EURODRUG - INFORMATION LIST OF THE EUROPEAN COALITION FOR JUST AND EFFECTIVE DRUG POLICIES - Cannabis prohibition responsable for 50% of criminality.

THE HAGUE, 3 December 2008 - Yesterday the Cannabis Tribunal in The Hague ended with the final conclusion that a ban on cannabis does indeed have more disadvantages than advantages. Representatives of the Christian Democrat Party (CDA) failed to convince an independent judge of the opposite. On behalf of the organisers, Joep Oomen, spokesperson, launched a call to the Members of the Dutch Parliament to request the Dutch government to abolish this ban as soon as possible.

An amount of 200.000 euro had been offered to the political party that would be able to convince an independent court of the positive effects of a ban on cannabis.

The organisers had difficulties in finding people in favour of the ban. Oomen: "There is no doctor in the Netherlands who is willing to maintain that cannabis is a major public health danger and a ban has any positive effect at all."

Of all political parties only the CDA was willing to accept the challenge. Both mayor Leonard Geluk of Rotterdam as well as Member of Parliament Cisca Joldersma have proposed to further limit the number of coffeeshops.

Argumentation expert and law philosopher Hendrik Kaptein, chairman of the court that was created for this purpose, demolished the defense of the Christian Democrats. Before an audience of scientists, former policemen, coffeeshop owners and cannabis activists he called their arguments 'fallacies' and 'absolutely worthless'.

The court could not find any argument against the plea for legalisation of the cannabis market proposed by Hans van Duijn, former president of the Dutch Police Association and a member of LEAP. According to Van Duijn, the CDA ­ due to the continuation of the ban on cannabis - is responsible for 50% of the criminality in the Netherlands, and every year, one and a half billion euro of tax money is wasted on a useless war on drugs. No attempt to contradict either argument was made by Joldersma.

Soon a DVD will be produced of the Tribunal's proceedings that were broadcast live on the Internet. The final declaration that was offered to the Members of the Dutch Parliament can be read at http://www.cannabistribunaal.nl/l https://www.encod.org/info/IMG/pdf/Conclusies_Tribunaal.pd.

The Cannabis Tribunal was organised by Cannabis College, the Stichting Drugsbeleid and Encod.