WHY HOLLAND'S BAN ON CANNABIS IS DOOMED TO FAIL

Holland's decision to ban non-residents from smoking cannabis appears to be more self defeating than ever in light of my recent visit to Amsterdam.  Boarder cities throughout The Netherlands have already introduced the ban, with Amsterdam set to follow suit next year.  However, as the ban will only apply to non-residents, Coffeeshop owners and tourists alike remain sceptical that introducing such a ban will prove tangible.

     When relaxing with a beer by the Prinzengracht Canal yesterday friends and I were openly approached by a scruffy looking gentleman in a leather jacket who was professing to sell "good" Cocaine.  Although we politely declined his offer, the thought did occur that such a blatant approach - no doubt successful with many - was executed so casually that the gentleman in question did not fear interference from the law.  My friends and I simply opined that if Cocaine - an illegal drug in Holland - was so readily available, nothing would prevent permanent residents who live in Amsterdam from simply purchasing pre-rolled, branded joints from Coffeeshops, to then sell to tourists for a small cash profit after Amsterdam introduces the ban in 2013.

     Therefore, the wise and sagacious bureaucrats who have formulated this legislation appear to have ignored that fact that such enforcement will not really impact upon the Cannabis trade.  If anything it will have the effect of reducing legalised revenue from Coffeeshops as well as inadvertently promoting illegality in the form of unregulated sales.  For if the peddlers of hard drugs including Cocaine believe they are effectively immune from prosecution in Amsterdam, how can Dutch police realistically prevent the sale of weed from permanent residents to non-residents after the ban comes into force?

     If the authorities were determined to tackle the problem effectively they should simply introduce a blanket ban outlawing all Cannabis sales throughout Holland.  However, the lackadaisical approach now adopted appears to be a PR stunt aimed at pacifying Holland's more conservatively minded, without providing any real remedy to a disease nobody seems willing to cure.