On Fri, Dec 13, 2013 at 11:35 AM, Bruno Marchal <marc...@ulb.ac.be> wrote: > > On 13 Dec 2013, at 00:51, LizR wrote: > > On 13 December 2013 07:04, Bruno Marchal <marc...@ulb.ac.be> wrote: >> >> >> On 12 Dec 2013, at 18:31, meekerdb wrote: >> >> Is it true that you're transferring to the University of Uruguay, Bruno? >> >> >> Yes, but not exactly. Apparently I will be triplicated in Washington, >> Colorado, *and* Uruguay. > > > And Amsterdam? > > > I will be read and annihilated in Amsterdam. > > :) > > But note that in Amsterdam, cannabis is illegal, completely illegal. It is > just tolerated and decriminalized. > And that's bad, because it makes the coffee-shop owners sill in relation > with the criminals. It does not solve the root problem. They do progress, as > they allow more farmers to grow it, but only exceptionally, and still under > tolerance, not law. > > I am not sure for Portugal, perhaps Telmo know better. I think they tolerate > all drugs, but don't have the full legalization,
(sorry I pressed some key by mistake and it sent the incomplete email) In Portugal drug use is fully decriminalized, as well as possession of small quantities. This applies to all drugs, even heroin and so on. In fact, you can go to a pharmacy and ask for syringes. Selling is still a crime and people go to jail for it -- although Portugal is very lenient on crime overall -- it is unlikely that a person will go to jail for their first criminal offense, unless it's something really serious (murder or armed robbery). I agree with Bruno, it's not enough, but it already provides strong empirical evidence: after one decade of decreminalization, hard drug use is significantly reduced (heroin was a big problem before decreminalization). I remember the political debate around this, and the conservatives were arguing that Portugal would become a destination for drug tourism, and that drug use would be rampant and destroy society. None of that happened, and even the conservatives don't talk about it anymore -- drugs simply ceased to be a political topic at all. Here in Berlin some progress is being made too: http://www.dw.de/cannabis-cafes-could-set-up-shop-in-berlin/a-17089498 We'll see. Telmo. >like in Uruguay (and in > Washington and in Colorado, except for the feds!). > > We are still a long way from the understanding that prohibition benefits > only to bandits and terrorists, and that its harms a lot individuals and the > whole society at all levels. Why? because it is the criminals who got the > power, simply. Probably after Kennedy assassination. The world is governed > by "Al Capone", and it will look like more and more a big Chicago (as it > arguably already seems to be). > > But Amsterdam and all cities in the Netherlands are very lovely, and it is > nice we can buy salvia and cannabis, medical or recreative, without much > trouble. Note that Uruguay violates an international decision(*). That is > good, and the time has come to doubt on the sanity of that international > decision. We should internationally condemn all form of drugs and food > prohibition, which is the most unhealthy thing possible to do. I think that > such arbitrary nonsense has been made possible by the mentality which > accepted the abandon of doing theology in the scientific (interrogative) > way. > > Science is not yet born again. The Enlighten period was just a tiny > concession for the most exact sciences, not for the very spirit of science, > which allows *all* doubts, and encourage the critical mind in *all* > directions. All certainties, when made public, are a form of madness. > > Bruno > > > (*) The International Narcotics Control Board (INCB) said the legislation in > Uruguay contravenes the 1961 Single Convention on Narcotic Drugs, to which > it said Uruguay is a party. > http://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/11/uruguay-marijuana-breaks-international-treaty > > > > > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. > > > http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~marchal/ > > > > -- > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups > "Everything List" group. > To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an > email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. > To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. > Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. > For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out. -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Everything List" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to everything-list+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to everything-list@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/everything-list. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/groups/opt_out.
