GERMAN DRUG POLICY

I am visiting family and friends in Germany. One of my cousins is a
police captain in a small city. As it is in the United States, the
debate over drug liberalization and the effect it will have on German
society exists here, as well.

Recently, the state of Nordrhein-Westfalen passed a bill allowing
citizens to possess 10 grams (approximately one-third ounce) of
cannabis for personal use, up from a previous amount of 6 grams. Some
argue that this will encourage people to take more drugs. However,
the state's police president, Hubert Wimber, stated that since small
amounts of cannabis for personal use went into effect, the problems
experienced with abuse have not increased. He argues that harsh laws
do not deter people from taking drugs, and that the number of
prosecutions for cannabis has not increased since citizens were
allowed to possess cannabis legally.

He also said that a humanitarian drug policy based on "support, harm
reduction and prevention" is preferred to criminalization. Would it
not be refreshing if our council, mayor, police and prosecutors could
view drug policy in such an enlightened manner?

Andrea Tischler

Hilo