Holand And The Rossebuurt
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Nathan Weed
Professor Tang
English 101
4 May 2006
Fear and Loathing in Holland
On Sex Drugs and Suicide
“The Sin City of Europe” is what many people consider this popular tourist destination in the Netherlands. Located near the West coast of Holland is a place in defiance of seemingly all common law, Amsterdam. The red light district, which is locally known as the Rossebuurt, is an area of the town that truly sets Amsterdam apart from the rest of Holland. Holland, in its entirety, is lenient on laws in subject of drug use and euthanasia. The Rossebuurt; however, attracts the tourists because of its unique addition of legal prostitution. Since the year 2000 the Rossebuurt has allowed full prostitution in its sanctioned area. Most countries protect their citizens from these dangerous acts by making them punishable by the law. Why is it then, that Holland thinks its okay?
Euthanasia has been allowed in Holland since 1994. Euthanasia is a form of assisted suicide where a doctor is hired to painlessly end ones life using drugs and anesthesia. For years, euthanasia has been a subject of controversy all around the world. In the United States performing euthanasia is fiercely punishable by law, and many people might remember the story of Dr. Kevorkian who is currently serving a 25 year sentence for assisting nearly one hundred (100) Unitarian Universalists to their death. According to many physicians, euthanasia is a very necessary practice to end the pain of those suffering from terminal illnesses (“Euthanasia” A.20). On the other side of the issue, many people agree that suicide is against the will of God. These people use their religion and morals to voice their beliefs against euthanasia. Holland has attracted many people from out of their country who want to end their lives; this has brought in enough money to encourage the Dutch to take this a step further (Campbell). Very recently, Holland has passed a law to allow baby euthanasia in hope that it will attract even more outside money (Campbell). Baby euthanasia is only done under very stringent policies; to learn more see Mathew Campbells article in the Sunday Times “Holland to allow baby euthanasia”.
Aside from euthanasia, Hollands drug policy is also very lenient, especially with marijuana. For years people all around the world have traveled to Amsterdam for the sole purpose of smoking cannabis legally (McHugh 1). Some say they smoke the herb to relieve arthritis, or glaucoma, and others just really like to get high. It is currently legal to smoke, and buy cannabis from so-called “coffee shops” all over the country (Sheldon 197). These coffee shops offer a wide variety of different assortments of marijuana as well hashish. The law in Holland states that it is only legal to purchase and sell the plant in these licensed shops, and only 5 grams is allowed to be possessed by purchasers at a time (Sheldon 197). Many people believe that legalizing cannabis has directly affected the use of other hard drugs. People also conclude that the drug can cause a variety of different health (mostly mental, i.e. schizophrenia) problems (McHugh 1). The Holland government has recently been considering closing down these “coffee shops” and changing the laws on marijuana use (Sheldon 197). To understand more, take a look at Michael McHughs article in the Belfast Telegraph, “Ulster arthritis sufferers visit Dutch cannabis cafes.”
Many people who travel to the Rossebuurt claim that the liberal display of hard drug use is a huge culture shock. There are estimated 6,000 heroin junkies in Amsterdam (Bransten). While walking down the street it is common to see these junkies injecting their drugs while panhandling for spare change (“Helping 19). Many believe that this hard drug use is a direct result of Hollands very lenient soft drug policy; others argue against that lenient drug laws are very beneficial to society (Bransten; Sheldon 197). To see both points of view in this interesting debate check our Jeremy Branstens article “Europe: Drugs – Dutch Practice Liberal Policies (Part 2)”. Where Jeremy uses evidence to show why the number of heroin junkies has declined by over 4,000 people in the last 15 years. In contrast to Jeremys article, take a look at Tony Sheldons report in the British Medical Journal called “Twin study shows cannabis makes moving to hard drugs more likely.”
Probably the most controversial attribute to Holland is Amsterdams prostitution policy. For years, the Rossebuurt has attracted tourists and locals who come to exchange their money for sexual favors. It wasnt until the year 2000 however, that Holland legalized full prostitution sanctioned strictly to the city of Amsterdam (Harb A.20). This is much like the Las Vegas or Reno of the United States; only taken to a far more liberal approach. In Amsterdam there is no attempt to shelter the business from the general public as they would in the States. While walking down the street in the Rossebuurt, you can window shop for the prostitute of your choice any time of the day (Stevens A.19).
The Holland government found it necessary to legalize solicited sex because underground