From: mario lap <[m--p] at [simplex.nl]>
Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs
Subject: DEA abuses amsterdam social democrat leader
Date: 14 Jan 1995 22:15:20 GMT

DEA abuses Social Democrat Amsterdam chairman in "War on Drugs"

The DEA, the American Drug Combat Organization, presents the Amsterdam 
Social Democrat leader Eberhard van der Laan as a hard liner on drugs 
in their campaign against legalization.

The DEA quotes van der Laan talking about Amsterdam from a report not 
mentioned saying things like "whole streets almost given up to the 
drug problem" and "people are absolutely fed up with all the trouble 
caused by drug addicts".

Have we not perceived the Dutch Social Democrats joining the ranks of 
the War on Drug Lords ? Eberhard van der Laan states that all of this 
is rediculous and that he has never even talked to people of the DEA. 
The Social Democrats do want to take nuissance, annoyance and molest 
in hand naturally but are also supporters of the legalization of drugs.

Minister of Foreign Affairs van Mierlo has barely announced that he 
will lecture the American Government about their unjust representation 
of Dutch drug policy in a DEA report that came to light recently and 
yet another report turns up with even more unfounded criticism.

In the first report titled "How to Hold Oneself in the Legalisation 
Debate", amongst other things is stated that Dutch police is ordered 
not to take action against street trade in any drug what so ever. 
Also research data are misrepresented so that addiction seems much 
more severe in The Netherlands than is actually the case.      

After parliamentary questions by liberal MP Thom de Graaf, Minister 
van Mierlo of Foreign Affairs monday announced he will correct this 
matter in the United States. 

Now all of the sudden there appears to be even more work for the 
Minister. In a report of last year titled "Drug Legalization, Myths 
and Misconceptions" The Netherlands are portrayed as the country with 
the highest crime rate in Europe and with more people jailed for drug 
related crime than the US. In the Dutch capital addicts are 
responsible for 80 % of theft according to the DEA and they say this 
is the truth behind Amsterdam named "Drug-Mekka" of the west in 
pleas for legalization.

Van der Laan is the only Dutchman presented to back all of this up 
with quotes about "car windows broken and nuissance". 
The Amsterdam Social Democrat leader was not aware of any of this. 
A long time ago I had an interview with an American newspaper in which 
I have spoken about nuissance in a wide context and in which I also 
have made a plea for the legalization of drugs.

The DEA does not reveal their sources but must have made a real effort 
to obtain useful quotes as they use a statement by a certain Ramon 
Bracamontes in the El Paso Times of the 24th of July 1988 saying:
"Marijuana is as easily available in Amsterdam as ice cream."

This same Bracamontes is quoted as reliable source for the following 
DEA proposition:

"Because of it's drug problem Amsterdam has a much larger police force 
than cities of comparable size in the US"

Faced with absurdities like this one can but give a little shrugg of 
the shoulder and state:

Do not ever believe a word the DEA sais about The Netherlands 
until further notice !

translation
FDPHR
mario lap