugs prevention.
2. Statutory provisions on participation in national information collection system to monitor the addiction problem.
3. Research to establish how regional non-residential care for addicts should be financed when the Temporary Act for the Promotion of Social Renewal (TWSSV) comes to an end.
4. Renewal of care for addicts:
   • greater range of residential care to be provided;
   • more attention to be paid to prevention and "socialisation" of addicts;
   • trial involving the provision of heroin to older, untreatable addicts;
   • increased capacity in compulsion and dissuasion projects (500 places in consultation with Public Prosecutions Department);
   • opening of forensic addiction clinic (70 places).
5. Establishment of Inter-administrative Task Force on Public Safety and the Care of Addicts (central government, municipalities, Association of Netherlands Municipalities), in conjunction with the policy on the big cities.
6. Establishment of panel of experts to assist municipalities in tackling the problem of nuisance using administrative powers and in pursuing a policy on coffee shops:
   • case law studies;
   • development of proposals for local coffee shop policy;
   • offices where nuisance can be reported;
   • exchanges of information.
   Bill on the sealing of dwellings.
7. Strict approach to drug tourists who cause nuisance (specifically targeted investigations and immediate deportation).
8. Bill on a criminal law measure allowing addicts who frequently commit offences or cause nuisance to be taken into care compulsorily; trial using such a measure in Rotterdam (100 places).
9. Amount of soft drugs whose retail sale is tolerated in regulated coffee shops to be reduced from 30 grammes to 5 grammes; more monitoring of exports.
10. Inclusion in Public Prosecutions Department guidelines of the amount of soft drugs coffee shops will be permitted to stock for sales purposes (a few hundred grammes).
11. Bill to increase the maximum penalty for the cultivation of cannabis.
12. Priority to be given to the investigation of the large- scale cultivation Dutch cannabis.
13. No priority to be given to investigating the small-scale domestic cultivation of Dutch cannabis within limits to be set locally.
14. Investigation of criminal organisations to be stepped up (national team).
15. More priority to be given to investigating those who control drug trafficking at local level.
16. Plan of approach to tackle organised crime after completion of enquiry.
17. Promotion of cross-border cooperation between the judicial authorities, the police, administrative authorities and care organisations.
18. Greater attention to be paid to research, monitoring and evaluation:
    • regular user studies;
    • projects on quality;
    • evaluation of preventive measures;
    • future scenarios;
    • coffee shop policy;
    • THC-levels;
    • synthetic drugs