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Police officers can see no advantage to the so-called ‘weed pass’ and would like to see the new scheme, under which people wishing to smoke cannabis must register and must be resident in the Netherlands, abolished. Abolition is advocated by more than 70% of police officers interviewed by SP Member of Parliament Nine Kooiman. Almost 90% of the officers are against the pass being introduced nationally, as opposed to in the southern part of the country where it is already in operation. ‘This is a cry for help from the people who are daily seeing what a disaster the weed pass has been,’ says Kooiman. ‘I hope that the minister is not deaf to these appeals. We must take the only correct decision as soon as possible and abolish the weed pass

Since May 1st the weed pass has been operational in the southern provinces and only registered Dutch customers can use coffee shops. The plan, devised by centre-right VVD ministers Ivo Opstelten and Fred Teeven, is to introduce the weed pass nationally on New Year’s Day. The SP has long warned of the undesirable effects that the weed pass would have, and decided to ask police officers about their experiences. ‘If you want to know how things really are and what the consequences have been of the government’s drugs policy, then you have to ask police officers first and foremost,’ says Kooiman. ‘They have daily experience of these consequences on the street. That’s why I did this survey. 174 officers gave their opinion, from both the regions where the weed pass has been introduced and those where it is yet to be brought in.’

The results strengthen Kooiman in her opinion that the introduction of the weed pass is unwise. ‘The officers who were positive over the weed pass were a small minority, just 17% supported it. The great majority are seeing the illegal street trade increasing, Street dealers are just as happy to sell hard drugs as well to young people. I hope that Opstelten will in the end stop ignoring these disturbing signals and in the end listen to the police officers.’