Reuters AlertNet Full site
Homepage | Newsdesk | NGO Latest | Crisis briefings | Country profiles | MediaWatch | Jobs | Alerting | Login

NEWSDESK

Dutch among lowest cannabis users in Europe-report
05 Nov 2009 11:30:11 GMT
 Source: Reuters
AMSTERDAM, Nov 5 (Reuters) - The Dutch are among the lowest users of marijuana or cannabis in Europe despite the Netherlands' well-known tolerance of the drug, according to a regional study published on Thursday. Among adults in the Netherlands, 5.4 percent used cannabis, compared with the European average of 6.8 percent, according to an annual report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, using latest available figures.

A higher percentage of adults in Italy, Spain, the Czech Republic and France took cannabis last year, the EU agency said, with the highest being Italy at 14.6 percent. Usage in Italy used to be among the lowest at below 10 percent a decade ago.

Countries with the lowest usage rates, according to the Lisbon-based agency, were Romania, Malta, Greece and Bulgaria.

Cannabis use in Europe rose steadily during the 90s and earlier this decade, but has recently stabilised and is beginning to show signs of decline, the agency said, owing to several national campaigns to curb and treat use of the drug.

"Data from general population and school surveys point to a stabilising or even decreasing situation," the report said.

The policy on soft drugs in the Netherlands, one of the most liberal in Europe, allows for the sale of marijuana at "coffee shops", which the Dutch have allowed to operate for decades, and possession of less than 5 grams (0.18 oz).

Nearly a fifth of the 228 coffee shops in the Dutch capital of Amsterdam, a popular draw for tourists, are scheduled to be shut down because they are too close to schools.

The full report by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction is available at http://r.reuters.com/vef87f (Reporting by Reed Stevenson; Editing by Elizabeth Fullerton)




AlertNet news is provided by
Email this article       Send comments

NGO latest

•  Romanian farmers reap rewards at Harvest Day
World Vision Middle East/Eastern Europe/ Central Asia

•  Anti-trafficking campaign sends message Romanian teens still at risk
World Vision Middle East/Eastern Europe/ Central Asia

•  Romanian children and adolescents speak out on International Day for the Eradication of Poverty
World Vision Middle East/Eastern Europe/ Central Asia

•  Children's Right to Participate
Save the Children - International Alliance

•  “I want to be in the ninth grade” gets thumbs up for countering school drop out
World Vision Middle East/Eastern Europe/ Central Asia

MORE >>

Latest news

•  Dutch among lowest cannabis users in Europe-report

•  ICC prosecutor to request Kenya violence investigation

•  Iran security forces arrest AFP journalist -agency

•  REFILE-ICC prosecutor to meet Kenyan leaders over trials

•  UN assembly set to call for probes of Gaza war

MORE >>

AlertNet news is provided by

Background information

Facts & figures
Netherlands Italy Spain Czech Republic France Romania Malta Greece

Related articles

Breaking stories
 Dutch among lowest cannabis users in Europe-report (1 minute ago)

ICC prosecutor to request Kenya violence investigation (1 minute ago)

AlertNet insight
 Disease, malnutrition and depression set to rise with climate change - WHO (1 minute ago)

Aid agency news feed
 Romanian farmers reap rewards at Harvest Day (1 minute ago)

Blogs
 Homeless Italian quake survivors cling to destroyed village (1 minute ago)

Maps
 MAP: Italy earthquake (1 minute ago)


Del.icio.us Del.icio.us  |   Digg Digg  |   NewsVine NewsVine  |   Reddit Reddit   
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-10-29T174214Z_01_YH64_RTRIDSP_2_EU-SUMMIT_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/YH64.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-10-29T172615Z_01_YH71_RTRIDSP_2_EU-SUMMIT_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/YH71.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-10-29T133418Z_01_JIH01R_RTRIDSP_2_CZECH_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/JIH01R.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-10-29T132919Z_01_JIH04_RTRIDSP_2_CZECH_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/JIH04.htm
Thumb for /thefacts/imagerepository/RTRPICT/2009-10-29T132536Z_01_JIH03_RTRIDSP_2_CZECH_mainimage.jpg|/thenews/pictures/JIH03.htm

France's President Nicolas Sarkozy (L) talks with Romania's President Traian Basescu (R) at the start of European Union heads of state and government summit in Brussels October 29, 2009. EU leaders ...


More pictures | Galleries
Disclaimers |  Copyright |  Privacy |  Contact Us |  Feedback |  About Us |  RSS XML

Last updated:Thu Nov 5 11:33:05 2009