Newsgroups: talk.politics.drugs
From: [e--w] at [hip.atr.co.jp] (Eric Woudenberg)
Subject: Rep. Solomon holds forth on Dutch Drug Legalization Failure
Date: Mon, 3 Apr 1995 11:06:31 GMT

[More from the http://thomas.loc.gov site]
[Note: readers *might* want to look at the press releases directly *from* the
Netherlands. They're also available on Cerebus.]

                           DRUG LEGALIZATION FICTION

                                  [Page: E713]


                            HON. GERALD B.H. SOLOMON

                                  OF NEW YORK

                        in the House of Representatives

                            Tuesday, March 28, 1995

Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, President Clinton, in his State of the Union Address,
criticized Hollywood for the increased level of violence in film. Yet once
again, the President was noticeably silent on the drug issue.

In the latest dangerous nonsense from Hollywood, the movie `Pulp Fiction,' the
character played by John Travolta exclaims how wonderful his recent trip to the
Netherlands was, primarily because of their drug legalization policies.

Mr. Speaker, I would like to submit into the Record some crime and drug
statistics, provided by K.F. Gunning, M.D., the president of the Dutch National
Committee on Drug Prevention, for the years since the Netherlands implemented
their legalization programs in the early 1980's.

1988-1992 cannabis use among pupils increased 100 percent; 1984-1992 use
increased by 250 percent; shootings up 40 percent; car thefts up 62 percent;
hold-ups up 69 percent.

Addict Rate in the Netherlands: From 1919-1993, there was a 30-percent rise in
registered cannabis addicts. The total number of addicts registered with the
Consultation Bureau for Alcohol and Drug Problems has risen 22 percent since
1988 to 54,000 addicts in 1993, of which 25,300 were new addicts.

Organized crime groups: 1988(3), 1991(59), 1993(93).

Mr. Speaker, the test has been conducted and the results are in from the
Netherlands. And despite all the misinformation about the consequences of
dangerous drug use being put out by the Partnership for Responsible Drug
Information, the Drug Policy Foundation, and our friends in Hollywood, the
legalization of drugs should never become a serious policy option.

[Okay guys, the information age is here, he's publicly condemning drug
legalization with apparently bona fide figures. I think we owe it to
the movement to refute his argument, and/or verify the statistics. 
Anyone got the details? He does not mention the actual counts for the
cannabis users or registered cannibis addicts (aside from wondering
what the heck a registered cannabis addict is, I also wonder if you
get government provided weed if you register?).  Are the addicts
heroin or alcohol addicts? Do the crime statistics make an argument
for heroin legalization? We could really use the help of a resident
Dutchman to help seek out and interpret these figures. -Eric
Woudenberg]