The mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, is looking for new ways to fight the illegal drug trade. In an interview, she admitted that possible solutions include selling cocaine and MDMA in pharmacies. – Isn't it ridiculous to leave the drug trade to criminals? – she asked.
Amsterdam is facing a huge problem of crime related to drug trafficking, which not only contributes to the increase in the number of crimes, but also has a huge negative impact on the economy of the entire country – says Mayor Femke Halsema. In her opinion, “cocaine prices on the street have remained exactly the same, which means we have no effectiveness.”
Cocaine in pharmacies
Speaking to AFP, the mayor of Amsterdam admitted that she is aware that her approach to drugs is different from that of most politicians. – But isn't it absurd to leave the drug trade to criminals and abandon attempts to find a way to create a civilized market? – she added.
– I believe that some drugs are dangerous. I also think that limiting their consumption is wise. However, I see that the way we are trying to do it is not helping, Halsema said. To prove the ineffectiveness of the current actions, the politician cited police data, according to which 80 percent of police interventions in the city are related to illegal drug trade. “We need to develop better ways to regulate it,” she said in a recent interview with AFP.
Describing how she envisions improving the fight against drug trafficking, the mayor pointed to the introduction of regulated sales of selected drugs. She talked about cocaine or MDMA (ecstasy). According to the mayor's idea, these would be available in pharmacies or other facilities operating within the health care system. – Since it takes time to build a “healthy and well-regulated market”, it is necessary to approach the problem in a comprehensive way – explained Halsema.
Streets of Amsterdam Konstantin Tronin/Shutterstock
Fighting consumers, not drugs
Femke Halsema emphasized that she opposes the approach of the authorities of these cities, which fight against drug consumers, and not against the drugs themselves. In her opinion, this practice only leads to overcrowding of prisons and does not solve the problem. As confirmation of the above, Halsema cited the example of the United States, where – as she stated – the prison system has difficulty coping with the number of people convicted of drug crimes.
Responding to allegations that the tolerant attitude of the Dutch authorities towards soft drugs was what contributed to the increase in drug trafficking in the country, the politician said that this increase “has nothing to do with being tolerant or restrictive.” – It results from our geographical location and previous sales history – she added.
Currently, it is legal to purchase marijuana or hallucinogenic mushrooms in the Netherlands. However, they can only be purchased at selected sales points.
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Main photo source: Konstantin Tronin/Shutterstock