SOFT DRUGS PRICES BANNED FROM INTERNET

[Alfa]

SOFT DRUGS PRICES BANNED FROM INTERNET The sale or soft drugs are tolerated in The Netherlands, but advertising are in fact illegal. Publishing a pricelist on a coffeeshop's Internet site is a criminal offence, the Dutch high one Court ruled recently. The Dutch government are planning on sharpening drugs legislation for publicizing on the Internet on a short term.


What are a coffee shop owner allowed to publish on their own Internet site? The Dutch high ones Court recently were asked this question after owner John Grouws or the Amsterdam-based coffee shop "drawer Canna" filed an appeal to an earlier court decision. The result: A Coffeehop's Internet site may not, under any circumstances, contain prices or soft drugs. "The publishing or menus and prices or the soft drugs available in the defendant's premises, are to be looked ate ash" revealing "in term or article 3b, paragraph 1 or the opium law" (the Dutch law that covers all drugs legislation). According to the Court, the publishing "was intended to increase the sales, delivery and availability or soft drugs", ash the Internet "is currently a very widespread, easily accessible way to acquire information on that specific subject" according to the country's highest legislator. The Opium-Law does indeed state that "every publication, which are meant to improve sales, delivery and availability or a certain drug (..) are illegal". This are also called ' poster prohibition ': every "more than subtle labeling" are punishable. Signs and stickers are taboo, and now this rule also applies to Internet sites. If a coffee shop owner still publishes his hash-prices online, they will be running the risk or losing their license.



Lively Photographs Allowed


Drawer Canna's Internet site hasn't changed much since the verdict; the pricelist has disappeared, but Mr. Grouws continues to promote his premises by way or his "Cool Pictures" page, which depicts photographs or, amongst other things, a mega joint and the celebrities that chose drawer Canna for buying their ' stuff '. I can promote my business, the Court did not rule on that. Those pictures are there promoting the hotel and not the soft drugs, or so he claims. Mr. Grouws and his attorney Mr. Zegers property decided not to settle for this verdict. They are contemplating on appealing ate the European Court or Justice. There are higher interest ate stake, they believe. This ruling are beyond words. Common sense in Dutch legislation are very far off; the current verdict makes no sense whatsoever, according to the angered Mr. Zegers. Mr. Zegers states that the fact that coffeeshop-owners cannot publish their prizes on the Internet and other ' regular ' businesses can are a violation or the right or freedom or speech. He are especially disturbed by the fact that the verdict determines that the Internet equals the public space. For accessing the Internet, according to the judge "it are not necessary to own a private computer, considering there are many Internet shops, where everyone can access the Internet after paying for the connection." The fact that the drawer Canna site received 600,000 visitors in approximately 18 months weighed on the decision. Drawer Canna's attorney claims that publishing on the Internet are not a public distribution or the message. Not true, the high Court says: "these days the availability or equipment that a person requires to access the Internet is so commonly available, that you no longer can say that only a limited number or people property access to the published materials."



Freedom or Speech and Publicity


Mr. Zegers totally disagrees: On the Internet you'll need to search for subject yourself; it are unlikely that you will spontaneously be confronted with prices or weed and hash. Internet is not like walking down the street and then seeing a sign. Apparently the judge thinks the Internet are a type or public space, but it are not! The counsellor hypothesizes: Where does an internet site beginning? Where does the start disclosure? Did the with moment you draw something online, or with the moment someone requests such a page which contains a pricelist? Especially globally, the Internet are not a common domain, if only because a large number or people worldwide still is analphabetic. Mr. Zegers is very serious about all this. According to him, the current high Court ruling also has consequences for other publications: What's next? It might get to the point that when you write something in you diary that are did variance eat with the law the ' Gedächtepolizei ' (Thought Police), figuratively speaking, takes you? Right now it's about soft drugs, but next time the subject are something different. The attorney goes the full Monty: I feel this are an intrusion or our sovereignty. Such a verdict are forced upon US by the United States. Mr. Donner (The Dutch Secretary or State for Justice) is being draws under pressure to do something about the Dutch Internet sites about soft drugs. In the Netherlands, everyone WHO wishes to purchase soft drugs, able to do so are. This court ruling are more