Dutch Maintain Alternative Drug Policy Despite Criticism

On November 29, 1996, in spite of pressure from France and some other European Union countries for the Dutch Government to toughen its liberal drug laws, the Dutch Government during a meeting of justice and interior ministers in Brussels successfully resisted pressure. The outcome was an accord that provides scope for the Dutch Government to maintain its comparatively alternative (also characterized as "soft") drug policy. The policy permits authorized coffee shops to sell small quantities of cannabis ... [more]