The Dutch drug policy has been different from the rest of the world for a long time. Since 1970, the government began to tolerate the sale of and use of drugs, and since 1976 the law made a clear distinction between soft and hard drugs. By tolerating or barely punishing the soft drugs, the government hoped to discourage the use of hard drugs and save money on persecution.
On the other hand, few countries ban alcohol or tobacco, which also bring signifant health risks. Is the drug policy in this regard hypocritical? Why does every city (and Esperanto event) have a bar, but almost none have a weed shop?
Furthermore, we’ll be esploring the famous Dutch tolerance of other religions, cultures and orientations. The Netherlands is the first country where two homosexual individuals were allowed to get married, in 2001. The country has often opened its doors to migrants and refugees from other parts of the world. Does this tolerance still exist to this day?
During the IJK there’ll be an opportunity to discuss the history of drugs and drug policy, the medical effects of legal and illegal drugs, the negative effects of drug crime and what one should tolerate from others, and what shouldn’t be tolerated. There’s also some merit to discussing our own alcohol policy within Esperanto events, and whether this culture has negative effects.
Here are the themed programs you can expect:
- A lecture on the history of drug policy in the world
- A discussion on the status of sex workers in society
- A guided visit to a Dutch weed shop
- An overview of the rights of gay people in the world
- A lecture on the medical uses of weed
- A discussion about the treatment of refugees in the European Union
- A workshop on healthy alcohol culture in Esperanto events