Drugs debarred

ANGERED by the dangerous inflow of narcotics into Germany due to lopsided
policies of the Netherlands government,
the Germans have demanded a change
in the Dutch drug policy in no uncertain
terms. Eduard Linter, a parliamentary
secretary of state in the German interior
ministry, said on January 4 that
Germany would get tougher on 'narcotourism', as designer drugs like Ecstasy,
amphetamines and cocaine were making an increasing appearance in the
country.

The Netherlands is considered to be
Europe's leading manufacturer of synthetic drugs. The Dutch defend their
policy by saying that the openness has
produced a decline in the number of
people Using drugs, Wim Kok, Prime
Minister of the Netherlands, announced
that he will shortly meet with both
Chancellor Helmut Kohl of Germany
and President Jacques Chirac of France,
who has also warned the Dutch to cut-tail the drug trade, and Mount a joint
campaign against drug trafficking.