That is such bollocks.
Dutch law seems founded on tolerance - a 'What harm does it do? If we can't eliminate it, let's minimise it.' principle (Maybe a history of religious intolerance, war, colonialism & Nazi occupation have something to do with that?) If you go there and act like a twat; pissed, lairy, etc you will get nicked. If you're not hurting anyone, you won't. Even to the point where you're walking around barefoot with one huge dreadlock where your head used to be, talking to pigeons.
By the same token, in the UK, unless you are a credible & serious risk to yourself or someone else, you have no chance of getting an NHS psychiatric bed, no matter how shitty you may be feeling.
The vast majority of Dutch people work hard in regular jobs, raise kids/good citizens,pay tax & health insurance (another factor, to be fair) and their idea of a good night out is 3 hours in a restaurant/brown cafe - gezellig. Most don't, or hardly, smoke. Accurate, rather than scaremongering, education or larcenous taxation, along with consideration for others, make for a much saner society in many ways, not least in matters of substance use; one of the best places to be gay, disabled or otherwise different, Pim Fortuyn et al notwithstanding.
(sarcastic fringehead feet of clay, buns of steel, head of lettuce, Fri 6 May 2011, 22:44, Reply)