Author: Renee Besseling

In 1982, the grocery store on the corner of my street in Amsterdam was replaced by a “coffee shop’ For me, a mother of two young children, this was reason enough to delve into the matter of drugs. Children, who earlier might get an apple from the store owner, were now suddenly greeted by a hemp leaf in the window. For them, in the beginning, this only meant that we had to go some- place else to get fruits and vegetables, but it also quietly introduced the drug-selling coffee shop into their world.

Yesterday’s child is grown up today, and will be tomorrows parent They are the ones who will not only have to support their elders, but look after the younger generation. They ensure society’s development and progression. Their development is important not only for their future, but for that of all of us. Drug use slows down this development – sometimes to a complete stop.

Why a book on drugs from a Dutch perspective?

The reputation of the Netherlands is based to a great extent on the image of liberal Dutch drug policies as portrayed in the American press and entertainment industry as well as in more scholarly books and articles that seek to undermine the war on drugs. Dutch drug policy essentially advertises a use of certain illicit drugs which have been deemed safe’ or “recreational”, inviting users from abroad to try the wide selection of drugs available in Amsterdam while exporting a tolerance detrimental to children and society everywhere.

Discussion in the United States is heating up. While the government actively wages the “war on drugs” in the United States and abroad, voter-supported initiatives on city and state levels seek to decriminalize the use of some drugs, especially marijuana, and install programs in inner cities distributing methadone and syringes. Some countries allow shooting galleries – even giving out heroin to dependent persons. Through the use of these and other “harm reduction” measures, health organizations are failing to combat the causes of drug dependence, leaving the dependent person to their own devices. Now, for the first time – from a parent’s perspective – the destructive liberal drug policies of the Dutch are exposed for the failure they are.

For whom is this book intended?

This book is meant for parents, educators and alarmed citizens to aid then in the debate on drugs. It aims at a better understanding of the mechanisms of dependence and the prevention of drug abuse, but it is also meant to strengthen the position of parents and educators who often find themselves ill-equipped in discussions with so-called experts. Hopefully, this book will be useful as a second opinion for those who are responsible for creating national and local drug policies to counter the simplistic and irresponsible propaganda supporting drug tolerance and ‘harm reduction,”

The author Renee Besseling. is a mother of two children. For the last 20 years she has been involved in the struggle for a restrictive drug control policy in the Netherlands and Sweden. She is co-founder of Europe Against Drugs (EURAD), and currently the International Secretary of the organization. She is a local chapter chairperson of Swedish Immigrants Against Drugs (SIMON) and an international delegate to Drug Watch International (USA).
To order visit www. prponline. net and look under ‘Prevention Books. (ISBN:O-944246-05-2, $19.95) For more information, please contact George T. Watkins at 1-800-453-7733 or george@prponline.net