THE DUTCH MODEL

Re: A Hawk And A Dove In The War On Drugs, letter, Oct. 14.

There is no way of knowing whether opium dens will start popping up
across this country as a result of our adopting a more tolerant
attitude toward drugs. But Arthur Friedrich's assertion that Amsterdam
- -- with its liberal drug policies -- suffers from a high crime rate
deserves further study. A quick Google search on the terms "crime
rates Amsterdam" shows that the crime rate in the Dutch capital
decreased approximately 20% from 2000 to 2004. Moreover, Rotterdam and
Utrecht, two large Dutch cities that do not share Amsterdam's high
tolerance for drugs, actually have higher crime rates than Amsterdam.

Lest we become smug about our own safety, it should also be noted that
Canada has a higher murder rate than Holland. Perhaps we could learn
something from the Dutch?

John F. Brown, Toronto.