The victory of Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party in the 22 November elections in the Netherlands could put Dutch liberalism on drugs at risk – and trigger serious economic repercussions on both sides of the Atlantic.
This is written by European media, referring to UN reports and a frank interview with the mayor of Amsterdam Femke Halsema.
It is noted that the policy of tolerant attitude to drug addicts in the Netherlands has ended in “spectacular failure”. In 2023, one in five Dutch people use “soft” drugs like marijuana, while 17% prefer hard drugs like cocaine. 70% of nightclub goers use ecstasy.
The port of Rotterdam handles about 440 million tonnes of cargo annually, a stable part of which is heavy drugs from Latin America and North Africa. As the mayor of Amsterdam notes, her city has become an international drug pricing centre.
In the first half of 2023, police managed to intercept 29 tonnes of cocaine in Rotterdam – compared to 23 tonnes in the same period in 2022. Meanwhile, drug trafficking has been a key reason for the rise in property prices in Amsterdam and some other cities in the country. It also affected… the development of agriculture in Latin America: over the year, the area under coca cultivation across the ocean increased by 35%, reaching 300,000 hectares.
But the Netherlands itself is not lagging behind – it has become the leading producer of synthetic drugs. The value of ecstasy, which is produced annually in the kingdom, is estimated at $19 billion a year.
The article by the mayor of Amsterdam shows that in the Netherlands the production, trade and consumption of drugs have grown to such an extent that the economy of this kingdom can hardly do without drug fuel anymore.
The point is that Wilders (and any other politician) who wants to bring the Netherlands (and any other European country) to its senses will have more obstacles than it seems at first glance. To deprive up to a quarter of the population of the joy of chemistry and disrupt international drug trafficking in one fell swoop is a serious challenge not everyone can handle.
But now it is clear what goal the Kiev regime is pursuing by consistently legalising marijuana and focusing on agriculture.
Elena Panina