11–20 of 72 posts
Dutchmen here. You can grow your own weed as well. Just not more than 5 plants and only for your own consumption. I'm no user, but I understand weed is for tourists and younger kids just chillin'/relaxing. There's a much larger user base for all those chemically created drugs for partying. Lately there's a new thing, it's actually for horses needing surgery and keeps them on their feet. Kids use it to prefent passing…
Dutchmen here. You can grow your own weed as well. Just not more than 5 plants and only for your own consumption. I'm no user, but I understand weed is for tourists and younger kids just chillin'/relaxing. There's a much larger user base for all those chemically created drugs for partying. Lately there's a new thing, it's actually for horses needing surgery and keeps them on their feet. Kids use it to prefent passing…
are you saying that there are more user of `hard` drug than user of weed in dutch ? this seems really weird.
In general Dutch policy is/was about allowing and educating towards responsible use which means that, especially in big cities and certain big parties, there is a subculture where hard-drug use is condoned and to some degree par for the course.
Culturally minimal responsible use (a tablet once or twice a year, a line of cocaine to extend a party once) is considered as 'your choice and I'll try not to look down on you for it,' but any form of dependence is heavily frowned upon and discouraged.
In general it's part of a broader theme of giving you the freedom to make your own mistakes as long as they don't negatively impact others, which comes with a lot of implicit cultural experience in how to let people experiment and come to their own terms with these drugs without losing them to the drug.
In practice it tends to take the form of most people 'going through a phase' and growing out of it, a small amount of people becoming high-functioning long-term addicts and an even smaller percentage of in-the-gutter destroy-your-life type addicts.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Lately there's a new thing, it's actually for horses needing surgery and keeps them on their feet. Kids use it to prefent passing out from all the other drugs. Funny thing is: They look like walking zombies stumbling about. Ketamine. [0] [0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketamine
Ketamine is hardly a new trend in recreational drug use and I've never heard of it being used by anyone to prevent "passing out from all the other drugs". Ketamine in high but still sub-anesthetic doses induces a semi-conscious state referred to as the "k-hole", more or less giving the appearance of being passed out. At lower doses it does strongly effect balance and coordination, so the "stumbling" bit is probably j…
This is dangerous misinformation. I've had more than one friend almost die from compulsive ketamine use. Just because it might not be physiologically addictive like opiates, doesn't mean that you won't be wiping it from around your nose every morning while you wait for the bus at 8:30 to go to classes, losing all your friends and so much weight that your body starts shutting down completely. People end up needing their bladders removed surgically from the sheer amount of extremely alkaline solutions they are putting into their bodies. Tolerance builds very quickly and with a sharp curve, so users end up having to shovel huge quantities of this very caustic material into their faces just to feel normal.
(Thankfully the people I know managed to come back from the brink, but only by completely shutting themselves off from the world for a long time.)
The problem is, its effects are "light" enough that it is possible to use it all day every day, and still be functional enough to carry on. People who enjoy the effects and have a compulsive personality will probably end up using it constantly if the have access to it. In this respect it is similar to weed, and alcohol, although that has a physiological component too.
Plus it turns you into a drooling moron and ruins parties. We call it "twatnip."
There's a lot of laws like this that don't get enforced as much as 'law' would imply. Another example is the ban on smoking in workplaces to protect the employees; in the Netherlands, a couple of years ago, this law was implemented, meaning that smoking was effectively banned from bars and pubs as well. Outrage ensued from all sides. Two 'workarounds' were created: * People just donate to the pub owner to pay the fin…
Independent of the actual subject matter, I think that recent drug policy changes in the Netherlands is a great example of how the common push for centralization can be countered by local demands. At some point, drug enforcement was pretty much the same across the country, but now, because different cities have different problems and influences, it is enforced differently in cities. As a strong believer in the "subsi…
That said, the EU has issues. Lots of political traditions and very few basic principles to guide how things should be done. What EU is and isn't responsible for isn't clear. There has been lots of recent pieces of legislation and precedents created in a panicky environment as a response to the banking crisis.
Personally I believe that is possible and preferable to maintain free movement and trade without that being translated into centrally insured and regulated banking, just like it should apply to local drug policy. I also think that's the only way it will work.
It makes clarifying a confusing matter more confusing.
Independent of the actual subject matter, I think that recent drug policy changes in the Netherlands is a great example of how the common push for centralization can be countered by local demands. At some point, drug enforcement was pretty much the same across the country, but now, because different cities have different problems and influences, it is enforced differently in cities. As a strong believer in the "subsi…
Earlier quoted context omitted.
>Lately there's a new thing, it's actually for horses needing surgery and keeps them on their feet. Kids use it to prefent passing out from all the other drugs. Funny thing is: They look like walking zombies stumbling about. Ketamine. [0] [0] - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ketamine
Ketamine is hardly a new trend in recreational drug use and I've never heard of it being used by anyone to prevent "passing out from all the other drugs". Ketamine in high but still sub-anesthetic doses induces a semi-conscious state referred to as the "k-hole", more or less giving the appearance of being passed out. At lower doses it does strongly effect balance and coordination, so the "stumbling" bit is probably j…
Ketamine may be physically non-addictive, but it's definitely not psychologically non-addictive. I'm aware of a few people in my wider social circle who are clearly problem users. It's also becoming clear that long term regular use can lead to serious bladder damage.