- Title: BELGIUM: AUTHORITIES RELAX RULES ON POSSESSION OF SMALL AMOUNTS OF CANNABIS
- Date: 20th January 2001
- Summary: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (RECENT FILE)(REUTERS) 1. CU JOINT (CANNABIS CIGARETTE) BEING PREPARED AND ROLLED (4 SHOTS) 0.20 BRUSSELS, BELGIUM (JANUARY 19, 2001)(REUTERS) 2. SLV PAN EXTERIORS PRIME MINISTER GUY VERHOFSTADT'S OFFICE 0.29 3. SLV GOVERNMENT NEWS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCING MOVE 0.37 4. (SOUNDBITE)(French) VERHOFSTADT "This is a policy that is being followed in many of the countries in the European Union. We are not penalising individual users of cannabis, but we are concentrating on production, distribution or problematic use." 1.04 5. SLV PRESS CONFERENCE; SLV MEDIA (2 SHOTS) 1.16 5. (SOUNDBITE)(French) HEALTH MINISTER MAGDA ALVOET: "We want to create an extra space of liberty, but we want to do it in a controlled manner. But we do not want to break our obligations under international treaties." 1.27 7. MV/SLV PRESS CONFERENCE/ MV ALVOET BEING INTERVIEWED BY MEDIA (3 SHOTS) 1.45 9. SCU /SLV PRESS CONFERENCE (2 SHOTS) 2.29 Initials Script is copyright Reuters Limited. All rights reserved
- Embargoed: 4th February 2001 12:00
- Keywords:
- Location: BRUSSELS, BELGIUM
- Country: Belgium
- Reuters ID: LVA7GIVC3VOQAOGD13YMUNWQN9GA
- Story Text: People possessing a small amounts of cannabis for
personal consumption in Belgium will no longer be prosecuted
by the authorities, according to a plan announced by the
government. The move will bring Belgium in line with many
other countries that tolerate soft drugs, but will stop short
of the liberal regime in the Netherlands, which allows the
sale in licensed coffee shops.
The announcement drew a capacity crowd at the regular
cabinet briefing, but ministers were at pains to stress that
they were not throwing the doors open to full legalisation of
soft drugs.
Under the plan published on Friday (January 19) judicial
authorities will be officially instructed to cease prosecution
for the possession of small amounts of cannabis.
The production, sale and stockpiling of cannabis will
remain criminal offences that are actively prosecuted.
For the first time, the Belgian authorities put cannabis
on the same level of seriousness as tobacco and alcohol.
Health Minister Magda Alvoet said far too many people consumed
cannabis for their prosecution to be a realistic prospect.
The move will be followed closely by the French
government, which has expressed anger at the liberal drugs
regime in place in the Netherlands where the sale of cannabis
is allowed in licensed shops.
But Verhofstadt stressed that would not be the case in
Belgium.
- Copyright Holder: REUTERS
- Copyright Notice: (c) Copyright Thomson Reuters 2015. Open For Restrictions - http://about.reuters.com/fulllegal.asp
- Usage Terms/Restrictions: None
