Legal Countries

[Blowmonkey]

uh, Amsterdam is in the province of Noord-Holland.

Province (1 of the 12) = Noord-Holland (N-H), Where A'dam lies in.
Amsterdam = Capital city
The Netherlands = The place I live in, c'mon man I know that..

 

[JustaFinn]

generally more tolerant that the rest of the world

Generally yes, but...

Swedes for example are total weed nazis, and in Finland we've got OFFICIALLY a zero tolerance everywhere as well, but nobody really gives a fuck here in Greater Helsinki anymore (that's the capital, 1.2 million ppl, actually 3 different cities / jurisdictions). Well OK one has to be discreet, for example light up a jay in front of a cop and U'll surely get a on-the-spot-fine for using & it's the same thing w/ small-scale posession as well (up to 10grs of hash & 15grs of weed, anything more is a criminal offence & gets U arrested &cetera).

But peace still & happy trekking, camping & smoking if U ever happen to visit our neck of woods Just be discreet is all...

 

[pullacone]

What about Denmark? How relaxed are the Danes?

 

[Blowmonkey]

Denmark

Denmark's legislation regarding drugs makes no distinction between hard and soft drugs, and drug use directly is not an offense. Acquisition of drugs is a criminal offense, and, the law makes no distinction between personal use and large scale trafficking, the latter subject to a penalty of up to six years imprisonment. In reality, the courts rarely view small amounts as "acquisition" and generally do not invoke severe penalties possible under the law. There are three categories of possession: for personal use, simple, and large scale. Possession for personal use is not an offense. If convicted, simple possession, meaning smaller amounts of less harmful drugs, can result in six years in prison. Large-scale possession of dangerous drugs can sentence one to up to ten years in prison.

Although cannabis is categorized in Danish law with cocaine, heroin, and other highly addictive substances (in accordance with 1961 UN Convention), a directive from the Chief Prosecutor "provides for particularly lenient treatment of local trafficking in [cannabis] or possession with a view to use." The tendency of the courts' action for possession for personal use is most often a warning or a fine. Possession of small quantities of cannabis normally results in just a warning and confiscation of the substance.

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=4415

You could also ask this in the regional discussion forums, bet some people overthere will know how it is in denmark from personal experience.

 

[pullacone]

cheers, thanks Blowmonkey

 

[zacamo]

And what about Canada? Don't they have smoke shops where you can buy herb in some parts?

in three provinces, a few months ago, there was a period of about two months where judges overruled the pot laws, saying they were unconstitutional. that, in effect, made cannabis posession, sale, and cultivation 100% legal.

unfortunately, a canadian supreme court judge over turned their rulings, saying that the pot laws did not violate personal liberties (???).

there are no such shops, that is unless they're illegally run.
we do have cannabis suppliers for medicinal needs though. there are a few shops in my city that provide pot and hash to people who can provide a doctor's note saying they need weed.

it has been legalized for the sake of doctor-approved medical uses. (i guess that's Schedule III in the states?)

 

[QLineHookups]

everyone is mentioning being discreet in these countries compared to the US but some of the same stuff happens in the US.. if you are discreet you can get away with it.. plus i know people who have been caught with cannibis and the cops just took it from them too.. that is rare i will admit though.. I hear that it is being decriminalized in Las Vegas also.. check out www.NORML.org for info on that though.

 

[morbyss]

i really don't think where i live is that liberal about weed. i have heard some stories about people getting away with possesion, but it's rare. but my guess is that if i got caught with my hitter and no weed, then i would be let off the hook unless it was an asshole cop.

 

[Lamer]

In the UK cannabis was recently downgraded from a class B drug to a class C, which practically decriminilizes small time posession.

The actual UK law now states

"CLASS C DRUGS
These include cannabis, GHB, anabolic steroids and tranquillisers such as valium. It is illegal to have, give away or deal in Class C drugs, and to grow cannabis plants. MAXIMUM PENALTIES
Possession: 2 years in jail plus an unlimited fine
Supplying/Dealing: 14 years in jail plus an unlimited fine
Possession with intent to supply: 14 years in jail plus an unlimited fine."

However, this is indeed a farse, I have been busted several times with as much as an eigth on me and all they have done is confiscated it and dispersed the group then left. I guess it depends on the cops, but I think it's an unspoken agreement that if it's less than an eigth they don't really care, you'd have to be doing it outside a kids school or in the centre of town for it to be an annoyance. Also the laws stated for dealers I've never witnessed anyone get busted for dealing and go to jail here, I've known people busted with a few ounces and got a little community service. Of course I don't guarantee this will be the same for the whole UK but where I am this is how they do it/

 

[Dr. McBudstoke]

Buds in Jamaica are pretty decriminalized. Still not legal though but accepted by all/most people their.

if i'm not mistaken, possession of cannabis in jamaica can hold a life sentence. Kinda ironic, seeing as it's a country full of rastas...

 

[Dr. McBudstoke]

i really don't think where i live is that liberal about weed. i have heard some stories about people getting away with possesion, but it's rare. but my guess is that if i got caught with my hitter and no weed, then i would be let off the hook unless it was an asshole cop.

it's the exact opposite where I live(Highland Park, Texas which is right in the middle of Dallas), if you're caught with anything they'll fuck you over. I've been caught with a tobacco pipe before, and they busted me on drug paraphernalia charges...

however, underage drinking is fully tolerated(maybe it's just the suburb i live in, which is full of upper middle class drunk white kids...). Most of the time, the police will not even give you a DWI if you're driving while you're wasted. They'll give you a "drunk in car" citation, and a ride home . I'm not even sure if this is technically legal to do, but as I said, it's a very white, very upper-middle class suburb, and the cops are really chill as long as you live there(they are very harsh on "outsiders").

 

[majoha]

This is how tolerant we are against weed in Holland:

[edit] Sorry, but please read our guidelines more carefully. I'll indeed have to remove that link, for the people interested in the Dutch drug laws, you should click here. [/edit]

There is no source discussion allowed in Cannabis Discussion. This means no links to sources and no discussing how to obtain things from a source. Any site selling (or otherwise distributing) anything relating to cannabis or other drugs is an unacceptable source. Even if the source is selling something unrelated to drugs, but you're suggesting people use it in some way related to cannabis or other drugs, it is not permitted. This means no links to paraphernalia ( e.g. pipes, bongs, seeds, grinders, etc.).

i think the link will be removed but it's only to let people see how strange it is over here

 

[reeen]

in three provinces, a few months ago, there was a period of about two months where judges overruled the pot laws, saying they were unconstitutional. that, in effect, made cannabis posession, sale, and cultivation 100% legal.

unfortunately, a canadian supreme court judge over turned their rulings, saying that the pot laws did not violate personal liberties (???).

there are no such shops, that is unless they're illegally run.
we do have cannabis suppliers for medicinal needs though. there are a few shops in my city that provide pot and hash to people who can provide a doctor's note saying they need weed.

it has been legalized for the sake of doctor-approved medical uses. (i guess that's Schedule III in the states?)

even though its been made illegal again, no one really cares if you smoke or not. i got stopped by a cop once, while walking down the street smoking a joint, and he just told me he didnt care but dont do it around the park since they're little kids there.

also, sale and cultivation of pot was not made legal, even possesion wasnt it was decriminalized, which means you can still get a fine. but sale and cultivation wasn't decriminalized, if you were caught with over an ounce or a bit more, you could still be charged. the hotbox cafe in toronto is still open though, and people still toke there but the management "doesnt condone it" so my friend was told.

haha and also, the weed the government supplies to the sick was once sent back for being of such poor quality it did more harm then good, i found that to be entertaining.

 

[qwe]

Thanks for the info... Yet another question... Is there any word for legalization in the US? I hear the only reason it isn't legal is because of the amount of unknown chemicals in THC... Therefore after they find out what these chemicals are they may legalize it.... Has anyone heard anything relevant to this? Thanks..

did they legalise ecstasy after ricaurte's study was shown to be using meth instead of E?

 

[jenna]

Belgium Law

http://www.norml.org/index.cfm?Group_ID=6431

Belgium: Court Clarifies That Cannabis Smokers Are To Receive Verbal Warning; And Keep The Cannabis

February 3, 2005 - Brussels, Belgium

Brussels, Belgium: Police will issue a verbal warning to anyone found in possession of three grams or less of marijuana, in accordance with new nationwide guidelines which took effect this week. Under the new guidelines, law enforcement is instructed not to confiscate the marijuana.

The new policy clarifies a 2003 law liberalizing the possession and private use of small quantities of marijuana, but which had been struck down by the Courts last year as overly vague. The new guidelines are expected to stay in effect until Parliament approves an amended version of the 2003 law.

 

[~*geNeRaTiOn E*~]

what i wanna know is where all the shit they confiscate goes...now you know they don't throw that shit away...i'm sure there's plenty of officers taking that shit home for personal use.

 

[zacamo]

also, sale and cultivation of pot was not made legal, even possesion wasnt it was decriminalized, which means you can still get a fine. but sale and cultivation wasn't decriminalized, if you were caught with over an ounce or a bit more, you could still be charged.

Sorry, bud, you have your information wrong.

The fact was that courts first in Ontario, followed by BC then Nova Scotia said that ALL pot laws were unconstitutional, and therefore, they became invalid. That included cultivaion, selling, smoking, posession (even of ten kilos); everything.

I don't know why everyone seems to think that it was decriminalised in Canada at some point. There have been talks in Parliament, Senate commissions set up, studies made, suggestions, etc. all pointing in this direction, but for a real law change such as that to happen, a bill would have to be passed in Parliament. When those court rulings were made, they didn't change the laws: they simply threw them all out.

But that "mistake" was soon rectified by the Canadian Supreme Court. Now they are working on bills to decriminalise it, ie. make small posession on par with a parking or speeding offense. But with how the political situation is going in Canada right now (changing of governments, the inevitable Bend-Over-To-The-US-And-Forget-The-Rest-Of-The-World-Conservative Party victory in the next election), I don't think those bills have any chance of being passed any time in the future. I view that as a good thing, because as things are right now, the police in Canada, at least in BC, are super leniant about posession, and usually just take your weed and tell you to bugger off. If there were such laws, and we just got fines, there would be no excuse for them to be so lenient, and I believe it would become even more strictly enforced.

My two cents. I hope things stay the way they are, or there is a magical Green Party victory some time soon.

 

[majoha]

this is going on in the netherlands now....



Cabinet rejects cannabis boulevard

27 April 2005

AMSTERDAM — The Cabinet has reaffirmed its opposition to setting up a cannabis boulevard in border regions where coffeeshops can be established en masse, claiming it is undesirable in the campaign against drugs tourism.

Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner and Democratic Reform Minister Alexander Pechtold made the announcement during an emergency debate about the nation's soft drugs policy with MPs on Wednesday.

Pechtold landed himself in hot water on Monday when he came out in favour of cannabis boulevards, a plan proposed by Maastricht Mayor Gerd Leers to combat inner city drugs problems.

The Democrat D66 minister said it could be an interim solution, but his remarks ran

contrary to the coalition government accord. He is also an advocate of the European-wide legalisation of soft drugs.

Minister Donner — who is doggedly waging a crackdown on coffeeshops and drug problems — subsequently met with Pechtold on Tuesday and said after the meeting that the two ministers did not have a difference of opinion.

The joint statement on Wednesday also said that legalising soft drugs in the Netherlands is not an option.

The ministers said if municipal councils want to move coffeeshops to city limits, it is their responsibility to decide and arrange this. But both Donner and Pechtold are opposed to "concentrated locations" of coffeeshops.

The statement comes after reports that a majority of the mayors of the 30 largest Dutch cities support the legalisation of cannabis.

Twenty of the 30 mayors — including the mayors of Amsterdam, Leeuwarden, Utrecht, Lelystad, Deventer and Tilburg — are in favour of legalising cannabis.

Four of the mayors backed a crackdown on illegal cannabis cultivation, while six were unavailable or refused to comment, newspaper Trouw reported on Tuesday.

Utrecht Mayor Annie Brouwer pointed to current fire risks, tension in residential area and the illegal tapping of electricity as reason for setting up a regulated cannabis industry.

The current policy of tolerating the sale of cannabis but outlawing its cultivation has led to criticism that the regulations are contradictory.

A new survey by pollster Maurice de Hond found that 49 percent of Dutch people support the legalisation of cannabis, while one-third would prefer stricter laws. Some 63 percent are opposed to people cultivating cannabis in their home.

[Copyright Expatica News + ANP 2005]

 

[konstantine]

A few friends of mine went to Jamaica while on a cruise, and said that as soon as they got there the taxi driver, the bartender, and many other locals offered them weed. (and they got a lot of Kb for very cheap)

 

[Blowmonkey]

The Cabinet has reaffirmed its opposition to setting up a cannabis boulevard in border regions where coffeeshops can be established en masse, claiming it is undesirable in the campaign against drugs tourism.

Aw, fuckers..