DRUG DECRIMINALIZATION IN HOLLAND HAS INCREASED CRIME AND ADDICTION

by http://www.druglibrary.org/schaffer/GOVPUBS/solom2.htm

Thursday, March 2, 1995

Interestingly, during that time the use of marijuana and other drugs drastically increased. Use also increased in adolescents despite the fact that drugs never become legal or decriminalized for that age group. The use of marijuana among high school students in Oregon during decriminalization was double that of the national average. National averages of marijuana use among high school seniors increased to 50% of seniors having used in the previous year, and 10.7% used daily.
Because of the drastic failure of lenient drug policies, steady pressure was exerted at national and local levels for restrictive drug policies. A huge national wave of high quality research, grassroots prevention organizations, and tightening of drug laws began.
Predictably, the use of drugs among `recreational' users dropped. High school seniors use of marijuana dropped to 23% of seniors using within the last year and 2% using on a daily basis. The use among hard addicts did not drop. Strangely the cry has been sounded by some that the drug war did not work. That outcry, however, was almost exclusively being sounded by individuals who favored legalization or decriminalization back in the 1970's. The same individuals who called for soft policy in the earlier era are calling for the new harm reduction policy today. Hidden within such policy is the intent to gain decriminalization of drugs .
Holland has decriminalized drugs and tried harm reduction. Since the softening of drug policy there, shootings have increased 40%, robberies 62%, and car thefts 62%. This experiment which was meant to decrease organized crime has resulted in an increase in organized crime families from 3 in 1988 to 93 today.The number of registered marijuana addicts has risen 30% and the number of other addicts has risen 22%.

Our title is "The relationship between drugs and crime rate in Holland". This article was written about 13 years ago after the Holland government made the drugs legal. And I learn that after the Holland government made the drugs legal, the crime rate getting more higher and the people take drugs is getting more too. So, according to this article, I think the relationship between the drugs and crime rate in Holland is not only close but also the key for people to crime.
This article was 13 years ago written. So we want to search the crime rate's vary from 1995 to 2008 in Holland.

by 61134 葉芳甄