The Badische Zeitung (http://www.badische-zeitung.de) carries an
article by correspondent Hans-Walter Neunzig titled "NEW WAYS IN SWISS
DRUG POLICY - LEGALIZATION OF MARIHUANA".

BERN. "The recreational drug marihuana is consumed by a considerable
part of the population without any consciousness of wrong doing and
far removed from the area of the so-called hard drugs." So argues
Francois van der Linden, chairman of the EKFD (federal commission for
drug policy). History tells us that this development is not to be
reconciled with a policy of prohibition. A 1998 study shows 30% of our
young people tried marihuana in one form or another. The committee of
juridical and medical experts whose function it is to advise the
federal government on drug policy, has called for the legalization of
marihuana.

The law regarding drug offenses which varies from one canton to the
next is no longer being prosecuted and has led to an intolerable
situation of inequality before the law. This discrepancy between the
law and reality has led in turn to an increasing loss of credibility
in the federal drug policy. Quite apart from that, says van der
Linden, prosecution of marihuana consumers poses a financial burden.
Around 30 million francs a year could be saved by legalizing
marihuana. These figures were confirmed by Willy Oggier of the federal
office of health. The EKFD are calling for wide ranging reforms
including state regulation, taxation and pricing of hemp products, and
prohibition of advertising and sales to young people. This would bring
it into collision with the 1988 UNO agreement. Whilst the agreement
has not been ratified , it is scarcely to be expected that the
government would pass a law which stood in opposition to an
international agreement.

The ‘second-best solution’, in the opinion of the committee, would be
a ruling analogous to the Dutch ‘opportunity principle’: trade and
consumption of marihuana would continue to remain forbidden by the
letter of the law. The police and district attorneys would be given
the green light to overlook possession and trade in small quantities
of marihuana within clearly defined parameters. This would give a
quasi-legal status to the many marihuana shops which presently operate
differently - in a kind of ‘gray zone’ - from one canton to the next.

There is still a lack of unanimity amongst the experts on whether to
legalize the consumption of hard drugs. The distribution of heroin to
hard core addicts has left the government maneuvering in a two-fold
situation. Basel Police Commissioner Joerg Schild, former Swiss drug
delegate, pleads for legalizing consumption. Other experts warn
against the creation of an open drug scene. 1999 Badische Zeitung

The 'Neue Zuercher Zeitung' (http://www.nzz.ch) reports on
the second attempt of the EVU to overturn the government decision to
extend the heroin trial.

MISTRUST AS MAINSPRING

The EDU (federal democratic party) based in Bern has laid a complaint
against the federal government decision to allow the expansion of the
heroin trial. Though it came to grief scarcely two years ago with its
'Youth Without Drugs' initiative, it is campaigning again with a list
of questions designed to create mistrust in the government's position.
"Where is the government going with its drug policy? Will it soon be
supplying 30,000 addicts with free heroin? Will the government be the
biggest dealer in Europe? What signal will that send? Where is the
responsibility for our youth? They have assured themselves of the
support of the SVP, the Freedom party, and the Swiss Democrats, all of
which had supported the previous initiative.

Some of these questions have already been answered. The acceptance
criteria for the heroin trial will remain substantially the same. This
in itself will prevent any great increase in applications for places.
As Ruth Dreifuss said at a recent press conference, "At most, 3,000
persons will fulfill the acceptance criteria to gain entry into the
program (NZZ 17. 4. 99)."