Drug-Friendly Netherlands to Close 8 Prisons – Not Enough Crime  – Cannabis Hemp Blog

For years prohibitionists, including our own Drug Enforcement Administration,
have claimed — falsely — that the tolerant marijuana policies of the Netherlands
have made that nation a nest of crime and drug abuse. They may have trouble
wrapping their little brains around this:

The Dutch government is getting ready to close eight prisons because they don’t
have enough criminals to fill them. Officials attribute the shortage of
prisoners to a declining crime rate.

Just for fun, let’s compare the Netherlands to California. With a population of
16.6 million, the Dutch prison population is about 12,000. With its population
of 36.7 million, California should have a bit more than double the Dutch prison
population. California’s actual prison population is 171,000.

Source: Drug-Friendly
Netherlands to Close 8 Prisons — Not Enough Crime
News by Marijuana Policy Project (May 26, 2009) in Society / Drug LawBy Bruce
Mirken