Following the recent controversy in the pages of The Sofia Echo about Bulgaria's new law that will mean that even those caught with only a single dose of marijuana could be sent to jail, two Dutch-born expat contributors to The Echo, MARLENE SMITS and KOOS SCHOUTEN, give their perspectives.

Marlene Smits:

IN 1976, the Dutch government decided to decriminalise marijuana for basically two reasons; to counter illegal trade and criminality, and in order to separate the soft and hard drug markets.

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