Toward an “Americanization” of dutch drug policy?

Since the early 1970s the Netherlands consistently has pursued a liberal approach to the control of mind-altering drugs. Dutch drug policy always has been based on a pragmatic concern with “harm reduction” and tolerance. Although the basic liberal philosophical foundations of Dutch drug policies have not changed over the years, an unmistakable shift toward a tougher drug policy has become evident since the early 1980s. This essay describes 1) the main features of the Dutch approach to the control of mind-altering drugs, 2) how Dutch drug policies have changed since the beginning of the 1980s, and 3) some of the domestic and international factors involved in the apparent redirection of Dutch drug policies. The authors conclude that increasing demands for international harmonization of drug control laws will continue to exert mounting pressures on the Dutch government to compromise its successful and pragmatic public health-based drug policy.

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology in Chicago in November 1988. Our thanks to Frank Cullen and to referees from Justice Quarterly for comments on an earlier draft. Part of the research for this article was conducted while one of the authors was a guest of the Research and Documentation Center (RDC) of the Dutch Ministry of Justice. We are indebted to the RDC staff for their assistance and insights, but the RDC does not bear any responsibility for the interpretations presented here.

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology in Chicago in November 1988. Our thanks to Frank Cullen and to referees from Justice Quarterly for comments on an earlier draft. Part of the research for this article was conducted while one of the authors was a guest of the Research and Documentation Center (RDC) of the Dutch Ministry of Justice. We are indebted to the RDC staff for their assistance and insights, but the RDC does not bear any responsibility for the interpretations presented here.

Notes

An earlier version of this paper was presented at the annual meeting of the American Society of Criminology in Chicago in November 1988. Our thanks to Frank Cullen and to referees from Justice Quarterly for comments on an earlier draft. Part of the research for this article was conducted while one of the authors was a guest of the Research and Documentation Center (RDC) of the Dutch Ministry of Justice. We are indebted to the RDC staff for their assistance and insights, but the RDC does not bear any responsibility for the interpretations presented here.