Pubdate: Fri, 13 Aug 2010
Source: Hawaii Tribune Herald (Hilo, HI)
Copyright: 2010 Andrea Tischler
Contact: http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/share/letters/
Website: http://www.hawaiitribune-herald.com/
Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/185
Author: Andrea Tischler

GERMAN DRUG POLICY

I am visiting family and friends in Germany. One of my cousins is a 
police captain in a small city. As it is in the United States, the 
debate over drug liberalization and the effect it will have on German 
society exists here, as well.

Recently, the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen passed a bill allowing 
citizens to possess 10 grams (approximately one-third ounce) of 
cannabis for personal use, up from a previous amount of 6 grams. Some 
argue that this will encourage people to take more drugs. However, 
the state's police president, Hubert Wimber, stated that since small 
amounts of cannabis for personal use went into effect, the problems 
experienced with abuse have not increased. He argues that harsh laws 
do not deter people from taking drugs, and that the number of 
prosecutions for cannabis has not increased since citizens were 
allowed to possess cannabis legally.

He also said that a humanitarian drug policy based on "support, harm 
reduction and prevention" is preferred to criminalization. Would it 
not be refreshing if our council, mayor, police and prosecutors could 
view drug policy in such an enlightened manner?

Andrea Tischler

Hilo
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MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom