By driving the soft drugs trade underground, the Dutch town of Maastricht has triggered a crime wave. PublicServiceEurope.com analyses the effects of the controversial 'weed pass' law
Maastricht - formerly a mecca for drug tourists from across western Europe - has called for police reinforcements to handle "aggressive" street pushers, who have taken over almost all trade in marijuana and cannabis since authorities introduced tighter controls on legal outlets. The Dutch town's Mayor Onno Hoes wants to double the number of dedicated police officers in order to control the black market, which has benefited from the region's draconian "weed pass" law.
Hoes also wants one of the key elements of the weed pass system dropped - the requirement that all soft drug consumers become registered members of 'coffee shop clubs' - after finding that the vast majority of consumers refused to apply. Separate rules requiring joint smokers to prove they are local residents are set to stay, however. The weed pass came into effect in Maastricht, a border town close to both Belgium and Germany, on May 1. It killed off an international trade that had thrived for decades.
"The market has become smaller and smaller for drug runners," says Gertjan Bos, Hoes' spokesman. "So they have become very aggressive on the street. They are much more visible now and they are causing more trouble. That's why mayor Hoes has called for more police." Local users prefer to buy from illegal drug dealers - some of whom offer 'weed-cab' services over the internet - rather than join the official coffee shop clubs, Bos admits to PublicServiceEurope.com. "The students and other users dare not join for privacy reasons," he says. Many fear that by signing up for membership, they could restrict their ability to apply for sensitive jobs - such as those in government - at a later date.
