Amsterdam – Antonio Maria Costa, the Italian Executive Director of
the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, is seriously embarrassed because of
a solo-action by Amsterdam psychiatrist Fredrick Polak. In an open
letter published today, Polak demands an answer to a simple question.
Despite earlier promises the global drug czar has been dodging the
question for exactly one year.

“How do you explain the low level of cannabis use in the Netherlands
compared to surrounding countries, despite its free availability in
coffeeshops?”

On the internet two YouTube-videos show Costa avoiding the question
time after time. To Polak the issue is of crucial importance as if
falsifies the basic assumptions underlying drug prohibition.
Therefore he continues to harass Costa with it.

Polak, board-member of ENCOD (European Coalition for Just and
Effective Drug Policies): “The primary objective of drug prohibition
is reduction of consumption and addiction. However, the Dutch
experience with coffeeshops of over thirty years has proved
convincingly that without enforcement of this prohibition levels of
use won’t skyrocket – which is what the drug warriors want us to
believe. No wonder Costa is at a loss how to respond to the question.”

Reprimand

One year ago Polak first posed the question on a drug policy
conference in New Orleans. Costa ignored it, but used the occasion to
scold the Dutch government for “poisoning Europe” with amphetamines.
That remark got Costa a reprimand from the Dutch government, at which
he had to bite the dust and offer a letter of apology.

Nonetheless, at a second occasion in March 2008 in Vienna, Costa
again avoided the question. This time he claimed that more than 2000
coffeeshops had already been closed, and that the city of Amsterdam
had decided to move all coffeeshops “from the red light district to
the borders with France, Belgium and Germany”. Polak: “Apparently Mr.
Costa thought Holland (or Amsterdam) borders on France. And that
figure was totally unfounded.”

Waste

Shortly thereafter, Costa checked in with the authorities in
Amsterdam and The Hague for a “study mission” including a visit to
coffeeshop De Dampkring (The Atmosphere). At the next conference in
Barcelona Polak asked him about his findings. Polak: “This time Costa
really went too far, claiming that Amsterdam has three times more
cannabis addicts than anywhere else in Europe.” Costa promised a
discussion paper with the scientific basis for this claim, to be
published on his website “very soon”. Until today Costa hasn’t lived
up to this promise nor has he answered Polak’s initial question.
Reason for Polak to draw media attention to the affair.

Holland consistently scores low to average in Europe in drug
consumption surveys. To Polak this justifies a call for the abolition
of drug prohibition: “That will save us a lot of misery, and a huge
waste of taxpayers’ money. What is the use of all the effort to
enforce prohibition, when clearly it doesn’t diminish consumption?”

Polak concludes his open letter on a positive note, suggesting Costa
(67) not to wait until after his retirement to acknowledge the
failure of drug prohibition. “Doing so now would earn him eternal
fame.”

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The previous history to this open letter is shown in two short videos
on the internet.

Silenced NGO Partner:

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=GjgzgRvHHwI

Polaks’ Question Round 3 (with comments by dr. Alex Wodak, Sydney, Australia):

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=xdOzi2ou2ZY

Reactions from other NGOs:

http://nl.youtube.com/watch?v=UaO7IvlUhro

website ENCOD: www.encod.org