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Netherland has had pretty permissive drug policies for quite some time now, and this seems to have lead to it becoming increasingly important in international d

by mcv 4y ago

Netherland has had pretty permissive drug policies for quite some time now, and this seems to have lead to it becoming increasingly important in international drug trade. A couple of years ago there were some serious concerns about this getting out of hand. I have no idea what the current situation really is. It's not happening with the kind of violence that you sometimes hear about from Mexico, though.

Gasp0de 4y ago
Can you explain how the dutch permissive drug policies (which are exclusively related to recreational use) have any influence on importance in international drug trade? Smuggling hard drugs carries a sentence of up to 16 years in prison in the Netherlands and is also frequently enforced.
- mcv 4y ago
  People create drugs here and then smuggle it abroad. That's pretty much it, I think. We've got several major ports and tons of excellent infrastructure with no border checks to the rest of the EU, so I'm sure that helps. I think there has been a period that the Dutch authorities were a bit naive about this, but they seem to be taking it more seriously now. But I'm no expert and not remotely up to date on what's really going on.
  - mschuster91 4y ago
    > People create drugs here and then smuggle it abroad. That's only valid for some chem-drugs (mostly LSD) and marijuana. The real issue is cocaine imported from South America, it's by far the most important drug in the Dutch trade.
mschuster91 4y ago
> Netherland has had pretty permissive drug policies for quite some time now, and this seems to have lead to it becoming increasingly important in international drug trade. That's bordering on propaganda. The problem the Netherlands have is that Europe's biggest seaport is in Rotterdam - that means a lot of ships that come from South America unload their freight there, and there is an extensive network of rail and highway lines that connect it to the rest of Europe. And that combination attracts drug smugglers like a pile of poo attracts flies - and wherever you have large scale drug smugglers, no matter the country's drug policy, which is only relevant for marijuana anyway, you will get absurd amounts of money luring in corruptible officials.

by mcv 4y ago

Gasp0de 4y ago

Can you explain how the dutch permissive drug policies (which are exclusively related to recreational use) have any influence on importance in international drug trade? Smuggling hard drugs carries a sentence of up to 16 years in prison in the Netherlands and is also frequently enforced.

mcv 4y ago
People create drugs here and then smuggle it abroad. That's pretty much it, I think. We've got several major ports and tons of excellent infrastructure with no border checks to the rest of the EU, so I'm sure that helps. I think there has been a period that the Dutch authorities were a bit naive about this, but they seem to be taking it more seriously now. But I'm no expert and not remotely up to date on what's really going on.
- mschuster91 4y ago
  > People create drugs here and then smuggle it abroad. That's only valid for some chem-drugs (mostly LSD) and marijuana. The real issue is cocaine imported from South America, it's by far the most important drug in the Dutch trade.

mschuster91 4y ago

> Netherland has had pretty permissive drug policies for quite some time now, and this seems to have lead to it becoming increasingly important in international drug trade. That's bordering on propaganda. The problem the Netherlands have is that Europe's biggest seaport is in Rotterdam - that means a lot of ships that come from South America unload their freight there, and there is an extensive network of rail and highway lines that connect it to the rest of Europe. And that combination attracts drug smugglers like a pile of poo attracts flies - and wherever you have large scale drug smugglers, no matter the country's drug policy, which is only relevant for marijuana anyway, you will get absurd amounts of money luring in corruptible officials.