A Comparison of the Differences Between the United States and the Netherlands

Let us go for a visit to the Netherlands, home of never-ending beautiful canals, windmills, old wooden clogs, and most famously known for their cheeses. Most adults from the United States understand the punitive laws about “soft drugs” like marijuana and “hard drugs” like Cocaine, Heroin, and Opiates that the United States enforces. In the Netherlands, their views and laws about “soft drugs” and “hard drugs” are much different from the United States. Let’s head into one of their many coffee shops and discuss this issue.

Come and see what similarities and differences the Dutch people have on this issue are you ready to learn the differences between the Netherlands and the United States when it comes to “soft drugs” and “hard drugs”? Follow inside for a very informative conversation on this issue In the Article “Dutch drug policies do not increase marijuana use, first rigorous comparative study finds” it was stated.

“We compared representative samples of experienced marijuana users to see whether the lawful availability of marijuana did> in fact, lead to the problems critics of the Dutch system have claimed, “ said Craig Reinarman (professor of sociology at UCSC).

“We found no evidence that it does. In fact, we found consistently strong similarities in patterns of marijuana use, despite vastly different national drug policies”, This study compared Amsterdam and San Francisco’s laws of punishment for marijuana and how it reflected on the use of marijuana in either country. In both Amsterdam and San Francisco the age of starting use is about 16 years old.

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Those who began using marijuana more than once a month in both cities were between the ages of 18 and 19 years of age Comparing both cities for users beginning their periods of maximum use about two years after they began their regular use was approximately the same age of about 21 years old.

The outcomes are very strikingly similar in both countries even though the laws are very different. In the Netherlands, they have effectively decriminalized the use of marijuana since 1976. In licensed coffee shops around the country it is legal for adults to purchase marijuana in small amounts The data from many different studies has suggested that decriminalizing marijuana in the Netherlands may be working. Marijuana use carries a harsh criminal consequences in the United States Back in 2001 more than 720,000 people were taken into custody by authorities for marijuana offenses. The United States believes it is better policy to have strict penalties for marijuana which will deter use Reinarman found out through his study that there is no evidence that lawfully regulated marijuana provides a “gateway” to other illegal drug use.

It was found that in San Francisco users were far more likely to have used harder drugs than marijuana users in Amsterdam. The Dutch coffee shops which are not uniformly distributed throughout the country have reduced the street market for marijuana. The need for street market dealers have become fewer since marijuana is legal to sell in small amounts in coffee shops in the Netherlands, Most coffee shops that sell marijuana in small portions are found in; Rotterdam, Amsterdam, and a couple of college campus areas. If you go out to some of the smaller towns in the country, there aren’t any coffee shops in those areas. The Dutch had this idea; if they could separate the illegal marijuana dealer market and let people who want the marijuana get it without going to dealers, it would prevent the gateway to harsher drugs. Different studies have shown that there is something positive to that. It is worthwhile looking at the Dutch system if other countries are considering legalizing marijuana, other countries might benefit at looking at the Dutch system that seems to be working.  There have been many studies on the issue of “soft drugs” and “hard drugs” both in the United States and in the Netherlands.

This discussion was only centered on three The first one “Dutch drug policies do not increase marijuana use, first rigorous comparative study finds” by Jennifer McNuLly on May 3, 2004. The second one; “Going Dutch; Teen Marijuana Use in the US vs Netherlands — the Full Interview with Cal Professor Robert MacCoun”, by David Downs on September 22, 2011. Lastly; “Netherlands Compared With The United States” published on “Get The Facts DrquarFactsorg”. There are many studies and even more opinions to reference on this issue, which makes for a lively conversation. The fact of the matter is though: the differences are distinctly clear between the two countries on the laws about “soft drugs” and “hard drugs” in the United States and the Netherlands. During this discussion, it was only briefly touched upon about a system concerning marijuana laws in the country of the Netherlands, which seems to be working. Maybe the Dutch are on to something concerning marijuana laws that other countries should really consider doing more research on