Author: Andrew Osborn, in Brussels
http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/guardian/


Governments in Europe are about to come under renewed pressure to decriminalise cannabis after Belgium's decision to legalise the personal use of le hasch for anyone over the age of 18.

Under radical plans approved by the cabinet on Friday, it will soon be
legal to grow, import and consume potentially unlimited amounts of pot for personal use in Belgium.

"Any possession of cannabis for personal consumption will no longer provoke a reaction from the justice system unless its use is considered to be problematic or creates a social nuisance," the health minister, Magda Aelvoet, said.

However, it will still be against the law to deal in or supply cannabis, or to produce the drug in industrial quantities for sale. Nor will Belgium replicate the Netherlands' fabled network of coffee shops selling cannabis cigarettes over the counter. Hard drugs will continue to be outlawed.

Italy, Spain and Portugal are reported to be considering similar moves for cannabis and Belgium's decision to relax its laws will make the British government, which has repeatedly refused to consider decriminalisation,
look increasingly isolated.

It has been legal since 1976 to buy and use cannabis in any one of the Netherlands' 1,500 coffee shops. Within a few months, Belgium will become the second country in the EU to follow suit when it amends its own drugs
laws, which date back to 1921.

In Britain, the government has stated that it will reject calls to decriminalise cannabis despite a report from the Police Foundation recommending more relaxed penalties for its use and medical evidence that the drug eases chronic pain. Controversially, the Belgian government has said it will not define what constitutes a reasonable amount of pot, leaving it up to the country's judiciary to set the of legal precedent.

Music to my ears.

What language do they speak their, German?

Are their any English speaking nations with legalized weed?

Madsen when posting an article you did the right thing in providing credit yet you also must add commentary in your own words within the post or it will be considered SPAM.....

Well, it's been downgraded to a "Class C" drug in the UK as of a month ago.

In practice this means that police won't arrest you for possession, but supplying it is still an arrestable offence.

I think it's just part of a slower and less immediately obvious process of legalising it in the UK.

They speak both French and German. From what I remember, they hold a vote every couple of years to determine what the official language will be until the next voting time...weird.

Hey, I can't finf the article on the guardian...when was it published?

It has been a few weeks. They probably moved it to their archives.