DRUGS AND DUTCH LAW

In "Britons March for Marijuana" [news story, March 28], T. R. Reid states
that the Netherlands "has legalized possession of amounts up to an ounce" of
marijuana. I would like to state for the record that possession of drugs has
not been legalized in the Netherlands. The possession of soft drugs up to 30
grams (approximately one ounce) is not, however, an indictible offense but a
summary offense, and in practice low priority is given to the prosecution of
these offenses. Top priority is given to offenses relating to the
large-scale traffic in both hard (heroin, cocaine, ecstasy, etc.) and soft
drugs (hashish and marijuana). Moreover, under Dutch law, any action
performed as part of a plan to traffic in hard drugs and any attempt to
bring hard drugs into the country are also indictable offenses.

- -- Madelien A. J. de Planque

The writer is counselor for press, public and cultural affairs at the Royal
Netherlands Embassy.