TRUTH CAMPAIGN 08

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Politics Outside US

Australia: Hemp Production Now Legal in New South Wales

American hemp consumers still can't grow their own, but as of this week, they now have one more choice of where to import it from.

Europe: Dutch Mayors Want Regulated Marijuana Production and Sales

A solid majority of mayors of Dutch towns that currently have cannabis coffee shops are happy with the way they are working and favor legalizing the entire marijuana supply chain, according to poll

Canada: BC Local Elections Bring Another Drug Reform Mayor to Vancouver, A Drug Reform Mayor Back to Grand Forks, and a Drug Reformer to Victoria's City Council

Municipal elections in British Columbia Saturday saw Vancouver get another in a string of pro-drug reform mayors, while a marijuana reformer was returned to the mayor's office in Grand Forks in the

Press Release: Cannabis Tribunal Organises Debate on Cannabis in Dutch Parliament

[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

Europe: Swiss to Vote on Marijuana Decriminalization, Heroin Prescription

Swiss voters will go to the polls November 30 to decide whether to approve marijuana decriminalization and the government's ongoing "four pillars" drug strategy, which includes the prescription of

Latin America: Mexican Interior Minister, Top Anti-Drug Fighter Killed in Mysterious Plane Crash

Two of Mexico's top anti-drug officials, the interior minister and the former chief federal anti-drug prosecutor, were killed Tuesday afternoon when the small plane in which they were traveling cra

Latin America: Bolivia Suspends Operations By DEA

Already cool relations between Bolivia and the US grew even chillier over the weekend, as Bolivian President Evo Morales announced Saturday that he was suspending anti-drug operations by the US DEA

Europe: Denmark's Christiania Residents Sue for Control Over Their Enclave

The residents of Christiania, a 900-person countercultural enclave that had been self-governing since hippies took over an abandoned military

Southeast Asia: Philippines Supreme Court Upholds Drug Testing for Students, Workers, But Not Political Candidates or Criminal Defendants

The Philippines Supreme Court this week upheld mandatory, random, suspicionless drug testing of workers and high school and college students, but struck down as unconstitutional provisions of the C

Canada: Government Loses Appeal in Bid to Restrict Medical Marijuana Cultivation

The Canadian federal government lost on appeal Monday in a case where the Justice Department had sought to overturn a lower court ruling that granted licensed medical marijuana producers the right

Europe: In Bid to Fend Off "Drug Tourists," Some Dutch Border Towns to Close Coffee Shops

Citing an overwhelming number of French, German, and Belgian citizens coming to Holland to purchase marijuana and the public nuisances the crowds cause, the mayors of two Dutch border towns have an

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