THE ACCEPTANCE OR DENIAL OF ADDICTS

The Dutch tried everything to fight the annoyance of hard drugs users, but nothing worked. The Minister wants to fine homeless addicts, the chief of police wants to drive them from the streets and the city wants to receive them at night in sports centres. The chairmen of one of the biggest Dutch care organisations concludes that the Dutch hard drugs approach has failed completely. He says that the cities only can fight the annoyance by using innovative and unconventional measures. They even should get the freedom to sail around legislation.

The mayors of the big Dutch cities in the West expressed their concerns about the enormous increase of psychiatric and addicted homeless and the growing annoyance they cause. The chairman has the opinion that addicts should have the chance and permission to work besides their public security money, so they will not steal. With the extra money At least this fights their need to commit crimes for drugs. Housing corporations should be punished and fined for throwing addicts out of their house. The police, cities, social security departments, housing corporations and the mental care institutes should cooperate far more closely. The chairman: 'everybody tries to solve the problems, but the rules and laws are often in the way. Lets recognize that there is a minority for which other rules should count. Intervening should not happen on the basis of legal rules but on the basis of humanity. Normalising, instead of criminalizing.'

Other suggested measures are prohibiting gathering in the streets, but create indoor locations were drug use is tolerated, so they can go somewhere and do not cause annoyance. Prevent addicts from moving to the big cities, but send them back to their home towns. And make every city responsible for its addicts. The health care chairman: 'For years we have been neglecting the problems with addicts. Finally we recognize that an addict is per definition a psychiatric patient. Addiction is a disease. We should not see addicts as lazy losers, too weak to help themselves. But we should treat them as sick people that very probably will stay addicted. It is not honest to only burden the addict with his problem'.

At the same time there are plans to close down most of the street prostitution zones for addicts. Rotterdam already decided to close down their zone. The city hall wants to put all addicted prostitutes into a detox program. Luckily in Rotterdam many people and organisations fight for the position and rights of addicts. Private reception centres and even an old peoples home for addicts are established and a real employment agency for addicts is extremely successful. Turbulent times in The Netherlands: will it be the acceptance or denial of addicts. The mayors of the big cities only see an increase of the number of addicts and the annoyance they cause. more features

May 28, 2003