Dissing drugs~

The Netherlands is perhaps the only country in the world where cannabis (weed/dope/marihuana/hasj) is ‘legal’.

And this has led to some problems, especially with neighbouring countries, and increasing problems of teenage addictions and criminality. To address the problem and appeal to young people to kick the habit, the (ex) minister of Justice, came up with a solution: a rap to ‘dis’ drugs. Since his name is Donner, the rap is called: “The Don”.

In dit land van 16 miljoen mensen.
Heeft iedereen zo zijn eigen wensen.
Waar iedereen wil proberen,
Maar waar je niemand mag beleren.

[In this country of 16 million people

Everyone has his own wishes

Where everyone wants to try,

But where you can’t make anyone learn.]

In dit land van 16 miljoen wijzen,
Vraag ik: wat willen we bewijzen?
De joint, het stickie, maakte ons beroemd,
Maar de nadelen worden niet genoemd.

[In this country of 16 million wise people,

I ask: what do we want to prove?
The joint, the stickie, make us famed,

But the disadvantages are not named.]

Refrein:
Hier spreekt Donner van justi-tie
Ik doe het samen met poli-tie.
Schuif die dope maar aan de kant
Want een addict Nederland
Zijn zaken die ik liever niet-zie

[Refrain:

Donner of Justice speaking here

I do it together with the police.

Move that dope to the side

Because an addicted Netherlands

Are things I’d rather not see.]

Van een blowtje word je duf,
Dus steel de show nou niet zo suf.
Ga die drugs niet badineren,
Wees bereid om iets te leren!

[From a puff you become dull

So don’t dumbly steal the show now.

Don’t go joking around with drugs,

Be prepared to learn something!]

Reguleren is te duur,
Gaan we van zoet toch weer naar zuur
Met criminelen op de loer,
Lijkt dat me niet de juiste tour.

[To regulate is too expensive,

We’re going from sweet to sour.

With criminals on the rise,

That to me is not the right tour.]

Nog meer stekkies onder licht
Dus die achterdeur blijft dicht!
Lijkt het beleid soms wat verward,
Nou in deze ben ik hard...

[Even more plants under the light

So the backdoor remains shut!

Policy appears to be confused sometimes,

Well, in this I’m tough…]

Refrein:
Hier spreekt Donner van justi-tie
Ik doe het samen met poli-tie.
Schuif die dope maar aan de kant
Want een addict Nederland
Zijn zaken die ik liever niet-zie

[Refrain:

Donner of Justice speaking here

I do it together with the police.

Move that dope to the side

Because an addicted Netherlands

Are things I’d rather not see.]

Je ziet die rotzooi overal bloeien
Eigen teelt loopt uit hand
En de bajes blijft maar groeien
Dankzij deze hennep plant

[You see that mess blooms everywhere,

Own plantation out of hand.

And the prisons continue to grow,

Thanks to this hennep plant.]

Slechts een paar worden rijk,
De rest ziet zo bleek als een ...
Dus die zolders moeten leeg,
’t zou niet goed zijn als ik zweeg

[Only a few become rich,

The rest look as pale as a…

So the basements must be emptied,

It wouldn’t be good if I keep quiet.]

Alt. refrein
Hier spreekt Donner van Justitie,
Ik doe het samen met politie.
Ja, de drugs gaan van de straat,
Er komt actie na gepraat.
Blowers, neem daarvan notitie!

[Alt. refrain:
Donner of Justice speaking here

I do it together with the police.

Yes, the drugs are going off the street,

There is action after the talking.

Blowers, take thereof notice!]

Here's the news report about minister‘Donner dissing drugs’.

Technically speaking it’s still illegal to possess or use the cannabis, but the government has since the 1990s enforced this official ‘policy of tolerance’ (gedoogbeleid), whereby law enforcement officers and courts are told to look the other way when it comes to so called soft drugs like cannabis. So the rule is more or less recognised that you can grow 5 cannabis plants ‘for personal use’ at home or have 5grams on you at any given time without breaking any laws. The reason being that the use of cannabis is classified as a public health issue, rather than a criminal matter, provided it’s for your personal use.

'Coffeeshops' all over the country sell soft drugs openly. Anyone over 18 is able to go in and buy what they want, as long as it's not over 5grams. This creates a ridiculous situation whereby it is well known that these coffeeshops hold more than 5 grams of cannabis, and that they must get their supply from somewhere with more than 5 cannabis plants, but police don't really ask questions. So, it's OK for them to store cannabis in quantities to sell in the shops, but if people are caught delivering stocks to the shops, they'll be breaking the law!

With this 'open' policy of tolerance toward soft drugs, use in the Netherlands is actually much less than neighbouring countries. I can tell you, especailly for young people, if you ban something there are more incentives to try and experiment. It's not the drug itself that gives a 'kick', but also knowing that you're breaking the law at the same as well. Most of my friends occasionally use it, but really, nobody gets addicted that easily.

The problem with this 'turn-the-blind-eye' policy is that many people are drawn to the lucrative business of cultivating hennep plants in their own homes, often by 'syphoning' off electricity from the power grid because of the large amounts of light that is needed day and night to make hennep grow well. So recently there's really been a lot of talk about having legalised plantations that are regulated and licensed by the government.

Here's a useful website for those interesting in knowing more about the Dutch policy towards soft drugs