Will the Netherlands Legalise Cocaine? Amsterdam Mayor Calls for Regulation Amid Rising Crime

Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema believes that "the war on drugs cannot be won" and proposes to regulate the sale and use of cocaine in the city to undermine the economic flows of criminal groups, which, according to her, collect "billions" in profits.  

She spoke about this in an interview with Het Financieele Dagblad. 

The mayor of Amsterdam noted that "everyone will benefit from the legalisation of cocaine", as it is pointless to fight drug trafficking.

The mayor of Amsterdam, who has previously tried to restrict visits to the Dutch capital by tourists seeking drugs and sex services, organised a public debate on the legalisation of cocaine on 26 January in Amsterdam.

"Let me conclude that hundreds of years of frustration and repression have achieved little," Femke Halsema told the Dutch newspaper Het Financieele Dagblad. 

"It turns out that people have a need for stimulants. There is a market for it," she said.

As The Gaze wrote, the Netherlands is going to fully legalise marijuana.

However, despite the belief of many tourists that Amsterdam adheres to an "everything is allowed" policy, the city is actively considering options to reduce the number of brothels, pornography-related establishments, and cannabis cafes. Among the possibilities under discussion are the relocation of brothels away from the city centre and the closure of cafes.

In Ukraine, in July 2023, the parliament passed a bill to legalise medical cannabis in the first reading. Medical cannabis will be grown only in closed rooms under video surveillance, and the National Police and the Ministry of Health will strictly control it. It can be prescribed to patients with cancer, post-traumatic stress disorder, Parkinson's and Alzheimer's diseases.