Legalise ecstasy and cannabis to combat drugs crime: think tank
The government needs to take over the national drugs market for cannabis and ecstasy as quickly as possible
Thursday, June 23, 2022
Dutch drugs criminality could be tackled by legalising ecstasy and cannabis and by a taking a much tougher approach to cocaine smuggling, an independent think tank has said in a report. The Dutch need to work on a ‘credible’ policy when it comes to drugs crime, think tank DenkWerk said in its evaluation, and that includes measures such as closing down port terminals which are not doing enough to intercept drugs transports. The think tank based its recommendations on interviews with 25 representatives from police, customs, the public prosecution office, ports and journalism. Legalisation, one of the report’s key recommendations, would deprive criminals of hundreds of millions of euros in profits. At the same time, it would tackle the illegal dumping of chemicals and discourage youngsters just out of school from getting involved in drugs crime.
