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[Courtesy of The European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies]

The Hague, 13 November 2008 - Three organisations that advocate for the emancipation of the use of the cannabis plant will present the first Netherlands Cannabis Tribunal, to be held on December 1st and 2nd in Nieuwspoort, the International Press Centre in The Hague. To conclude the first day of hearings, a debate on Dutch cannabis policies will be moderated by Frans Weisglas, former speaker of the Dutch Parliament.

The three government ministers responsible for Dutch drug policy have been invited to this political debate, to defend current cannabis policies. They are: Guusje ter Horst (PvdA) of Home Affairs, Ernst Hirsch Ballin (CDA) of Justice and Ab Klink (CDA) of Public Health. Spokespersons on drug policy from the Dutch Parliament have also been requested to make a contribution to this debate.

The Cannabis Tribunal is being organised by Cannabis College, the Dutch Drug Policy Foundation and Encod, the European Coalition for Just and Effective Drug Policies. During the debate they will challenge all Dutch MP's to provide conclusive evidence in opposition to the proposition:

The ban on cannabis has more negative than positive effects.

The political party that succeeds in providing such proof will receive an award of 200.000 euros.

The reason for organising the Tribunal is the fact that, more than thirty years after the introduction of liberal cannabis policies in the Netherlands, a drastic reform is urgently needed. During past years, many representatives of municipalities, police, justice, community organisations and involved citizens have called for a renewal of policy regarding cannabis in the Netherlands.

This may be total prohibition or legalisation, as long as the law is clear. In the mean time, government and parliament have repeatedly postponed a decision on the subject. The Cannabis Tribunal wants to find out the reasons for this inaction and delay.

The events of past weeks confirm this tendency. Early in November, the city councils of Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom (close to the Belgian border) announced their decision to close down all coffeeshops in their cities. Lord Mayor Leers of Maastricht then called for a National Cannabis Summit in order to agree on a coordinated policy in the frontier region.

Saturday November 8th the political leader of the Christian Democrat Party (CDA), Mr. Pieter van Geel, said that all coffeeshops in the Netherlands should be closed. Lord Mayor Van Gijzel of Eindhoven then replied saying he wanted more coffeeshops in the region, and that they should be provided with cannabis through legal channels. The organisers of the Cannabis Tribunal propose that politicians should live up to their responsibilities of office.

'Whoever calls for a total ban on cannabis must show that this would lead to a benefit for Dutch society as a whole. If Mr. Pieter van Geel can prove that a ban is the best solution, then let him do this at the Tribunal. An amount of 200.000 euros is waiting for him. If he refuses to respond to the challenge, then by default he obviously must agree with our proposition", says Joep Oomen, spokesperson of the Cannabis Tribunal.

Programme of the Cannabis Tribunal

Monday December 1st

The Cannabis Tribunal will kick off with a series of hearings. In each of them, two experts will present opposing testimony on a given issue. In chronological order, the topics to be discussed will be: Health aspects of cannabis, the coffeeshops, the role of the media, the moral justification of the ban on cannabis.

Law philosopher Hendrik Kaptein of the Leiden University will be moderator and judge for these hearings at the Cannabis Tribunal. At the end of the first day of hearings, there will be a concluding debate moderated by Frans Weisglas.

Tuesday, December 2nd

The morning programme will deal with the image of Dutch cannabis policy abroad. The promise of industrial applications of the hemp plant for paper, food, textiles and fuel will also be dealt with.

From 12.30 to 13.30 the organisers will present the conclusions of the Cannabis Tribunal at a press conference in Nieuwspoort. Subsequently, these conclusions will also be presented to the members of the Dutch parliament. The working language is Dutch.

Links:
www.cannabistribunaal.nl
www.encod.org
www.drugsbeleid.nl
www.cannabiscollege.com

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