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See the original image at news.bbc.co.uk —

Dutch Bill to Ban Magic Mushrooms

news.bbc.co.uk — The Dutch cabinet has proposed a bill to ban the sale of hallucinogenic or so-called "magic mushrooms".

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  • Kizilbash, on 04/27/2008, -7/+78"A majority of MPs is expected to back the proposal, which comes after a number of accidents, mostly involving tourists."

    Stupid tourists. Stupid government trying to ban everything that isn't compulsory. Bah!
    • MookiBlaylock, on 04/27/2008, -3/+16Way to ruin it for everyone right
      • Devilboy666, on 04/27/2008, -0/+11This is why we can't have nice things
    • mydigga, on 04/27/2008, -2/+11If they clamp down on the drugs, they clamp down on the tourism... that can't be good.
      • gwinerreniwg, on 04/27/2008, -1/+3I don't think Amsterdammers will mind - Who wants to see loads of tripping tourists in their hometown? All in all, the Dutch are tolerant of soft drug use, but that doesn't necessarily mean they like drug tourism.
    • NikoKun, on 04/27/2008, -2/+21I blame this on that horrible movie Shrooms. xD

      While drugs are a serious issue, I think it's a mistake for them to outlaw mushrooms... Yeah there are dangers, but it's a natural drug, and it can be a very important experience for some people, spiritual or mental or whatever. I wish the moralist majority would stop trying to control the lives of the rest of us.
      • pinguwin, on 04/27/2008, -3/+11Without making comment as to wisdom of said drug, being a "natural" drug means absolutely nothing. There are lots of things in nature that are harmful. Some by "design" (I know, misuse of evolutionary term, can't think of better word), some incidentally. Selenium is necessary for good health, but eat too much food grown in high selenium soils and you have a problem. An Ozzie brown snake is perfectly natural but very deadly. natural != always good
        • Murdats, on 04/27/2008, -1/+3do you mean aussie? the shortening of australian?
        • mrsteveman1, on 04/27/2008, -1/+7Yea but in this case its irrelevant, we already know what dangers are posed by these mushrooms, and they aren't very dangerous.
          • mem2, on 04/27/2008, -1/+11Its like a gun, only dangerous in the hands on an idiot,
            Me personally I never trip without firearms :P
          • feliks2, on 04/27/2008, -3/+1I hope you shoot yourself before you shoot someone else. Better do it quick.
          • ripple123, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1An idiot is dangerous in the hands of a idiot imho.
          • redfox2600, on 05/04/2008, -0/+1Mushrooms are poisonous to prevent other animals form eating them.
      • redfox2600, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4Well all drugs are natural: cocaine, heroin, and Methamphetamine all can be found in nature.
      • ElAssoWipo, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1"Ambulance call-outs rose from 70 in 2005 to 128 last year, with nine out of ten cases involving tourists. Britons were the largest group among them.

        In July an 18-year-old from Iceland threw himself out of a hotel window, breaking both his legs.

        But what really caught the public imagination was the death of a 17-year-old French girl who jumped from a bridge over one of Amsterdam’s canals to her death in March, apparently under the influence of magic mushrooms."

        Humans are too stupid to be free.
        • mem2, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5Its called natural selection.
          • ElAssoWipo, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3If natural selection applied to humans we wouldn't be 6.6 billion people with an average I.Q. of 100.

            Governments, laws, and all other forms of authority are a necessity caused by human stupidity. Stupid people do stupid things, but laws apply to everyone.
          • Yoshi39, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4Well you know technically the 100 iq is an arbitrary number of correct answers set so that it will be the average for a large enough sample group. So even if the worlds entire populace would double in "smartness" tomorrow the average iq would still be 100. I guess you weren't smart enough to know that ;)
          • mem2, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2@EIA, how exactly does IQ relate to natural selection ?, its all about the most efficient reproduction and at 6.6billion I think we pulled it of.
    • jascination, on 04/27/2008, -10/+13I was in Amsterdam during March, and can definitely see why the government's gone through with this. Yes, yes, I know liberalism is cool on digg, but there need to be limits - its fine if people are doing shrooms in the privacy of their own homes and not disturbing anyone, but the reality is that Amsterdam is mostly filled with tourists who dont HAVE homes they can take the shrooms in.

      So instead, most people do it in the massive park outside the Van Gough museum, then run amock around the streets - I saw people jumping into the canals, abusing the prostitutes in the red light district, etc etc. Quite frankly, its a good and justified move on their part.
      • sjmulder, on 04/27/2008, -5/+3Wish I could digg you up a few more times.
      • popfrogs, on 04/27/2008, -3/+17Yeah I would have to agree that they should ban shrooms as well, or at least ban the sale of them but not possession. Tourists will be tourists, and people probably act wacky enough around there without bringing hallucinogens into the mix.

        Then again it's also a statement on how repressed the rest of the globe is, if they show up in Amsterdam and do all the things they wish they could do back home. People that are *experienced* with shrooms don't jump into canals or harass prostitutes. However to gain that experience you have to eat them a few times in good company. My bet is that most of the people that "freak out" are first-timers without adequate buddies watching them, i.e. Abercrombie-wearing frat numbskulls.
      • bj1989, on 04/27/2008, -1/+26Mushrooms surely won't make you jump into canals and abuse prostitutes. Besides, I live in Amsterdam and I have no idea what your talking about, the only way tourists bother us is by walking on the bicycle lane.
        • UltX, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2Guilty.
        • Myonosken, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2I've jumped in to a canal whilst on mushrooms actually. I started thinking I was getting really hot - like a kettle - and jumped in to cool off.

          So, guilty :(.
      • tomjm5000, on 04/27/2008, -2/+2I don't know... I've been there twice and I've seen plenty of crowds of raucous, tripping American college kids. And while I'm all for the legal sale of marijuana as a pretty innocuous drug, something tells me that shrooms push the envelope a little far, and if a city wants to ban them for safety reasons, it's not exactly repressive.
        • citydragon, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4Well I've been there twice and seen none of theses shenanigans, hence proving our anecdotal evidence is worth sweet f.a.

          Mushrooms should remain legal, it's a matter of personal liberty, and one or two bad things happening is no reason for a total ban on mushies.
      • Kizilbash, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3They could just ban the sale to tourists.
      • spaceddaisy, on 11/11/2008, -0/+1Agree with Kizilbash, we should just not sell to tourists.

        What they forget to mention in most of the incidents where they 'blame' mushrooms, the users also consumed large quantities of alcohol and sometimes other drugs. Banning alcohol would save a ton more people every year than banning mushrooms, but wait, the people in the government probably enjoy that drug too in their spare time -sighs-

        Inform yourself before using anything! Thanks to uninformed tourists we lose yet another freedom.
    • bluezinc, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5Somehow, I know Neil Patrick Harris was involved.
    • Zwartbaard, on 04/27/2008, -1/+8"But no formal link was established between her death and the use of mushrooms." This is just one but in reality the incidents that where in the news had little to do with mushrooms. One was psychotic and another also had abused a lot of other substance's. This is just an excuse for the governement to ban this to get in line with the EU rules. If in the next election again is won by the CDA (Wich is one of the major parties and the party of our prime minister) you'll probably see a ban on marijjuana to...
    • mal1964, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3"Stupid tourists"= Lower Taxes, Jobs. and I'm sure some Humorist moments because they're "Stupid tourists"
      • fluxion, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1"stupid tourists" = "Danish tourist driving his car wildly through a camping ground, narrowly missing sleeping campers" || "Icelandic tourist jumping from a balcony and breaking both legs"
        • mal1964, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1I had a childhood Friend who was Icelandic. We hung all the time and he was cool, But he was very temperamental. His mom was very hot looking and hot tempered she was no one to ***** with she could kick ass. I think per capital they have the highest % of alcoholics plus i think its one of the darkest Counties with very short days at times.
  • DiggFellow, on 04/27/2008, -38/+3Dam Hippies...
    • Okari, on 04/27/2008, -2/+11There's a dam for hippies?
      • KaiUno, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4In Holland there's a dam for just about everyone.
    • greenlight2001, on 04/27/2008, -1/+6Yeah! Block them up! Plug'em! Dam those hippies!
    • masterm1nd, on 04/27/2008, -6/+2Damn grammar nazi's
  • DiggFellow, on 04/27/2008, -41/+2Dam Hippies...
  • Carsonauto, on 04/27/2008, -27/+9Legal marijuana is ok, but Mushrooms are a little more cereal.
    • Whackly, on 04/27/2008, -3/+13Gak! Uncommon usage of a word! Mediocre American education make Whackly mad!
      • ism70605, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3It is a joke from South Park, I believe. Al Gore(in the series) would say, "I am cereal".
    • patrflav, on 04/27/2008, -1/+16Mushrooms are harmless, the only possible thing that can happen is you trippin' balls so hard that you somehow kill yourself - that's called being irresponsible. There's also a VERY VERY rare problem called HPPD, but you have a FAR higher chance of dying in a car crash on a 5 minute drive. They're a fantastic tool that let's you see yourself as other people see you (ego death) and you feel a great connection towards everything around you. Deep philosophical thoughts race through your head.
      • giveer, on 04/27/2008, -6/+3I don't doubt that most of your comment is totally correct - I also don't doubt that yeah, I'm sure the user THINKS it's a "deep philosophical thought". Although I'll give you the 'racing' bit...
        • patrflav, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1Please don't ***** the nice diggers, anyone who's done them will know I am right.
    • VanillaCoke, on 04/27/2008, -0/+8Mmm.. Mushroom cereal.
    • mightylittleman, on 04/27/2008, -4/+6cereal is what you eat for breakfast noob
      • joshmoney, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4I'm SUPER cereal!
      • mem2, on 04/27/2008, -3/+2way to completely miss the reference. Stupid grammar nazi, tricks are for kids.
    • masterm1nd, on 04/27/2008, -5/+12Legalized meth FTW
  • fodbirdy, on 04/27/2008, -32/+3Damn Hippies...
  • OfNumbers, on 04/27/2008, -22/+3So?
    • jontalisman, on 04/27/2008, -17/+2Hey *****, How dare you write that I called Obama the 'N' word or a terrorist! I have never written or said anything like that about Obama. In fact, I've said I will vote for him if he's the Democratic nominee. However, it's my belief he will lose the general election for a number of different reasons. Hillary is my choice and polls show she can win against McCain. Whatever happens, the Repugnants must be defeated in November.
      • mem2, on 04/27/2008, -3/+4listen *****, we dont care about your ***** little social networking fight. Relevance to anything = 0.
  • cl2yp71c, on 04/27/2008, -2/+26Alice is preparing a lawsuit against that as we type.
  • seldon452, on 04/27/2008, -27/+5Look, I don't have a problem with legalizing pot but there are some serious drugs out there where the profits from the sale of such drugs goes to gangs and gang warfare. These mushrooms are also addictive and dangerous.

    I think this is a good idea.
    • Makaveli604, on 04/27/2008, -5/+21You sir, are an idiot and a hypocrite.
      • mem2, on 04/27/2008, -2/+3my oath, addictive ? what a ***** idiot. That is the most ignorant statement in reference to drugs made on digg _ever_.
        I hereby nominate you for Universes biggest Douche.
        • popfrogs, on 04/27/2008, -2/+1-1 for replying to the wrong thread.
          • mem2, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2-1 for not realizing I was agreeing with Makaveli604
    • mightylittleman, on 04/27/2008, -6/+9You are an idiot. goodnight
    • antechinus, on 04/27/2008, -4/+19Maate - you are an ace *****. Mushrooms are not addictive. Did you know that there is a 24 hour refractory period after taking them?
      All I can say is thank ***** I live in a part of Australia where only 30 minutes drive from my front door I can find the loveliest, juiciest Gold Tops growing in the gound.

      Thank God for cows, and Gold Tops.
      • mem2, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3I will be over in 30 antechinus, get the coffee brewing.
    • narcofiche, on 04/27/2008, -2/+16First off, your body can get immune to mushrooms if you take them too often, and the trip is weaker each time. Plus mushrooms can be grown anywhere and a lot of people grow them themselves or go on hunting trips for them. It sounds like you read an article about them in Parents Digest and believed everything they said.
    • emjaymj, on 04/27/2008, -0/+16Right, because gangs would be the ones selling mushrooms if they were legalized. Could you possibly BE a bigger idiot?

      Also, psychedelics like mushrooms and LSD have been proven to be absolutely non-habit forming (even less so than pot) and are only dangerous when use irresponsibly, much like well, a car, or perhaps even a spoon.
    • jerrasis, on 04/27/2008, -0/+0Not only are they non-habit forming but they are also invaluable tool in curing addiction.

      Did you know that the founder of AA was cured by LSD?
  • NikoKun, on 04/27/2008, -6/+39Mushrooms are nothing compared to cat pee... lol
    • mightylittleman, on 04/27/2008, -1/+5hah, ain't no comparison
    • Dr00pieS, on 04/27/2008, -0/+12Nothing like cheesing your ***** balls off.
  • walruspanzer, on 04/27/2008, -3/+6That's one thing to scratch off the 'to do' list on next year's Eurotrip to Amsterdam!
    • OfNumbers, on 04/27/2008, -3/+1Kind of like the public ban on smoking that happened over a year ago? *coughcoughnomoreweedcough*
      • jontalisman, on 04/27/2008, -12/+1Hey OfNumbers, You are a lying *****! How dare you write that I called Obama the 'N' word or a terrorist! I have never written or said anything like that about Obama. In fact, I've said I will vote for him if he's the Democratic nominee. However, it's my belief he will lose the general election for a number of different reasons. Hillary is my choice and polls show she can win against McCain. Whatever happens, the Repugnants must be defeated in November.
        • antechinus, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2Who would have thought that Obama was an 'N'?
        • mem2, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4Thats it mate, consider yourself blocked. Spamming your bitchy little argument all over here is only going to get you ignored by dozens more people. Though since your talking yank politics in a discussion about Amsterdam drug laws its fairly obvious you have nothing to contribute or anything intelligent to say.

          *** subliminal message **** BLOCK jontalisman *** subliminal message ****
        • giveer, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3Where in the severe ***** did that just come from?
          Dude. Cold shower. Now. Seriously.
      • NikoKun, on 04/27/2008, -2/+2The smoking ban there doesn't apply to Marijuana.
    • kittnerrules, on 04/27/2008, -0/+6No one cares that you are going to Amsterdam next year.
    • Rotzooi, on 04/27/2008, -1/+5Good, now I don't have to fish you out of the canal.
    • fluxion, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2personally i think touring amsterdam while you're trippin balls isnt too great an idea anyway.

      i mean, it sounds cool, in theory...
  • h0ser, on 04/27/2008, -1/+10guess they'll have to scour the cow patties in the long grass fields for mushrooms now. Ahh the good ol' days.
  • smurfz, on 04/27/2008, -2/+7i love my boomers =[
    • Sinnic, on 04/27/2008, -2/+2It's not like anyone living in the USA who does shrooms was buying them legally in Amsterdam, anyway. They'll never go away, they can't ban everything, there will be justice, yadda yadda let's get high.
  • DigablePlanet, on 04/27/2008, -0/+6This has been in the works for a long time. I heard a while ago that they wouldn't ban it completely. There would be a 3 day waiting period, so people coming into the city for a drug fueled hunter s. thompson weekend will be denied that experience. What would be interesting is if you could call ahead to the shops or send an email and place an order.
    • mem2, on 04/27/2008, -0/+8Black market will spring up out of nowhere, either mates in Amsterdam will buy ahead of time or you will have the 0day dealer who has his smurfs do the 3 day wait thing @ 10 diff shops and drop him off a constant supply to sell at an inflated rate.
  • Risingashes, on 04/27/2008, -0/+43Wouldn't the logical solution be to ban people driving while in any way impaired?
    You'd think that if you were in a position of such consequence that you'd take 2 minutes to think about whether you're treating the cause or the effect.
    If you want to save a tree you make it illegal to chop down the tree- you don't outlaw any and all cutting utensils from your country.
    • NikoKun, on 04/27/2008, -0/+17You forget... Since when is politics logical?

      Course that's no excuse... -_- but hardly seems like much can be done...
    • Rikkochet, on 04/27/2008, -3/+3Yes, but..
      This article isn't about that - it's about people doing really stupid things on shrooms and killing themselves, like jumping off bridges or running into traffic.
      Secondly, there isn't particularly great technology out there for police to screen drivers for any substance you want to legalize, which is why I feel legalization is taking so long. Blood tests take far too long and it's difficult to tell if a stranger is stoned versus just being an idiot. When we have a universal breathalizer I bet the game will change.
      • Daz3, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2There is a Breathalyzer for Marijuana.
      • daverave999, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2Have you seen people on hallucinogens before? The whopping great pupils are a big giveaway.
    • FearFactory, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4The US has been trying to persuade people from driving while impaired/intoxicated forever. Theres always going to be people who feel the need to drink, the think they can drive, and hit someone head on and ***** kill them.
    • Risingashes, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3The same people who do stupid things while on magic mushrooms would do the same things while heavily intoxicated if shrooms were made illegal.

      There are already laws against running in to traffic or jumping off bridges. Laws are only as good as their enforcement- if you can't enforce one thing don't make enforcement infinitely harder by going after people who aren't doing anything wrong.
      • Spewoo, on 04/28/2008, -0/+0Quite - banning driving whilst intoxicated is hardly going to change the mind of someone who has already taken mushroom, but then the tourists never tend to rent cars out in Amsterdam anyway, there's little point with bikes, the underground and limited space and prohibitive costs involved to use cars there. I'm neither for nor against this ruling, I've not used mushrooms but had multiple opportunities to try them, I didn't in Amsterdam because of the canals, I'd rather not chance it.
    • tomjm5000, on 04/27/2008, -3/+1Can we be reasonable here? The dumb tourists who try shrooms for the first time and cause a disturbance might NOT DO those things if shrooms were taken out of the equation. I'm not so sure everything people do while hallucinating is something they would do anyway. Moreover, though a black market would definitely emerge, I'm not sure how many American tourists are capable or willing to dive into super-sketchy dealings in a foreign country.
  • Texans8, on 04/27/2008, -6/+8"They call em Fingers, but I've never seen em fing, o their they go."-Otto
    • giveer, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5You should see my "they go". My "they go" is way more fingy than their they go.
  • mightylittleman, on 04/27/2008, -6/+14The Government telling the Dutch they are banning shrooms is like telling Mr. Rogers and Bill Cosby there is a ban on sweaters...it's a sad day
    • Gneisbaard, on 04/27/2008, -0/+10Actually, most dutchmen never eat shrooms.
      • sjmulder, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2So right. It seems like people think Amsterdam = Netherlands, and junks = Dutch people.
      • cyberdork, on 04/27/2008, -1/+3I work now for close to 12 years in the Netherlands. None of my Dutch friends is smoking pot or eating shrooms. The vast majority of people you see entering coffee shops or head shops are tourists (and every single foreign exchange student).
        How about they make it mandatory for people to show a Dutch ID when buying drugs? I think that would be a disaster for the coffeeshops, but it would also clean the cities of trippin tourists.
        • mem2, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4and then say hello to black market
          • cyberdork, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1Yeah, just that that black market won't be in the Netherlands and the drug tourists will stay home...
  • narcofiche, on 04/27/2008, -3/+17They could lead to "extreme or life-threatening behavior?" Please. If they had a bad trip I'm sure they may have wanted to die, but life-threatening? Hardly. Plus, people need to be responsible and read up on it. You should also do it with someone you trust (or who has done it before) to ease you out of a potential bad trip.
    Read up at shroomery.org. It's a great resource for first-timers.
    • mightylittleman, on 04/27/2008, -2/+8The shroomery.org is where it's at!
    • Rheic, on 04/27/2008, -0/+5Also erowid.org
    • Robbothehood, on 04/27/2008, -1/+0So you're saying that they could lead to extreme or life-threatening behaviour? Also, "Hey irresponsible people! Be more responsible!" is in no way any semblance of an effort to rectify the issue. Oh I see, people SHOULDN'T be dying while on mushrooms? Well, case closed. Those people really shouldn't have done that, so I guess we're done here. The ban is a bad idea, I bet governments could actually get something done if they didn't have a knee-jerk ban reaction to drugs and actually put some effort into, I don't know educating people I guess? Perhaps regulating their sale as mentioned above?
      • narcofiche, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1Dude, did you even really read my post or the article? I was quoting the article when I wrote the 'extreme or life-threatening behavior' part. And my point is, if you're going to do mushrooms, do some research. There's a difference between responsible and irresponsible drug use -- mushrooms or LSD can be a life changing experience, or it can be the worst day in your life, all I'm saying is be prepared and know what to expect in order to have an awesome time. I'm sorry you wasted your time replying to a comment that you didn't take the time to read carefully, dude.
  • jaromir68, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2Well this one was seen coming especially if you have spent attention to the news on this topic. However the local government's decision to purchase property around the "red light district" to constrict it in A'dam should be a further surprise.
    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7005768.stm

  • cyclopssmiley, on 04/27/2008, -2/+11no more 1up! =[
  • nuclearrabbit6, on 04/27/2008, -5/+7my god, the idiocy continues its trek across the ban on drugs that are fun!
  • AmonAmarth, on 04/27/2008, -4/+38I'm a fairly regular user of mushrooms, and I find this utterly retarded. Narcofiche is absolutely correct, people who trip and don't know what they're getting into are the issue, and any hallucinogenic experience can be scary/overwhelming if you're not mentally prepared. For experienced trippers such as myself and I'm sure other posters who are outraged by this article, mushrooms can be a very eye-opening and spiritual experience.
    • tc811, on 04/27/2008, -1/+7Thanks for one of the more useful comments in this article.
    • gahal, on 04/27/2008, -1/+6I would say that unless you are experienced with a hallucinogenic, have a 'sitter' with you.
      People should follow that rule.
  • shyboy2008, on 04/27/2008, -6/+4*****, where is mario gonna get his shrooms now
  • digitallysick, on 04/27/2008, -9/+4They can also make you panic, and start scratching your skin until you bleed , not that i would know....
    • shyboy2008, on 04/27/2008, -4/+8u got scabs on your dick. hahaha admit it
  • alarmist, on 04/27/2008, -2/+6maybe we should spend money going towards the proper education into the use of these substances and not fear tactics
    • giveer, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2"I'll tell you something and this is fact. You know why so many drunk drivers get in wrecks? 'Cause they don't LEARN to drive drunk."

      [waits for reference.]
  • DannySpace, on 04/27/2008, -2/+4This is based on Morons who abuse these goodies. It can provide an amazing experience to those who seek measures outside of reality. Indians used them as well as peyote. You don't have to abuse them though; put a good amount in a jar of Honey, let it sit for a couple of months to dissolve within, and you can shelf it for a long long time while experimenting minimal use.

    The ban is not necessary.
    • corywiegand, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2At first, I read "Morons" as "Mormons." Then I started picturing hordes of 'shroom-addicted religious zealots wreaking havoc!
  • lordmike, on 04/27/2008, -3/+7I hear they are about to abolish the red light district, too... What's the Netherlands coming to, nowadays? Crazy kids and their purity and morality! Who needs it! Back in the old days, you could do whatever you wanted in the Netherlands and no one would care... Bah! The country's going to hell in a handbasket! Hey, you kids, get off my lawn!!!!
    • PerfectEntity, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3They are not abolishing the Red Light District, they only are looking into measures to remove the illegal aspect of it, the exploitation and trafficking of women.

      Mr Cohen said the move was not intended to get rid of prostitution entirely, since it is part of the area's history.

      "What we do want is to get rid of the underlying criminality," he said.
      and for anyone not living in The Netherlands, drugs such as Schrooms will be harder to obtain, i doubt any local will notice the difference.
      • nick111, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2To be fair, the whole of the middle of Amsterdam STINKS of skunkweed as well. It's a drugs tourist trap - which kindof sucks because Amsterdam is a beautiful historic city in its own right.

        "The Market" has kindof ***** it - it's surrounded by countries (aka a planet) which is restricted... so there's like 2000 drug shops in the centre of the capital city. It's kindof ***** up.

        I've been strongly anti-prohibition for the last 25 years btw - but I'm not surprised various people in Amsterdam might want drugs not to be THE dominant feature of the place.

        That said, this move over mushrooms is operating a double standard. Booze is worse.

    • Pixelante, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2Times are changing. Europe is marching towards the Safe Society, with Britain leading the way to the Panopticon Paradise.
      • citydragon, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1People need to wake up and realise the EU is the driving force for all this authoritarian change.
        • Pixelante, on 04/27/2008, -1/+0And when they wake up what happens? It's not like they cannot do anything about that. I daresay the majority of Europeans would welcome an authoritarian government if it means greater security.
  • feelmo, on 04/27/2008, -10/+3shrooms suck anyways: you feel like a crazy person for 2 hours, then on the comedown you can feel your brains frying, then you feel functionally retarded for the next couple days.
    • daverave999, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2Perhaps that's just 'self-awareness'. :P
  • allfatherblack, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4everyone should do them once, then never again. And everyones experience is going to be different, so what youve heard or felt is wrong, so stop pushing your agenda and let people make their own mistakes. i did em twice, the second time about 30 bucks worth in one sitting and I felt like I was literally going to die and I had come to terms with it.

    needless to explain why i think once then never again
    • orph3us, on 04/27/2008, -1/+8Definitely, something to learn from and then set aside to pursue what they show you on your own time. People who always do them end up trying to re experience something that they want to attain, but must realize that they are being shown something that can only be sustained with effort. Having said that, I have had moments where I want to do them again, probably not remembering what its really like, but whatever, I'm coming to terms with that.

      About the dying thing, that's what psychedelics do in a way, its like simulated dying. Your mind dies and you learn what that's like. Which is why its great for terminally ill people or people that need to get their ***** together. A near death experience is a great way to jolt you out of your normal life routine. And if your life routine is not working for you, this might be what you need, but be forewarned, you need to go in with an open mind, willing to listen. If you aren't willing to change or listen, thats when a bad trip will come up. And since its chemical, theres nothing you can do about it until you come down, 6 hours later :P ...
  • DestroyFascism, on 04/27/2008, -3/+7There must be thousands of "Accidents" with Alcohol every month, tourists or not this government needs its head read. Hypocritical leftist nongs.
  • whiteguysamurai, on 04/27/2008, -8/+6Shrooms are too spotty, some work really well and some can almost kill you.
    Just stick with weed anyway.
    • captainchris, on 04/27/2008, -1/+1if they are farmed properly and in a controlled environment, there won't be any problems. it's drug dealers and underground business that makes the potency of shrooms and any other drug unsafe.
    • Nackaroo, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1I find mixing the two is the best experiance! Did that in Amsterdam last year and it was amazing.
    • captainchris, on 04/28/2008, -0/+1by no problems, i meant no problems regarding potency. there's always a risk.
  • lazyleo, on 04/27/2008, -2/+1wait..that means i can get shrooms for sale legally there right now? *contacts travel agent*
    • jascination, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1As far as I know, since a few months ago stores were no longer allowed to import new shrooms into their stores but they could still sell their existing stocks. So yes, but you'll have to get in quick.
  • jhos1991, on 04/27/2008, -0/+8I'm Dutch and do not approve this message!
  • Shuukyoku, on 04/27/2008, -2/+2You know, this is the problem with the drug rights movement...all the positions of power are held by the moralizers. Could we get just one leader who goes out on the occasional weekend and takes some shrooms on a camping trip? Or someone who relaxes on holidays with a bong by the fireplace? But all the people with the stake in keeping their drugs are stoners...hard to make a movement out of stoners.
  • WoollyMittens, on 04/27/2008, -1/+3Nobody will stop using it and nobody will stop selling it. This law only serves as a statement from the christian-fundies who seem to me gaining control over the government. They already started by slowly closing down the red light district of amsterdam.
    • xonkonog, on 04/27/2008, -1/+0So you guys got a Christian problem too huh?
  • Albaster, on 04/27/2008, -3/+6Dutchbags.
  • slimnickyy, on 04/27/2008, -3/+4NOOOOOO
  • Rotzooi, on 04/27/2008, -0/+4Their first plan was (in theory) better: a compulsory 3-day wait before you can buy mushrooms.
    This -yes, theoretically- eliminates the problems with weekenders but allows the Dutch themselves to still have their fun.
  • roosterjack, on 04/27/2008, -0/+3Oh I thought we are all encouraged to go green and vegan?
  • funkywood, on 04/27/2008, -1/+10Yet again it's the full ban route when they can easily regulate it like driving. Make users get a license by taking a test proving they know the risks and rules and can handle the drug without turning into a moron. Make it illegal to sell to anyone without a license. Take away the license of anyone who acts like a dick, temporarily or permanently. They can even restrict licenses to dutch citizens.

    Problem solved and leads to responsibility and controlled use instead of forcing it underground into a world of ignorance.
    When will politicians learn to stop being so simplistic on things that restrict some people's freedoms because of other people's stupidity?

    This could be a great opportunity for the dutch to show the world how this can be done.
    • jascination, on 04/27/2008, -0/+2That's actually a really good idea, good post mate.
    • Robbothehood, on 04/27/2008, -0/+0It's probably a lot harder to propose an initiative that's going to cost so much money to implement and maintain.
      • funkywood, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1So tax the drug to pay for it. How much does it cost to enforce a law most don't agree with?
        The point is the attitude change that would come about once you start treating the problem maturely and seriously.
  • loutang82, on 04/27/2008, -3/+0There's always Jamaica..
  • rickmb, on 04/27/2008, -3/+5Make 'mostly' involving tourists 'all' involving tourists. Never heard of an incident involving locals.

    We should ban American, French and British tourists from Amsterdam instead. That would solve sooo many problems... I don't think it would hurt the economy either, the lack of stoned Americans and drunken Brits roaming the streets would make the place considerably more attractive for tourists from other countries.
    • elShaggy, on 04/27/2008, -3/+3Look at me; 'I am a native and assume all French, English and Americans are irresponsible. We Dutch are the shining example of self control.'

      There may be some truth to your ignorance though, responsible pyschonauts tend to do their tripping in their home territory. But I would like the feeling of smoking legally in one of your coffee shops. Cause if we get another Clinton in the white house I see no progression in the decriminalization/legalization movement happening.
    • captric, on 04/27/2008, -4/+2And your economy will crash and you will be polishing the yachts for rich Americans and French that fill the economic vacuum.
      • banderwocky, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2Wow, THAT isn't an elitist statement at all! Looking for more slaves are you Adlof? I though the Americunts of today have learned from their past. I guess some have not. To busy hiding in other countries dodging the weakening Americunt economy, social unrest and removal of individual freedoms.
        • captric, on 04/27/2008, -2/+1Well- well - are you on drugs again banderwockey? Better stick to something you know and let Americans do what they do best, build nations that are conducive to peace and stability in the world while cowardly Canadians send a token force in order to be perceived as less pussy than they really are. So what is Canada gong to do when Iran through Al-Queda sets off a nuke in downtown Vancouver because it is a soft target compared to America and incapable of retaliation?You are going to call America aren't you. And blame the lack of intelligence information on someone else and stew in your own despair while your innocent civilians die because you THINK you are a nation of peace and no one will harm you. I am going to laugh and then rally to not lift a finger in defense of Canada.
          • banderwocky, on 04/28/2008, -0/+2HAHAHAHAAH! Yeah, the Americans are GOOD at nation building!!! Look at how well that has worked so far! HAHAHAHA! Wow man, what LSD soaked dick are you sucking on? So you think Canada should pull out our troops in Afghanistan eh? We should stop looking for Osama Bin Ladin for you? Awww muffin, im pretty sure the "American Way" is failing so far in that department! Still can't find Osama!
            Nuking downtown BC? WTF? You are ignorant and stupid. Why the hell would Iran target downtown BC??!?! You retard. I had no idea downtown Vancouver was such an international target!! I think you are placing waaay to much emphasis on the strategic importance of Vancouver! Just because your "yacht" is there, Iran really doesn't care! I'd like to see you rally some brains for yourself and maybe knock down your ego a bit Americunt.
          • captric, on 04/28/2008, -2/+1You Canadian colors are truly shining through with your latent homosexual thoughts. That is why I treat all Canadian men like I treat Male Flight Attendants on an airplane, they are Gay unless they prove otherwise! Another very Canadian trait is your inability to READ. What I said was Iran will supply the nuke - a small one - to Al-queda. Al-Queda will deliver it to operatives already operating in Canada who will then actually do the assembly and detonation. The reason Vancouver is a likely target is 1) its large Muslim and middle eastern population 2) its location to an open waterway to and ocean which makes the smuggling ANYTHING much easier 3) Canadian lack of intelligence assets 4) Canada's lack of law enforcement assets 5) Canada's lack of military defense and coast guard assets to intercept smugglers 6) Canada's western culture and engagement in Afghanistan as infidels in a Muslim nation 7) Canada's existence geographically on the American continent - a huge coup for extremists if attacked 8) The world and especially the Muslim worlds correct perception that Canada is AMERICA junior 9) America is a much harder target and the lesson of 9-11 is not lost on Al-Queda - if you attack the US you will be hunted down and destroyed 10)Most importantly the arrogance and ignorance of Canadians like you who think Canada is immune because of your incorrect perception of Canada as a peace making nation, Canada is a peaceful nation because they have no CHOICE! And oh ya - Toronto is a close second, it is just harder to get to by sea.
          • banderwocky, on 04/28/2008, -1/+2Canada just is not a target. We haven't done any nation building, we haven't illegally invaded another country, no blowback, and by your own admission, in the worlds eyes, we are not a threat. Your perception of Canada in the world place is horribly skewed.
            Your wishful thinking of killing off large amounts of Canadians will most likely never be realized. Unless Amerika annexes Canada in order to steal our national resources. Like water, lumber, uranium, wheat, etc.
            Just foolishness.
          • travis1982, on 04/28/2008, -1/+2why are you still talking about Canadians Captrick? are you that immature that you have to result childish insults? How ***** old are you? You're an idiot, everything you have commented on is complete *****, Canada has a lack of intelligence assets? Do you k now what CSIS is? Do you know how closely they work with the CIA? Do you know what JTF2 is? The chances of your dream happening, Canada getting attacked is a ***** joke. I just can't believe the ***** you write. Why is it that you come on Digg to only talk about how much you hate Canada? Do you see any Americans on here coming to your defense? No..because you're so full of your own *****. You need to get a life pal, go and take your little canoe out and enjoy life rather then spewing your false propaganda ***** on here. Or at the very least stop acting like a ***** child, you're like a spoiled little kid lost in your in own world of lies.
          • captric, on 04/28/2008, -2/+1Well well - TRAVIS is back! Welcome, I love beating the ***** out of you intellectually you limp wrist little maple leaf. You still having a little trouble arguing with a 15 year old? Of course I have heard of CSIS....I am from Canada after all. CSIS bungled the investigation into the 1985 Air India bombing.CSIS mole Grant Bristow infiltrated the Canadian white-supremacist movement but not only was he one of the founders of the Heritage Front group, he had also channeled CSIS funding to this group. In 1999, classified documents were stolen from the car of a CSIS employee who was attending a Toronto Maple Leafs hockey game.CSIS is not allowed to intercept or to "tap" overseas telephone conversations, even between those suspected of terrorist ties. This is because it is not within the auspices of the agency to perform such intercepts. However, CSIS is also disallowed from investigations which extend beyond the borders as it is a National Internal Intelligence Agency. To compound the difficulties, it is also an extremely difficult matter to receive permissions for wiretaps on Canadian residents while within Canada. Due to these factors, members within CSIS have made complaints that they have little or no ability to perform effective surveilling of suspected terrorist links within or without the country. Good luck discovering the location and intentions of terrorists making plans to set off a dirt nuclear bomb in downtown Vancouver or Toronto. Travis, my little 52 foot canoe needs a wash and wax and a bottom cleaning after a winter in the water, need a job, boy?
          • travis1982, on 04/28/2008, -1/+1WOW...just wow. I actually forgot how retarded having a conversation with you really is. I am well aware of the controversies surrounding the agency. If you don’t think that every agency has its problems and that the CIA is infallible, then you are truly living in dream world. I am planning on entering CSIS in the near future, thus I actually know the ins and outs…not unlike some people who wishes they were a “military intelligence officer”. You sound like a cop, completely unaware of anything rational and set into some distinct police culture that just furthers your ignorance. If you think intelligence agencies are going to tell the public exactly what they do and do not do, policy matters and such, then you are just sadly disillusioned. CSIS actually does have power abroad, they can in fact tap wire tap Canadians with minimal effort, in fact some kid just got caught making bombs in his basement a couple of months ago because of such wire taps. How can you, speaking for “America”, criticize CSIS when the CIA couldn’t prevent Americans largest terrorist:

            “The CIA and other U.S. intelligence agencies fell victim to false “group think” when assessing Iraq’s weapons capabilities and produced overstated or incorrect conclusions that led the Bush administration to justify the overthrow of Saddam Hussein, according to a scathing Senate Intelligence Committee report released Friday.”

            “support for the Baath Party in Iraq and the defeat of the Russians in Afghanistan — prepared the way for Saddam Hussein and Osama bin Laden. Despite the many brave and intelligent people who have worked there, the CIA turns out to be a dysfunctional secret bureaucracy that, as one of its former agents says, produces $40 billion worth of crap every year. One is forced to conclude that the country would have been better off without the CIA.”

            Again, why are you acting like a now RACIST child implying that I wash your canoe? Captrick, if you are at all capable of acting like a logical, rational human being of thought and not some anthropomorphic propaganda machine, then please share with me your reason of such vile hate against a country that you live in. I will be your Freud, I will be your Jung…we can get to the bottom of your intrapsychic mind, and find the reason for such an arbitrary hate of Canada.
          • captric, on 04/28/2008, -1/+1Again you know nothing of the Intelligence Community in the US, our laws, our Constitution, or our Bill of Rights. The CIA at the time, had nothing to do with Domestic Intelligence before 9-11. That was the FBI's territory and responsibility. Information sharing was the problem because the agencies were obeying the laws of this country and the directions of Congressional oversight. That has since changed and there have been many intelligence "saves" by good intelligence and quick action by CIA and FBI since 9-11. So again - it is the good things about America that fix the bad things about America. At any rate, it is doubtful anyone could have put together the disparate pieces of the puzzle before the facts of 9-11. It is easy to "reverse engineer" as an armchair expert and come up with all sorts of scenarios. Oh yes -and I never said I was an intelligence officer, I said I was a Marine Intelligence Operative, among other things in the Intelligence community, learn the difference!
          • travis1982, on 04/28/2008, -1/+2First, the point you are trying to make that it was the FBIs fault and not the CIA is irrelevant, they are both intelligence agencies..not sure where you are going with that, they are both American agencies. CSIS and the RCMP have the same problem, so what? Intelligence saves? First of all, you have no way of knowing that, that point was also irrelevant. If you had even read a book, newspaper article or any other source that isn't directly related to jerking off on the American flag, you would have read that the agencies knew well before hand that a terrorist attack was highly conceivable, I am not blaming the US, because the intelligence agencies ANYWHERE are only human, and are capable of making errors. You weren't an intelligence officer, so stop lying..and if you were than you're making Americans look really...really bad. I noticed how you avoided my other questions. I am fully capable of having a rational discussion with you Captrick, are you capable of having one? are you capable of polite conversation or are you such a primate that you need to result to insults and name calling.
          • captric, on 04/29/2008, -2/+1You are such a Canadian illiterate - the product of a bad education, bad upbringing, and ***** up culture always in the shadow of the US. I already said I was not an "intelligence officer" - and you obviously do not even know what that means - very Canadian of you though you maple leaf weak dick. So don't make a fool out of yourself debating things you know nothing about. And in addition, never judge other people by your own weak intellect and lack of ability to advance in this world. You are living in the wrong country and you are never going anywhere.
          • travis1982, on 04/29/2008, -1/+1Canada Literacy rate: 99%
            From an American: In general, Canada has a better education system than the US. The US has a very bad education system, in general. We're ranked below every Western and every 1st world/modernized country. Of course, there are some good schools, but they are few and far between. In Canada, your children will get a good education at pretty much any school.

            Canada has second best education system in the world. We are bilingual, teachers and professers teach their students to think outside of the box rather than absorbing mindless material that demands no creative thinking. Your lack of knowledge about the facts Captrick is scary. Again, I ask..are you able to refrain from insults? Why do you feel the need to make such pointless comments?

          • captric, on 04/29/2008, -1/+1(Source: University of Cambridge)Fans of rankings, rejoice. I recently stumbled upon a site that ranks the world's top 500 universities. That's right---you can now see how the best in the U.S. stack up against the premier institutions from around the globe. The site, sponsored by the Institute of Higher Education at Shanghai Jiao Tong University, even breaks down the top 100 schools in North and Latin America, Europe and Asia.



            For the record, here are the world's top 20:

            1. Harvard University
            2. University of Cambridge
            3. Stanford University
            4. University of California-Berkeley
            5. Massachusetts Institute of Technology
            6. California Institute of Technology
            7. Columbia University
            8. Princeton University
            9. University of Chicago
            10. University of Oxford
            11. Yale University
            12. Cornell University
            13. University of California-San Diego
            14. University of California-Los Angeles
            15. University of Pennsylvania
            16. University of Wisconsin-Madison
            17. University of Washington
            18. University of California-San Francisco
            19. Johns Hopkins University
            20. Tokyo University

            FUNNY - I dont see any Canadian universities here!!!!
          • travis1982, on 04/29/2008, -1/+2Education system...not the number of prestigious universities you dolt. How many Americans can actually go to those universities that arn't feed with a silver spoon. What we were discussing is the education system in general. I would hope to say the least, the US has more universities then Canada, seeing our population is minute compared to the US. That list doesn't really tell me anything other than the US has more money to throw around on prestigious universities but not enough for general public schools. The difference is that Canada is better at teaching youth, all youth..not just rich, but the mid-low class as well...and a lot better than the US. What good are prestigious universities if more than half of your population can't read above a grade 8 level. I thank you for holding back on the insults, however I feel it will be short lived.
          • captric, on 04/29/2008, -2/+1Ha ha - well as always you know nothing of the US....every person in this country is eligible to obtain a degree for any of the American Universities listed ... you just have to qualify! The money is there if you cannot afford it and NO ONE in this country is denied a higher education because of lack of finances alone. The money is there - you just have to qualify for it!! You are are one ignorant Canadian nut case .... you obviously have never lived in this country....get your propaganda from irreputable sources and make bad decisions about everything from health to education because you are a victim of Canadian Nationalism which is a form of metal illness on its own.
          • travis1982, on 04/29/2008, -1/+2Wow...so the insults return. Do you only read what you want to read? Do you notice what I have been typing? Captrick...come on...seriously, are you for real? I don't get it...whats with all of the hostility? Explain please. Also, I never said universities in general are off limits to the average Joe, but the prestigious universities sure as hell are. I have lived in the US, I lived in Boston for 2 years..I think you know what university is there, and how difficult it is to be granted admission unless you're an elite. Also, qualifying for anything in the US...is an oxymoron in itself, you don't qualify for anything...health care, education, etc, you have to have the money to back it up. You referring to me as using propaganda is hilarious, I have read your comments on alcoholism, criminalization of marijuana and religion...I don't know how you can call yourself an individual of logic when your sources are nonexistent or from the most biased ***** articles I have ever witnessed. I ask for a third time now...and still wait for an answer..are you capable of having a rational, logical and mature conversation free of insults and hate mongering? Please...if you are a human being that is capable of thought, please answer my question...and explain why you are so incapable of this.
          • captric, on 04/29/2008, -1/+1The statements you have made are patently FALSE and I find it hard to believe you EVER lived here.You must have been hanging with ignorant low life's who think the way you do and do not yet have the life experience that tempers ones BELIEFS with reality! Elite Universities have only so any classrooms, only the most qualified students gain admission. Gaining admission requires meeting the standards that the university admissions board requires. Those are a combination of high school grade point average, citizenship attributes, leadership abilities, some favor military leadership experience and athletics and other subjective criteria. NO ONE is going to ask you how you intend to pay. If you QUALIFY for a prestigious school the money will follow in terms of scholarships, grants, parental and family help, community help and student loans that are guaranteed by the government.
            You need to go back to the very first post in your string to figure out where my vigorous defense of the US comes from. I am a little tired of hearing Canadians, here and in real life, trash the US. Here are some of the absolute wacko stuff I have heard come out of the mouths of Canadians and no one else in the world, and I have traveled the world: "9-11 was a conspiracy to start a war in Iraq and take over the world", "the US military is supplying guns to street gangs in Toronto to destabilize Canada", "the US made Canada stop production of a fighter aircraft because it was too superior to anything the US had", "there is more crime in the US per capita than anywhere in the world". "45 million Americans have no health care in the US", "the US has a low education level compared with the rest of the world",.Those are just a few statements out of many that I can quote from memory at the moment. All are patently and provably false! Most are exerpts taken out of context from our own free press and used to try to falsely demonstrate that somehow, Canada is a more "superior" country in some strange way, when in fact, it is the result of a Canadian inferiority complex based on Americas wealth, power and influence in the world coupled with Canada's almost desperate dependence on the US.
          • banderwocky, on 04/29/2008, -1/+1The political relationship of Canada and the US shows that the two countries need each other. Economically and Politically.

            "As an affluent, high-tech industrial society in the trillion-dollar class, Canada resembles the US in its market-oriented economic system, pattern of production, and affluent living standards. Since World War II, the impressive growth of the manufacturing, mining, and service sectors has transformed the nation from a largely rural economy into one primarily industrial and urban. The 1989 US-Canada Free Trade Agreement (FTA) and the 1994 North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) (which includes Mexico) touched off a dramatic increase in trade and economic integration with the US. Given its great natural resources, skilled labor force, and modern capital plant, Canada enjoys solid economic prospects. Top-notch fiscal management has produced consecutive balanced budgets since 1997, although public debate continues over the equitable distribution of federal funds to the Canadian provinces. Exports account for roughly a third of GDP. Canada enjoys a substantial trade surplus with its principal trading partner, the US, which absorbs 80% of Canadian exports each year. Canada is the US's largest foreign supplier of energy, including oil, gas, uranium, and electric power. During 2007, Canada enjoyed good economic growth, moderate inflation, and the lowest unemployment rate in more than three decades."
            https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world ...
            I think this shows how dependent each country is on each other here. I don't care if you think your country is superior to Canada or some other country. Having lived in both and other countries around the world, I'm pretty damn happy to be Canadian, and I think that Canada is the better country than any other place I have lived. I'm happy with Canadian contributions to the world, our political placement and the direction of our future. Things look pretty good from up here. I'm guessing that's why you live in Canada captric.
          • travis1982, on 04/29/2008, -1/+1Well at least you finally answered my question. You didn't say much, regarding universities in the US, that didn't help prove my point. If you think it's just Canadians that are capable of making stupid comments that I don't know what to tell you Captrick. You are generalizing an entire country on a couple of people you say on Digg, if I did that than I would have to say that all Americans are retarded Judeo-Christian fundamentalists that are hell bent on war and destruction and know nothing about that world that isn't 10 feet off their front porch. But I am not stupid enough to believe that, because there is around 300 million Americans. So why are you dumb enough to believe that every Canadian is "hippy" or "conspiracy nut"?
            I have heard more Americans say that 9/11 was an inside job, I don't think that's true, but I do think that Bush is a horrible President, I think Cheney and Ashcroft are evil liars. Torontos/guns thing, nonsense. As for the Canadian Jet, which is obviously the Avro Arrow that was made in the mid-50's. Yes I am aware of the book "storm of controversy", I don't think the cancellation had much to do with the US feeling inferior because we built the first super sonic jet, and we did, but more to do with the fact that Canada felt that we didn't need to build up our air force...well because the US is right there. Which is stupid, I think Canada should be more independent/ambitious in its military but it isn't.
            As for crime rates, no American doesn't have the highest crime rates per capita in the world, Jamaica alone beats you hand down..but you do have the most imprisoned. 1 in 37 adults living in the United States are in prison, the highest incarceration level in the world. Its not necessarily because the US is more violent, and more so because it arrests/imprison anything that walks funny. Imprisoning people for admin charges or breach of probation etc, when the crime was non-violent is a waste of tax payers money, waste of time, and makes American look bad.
            If we are looking at total economic and military power, than I couldn't agree more that the US is in the led, but like I have said before, the US has a MUCH larger population, if people can't take that into account then I don't know what to tell you. For the most part, I don't see a big point when it comes to Americans vs. Canadians, our citizens are basically identical, both of our governments have problems with corruption, we follow the same crime trends etc. I feel about as inferior to the US than I do from..Poland. I am not jealous of Americans wealth, power or influence, and I don't see Canada as completely reliant on the US, we are doing rather well as a self-sustained country.
            I live in Ontario, my whole family are civil servants and work their asses off for their government, and receive some of the best benefits world wide such as pension, health care etc. When you look at Canada, you have to look at Ontario to get a better picture of what we are about, as it is the powerhouse of Canada. We don't go around shunning every American we see, we are knowledgeable about the world and have a great education system that teaches people to think rationally, logically and outside of the box.
            Canada is just like any other country, people despise the US in the UK, as well as many other countries, why you don't hate them as well is beyond me. Actually why you would hate an entire country because of a couple of people you have meet is beyond me.
          • captric, on 04/29/2008, -2/+1I doubt that you have lived anywhere but Canada from what I can see. You cut and paste pro-Canadian data from Canadian government web sites. The reason you can google search and find lots of pro Canadian articles is just as I described above,Canadians are jealous of Americans and for GOOD reason. You don't find pro-American articles trying to take facts out of context and falsely stating opinions as fact because Americans DON'T CARE about Canada - there is nothing to be jealous about. I left Canada to join the Marines because the Canadian military is a joke, and I wanted to gain American citizenship. I have met hundreds of Canadians who have done the same thing for the same reason. That was the wisest decision I have ever made in my entire life. I went to a prestigious University and not only did I go for free, I got PAID to go. I have lived all over the world, the Far East and Europe and I am now looking at a residence in Central America. Not because I dislike the US because it is just good personal finance. I will be moving from Canada next summer after living there for 6 years for the same reasons, it is no longer good personal finance to live in a country with 14% tax, poor health care - I have to go to the US if I need anything important like an MRI or a Thallium Stress Test for example. My Caribbean trained Canadian Doctor who gets paid whatever the government thinks he deserves misdiagnosed a ruptured disc as a pulled muscle. He also recommended I go to the US for an MRI to be certain because you can in his words "get one tomorrow in the US and in Canada you will have to wait a month or more and you may end up an invalid". But mostly because I have grown cold on Canada because of people like you who just cant get over the fact that the US is a better, more profitable, proud, and wonderful place to live despite any of the minor problems you and other jealous Canadians like to bring up to make yourself look better. You just don't get it and you never will, your false sense of pride is a meme inherited from your parents and is a Canadian social pastime. You wont find people sitting around trashing Canada in the US because they are self confident leaders of the world with a strong military, economy, medical care and awesome leading edge technology that constantly solves the problems of the world, including Canada's.
          • travis1982, on 04/29/2008, -0/+2Well, I think we finally got to the bottom of it. You are Canadian..and you hate your country. That is allowed, I know many Americans hate their country as well. What you hate about Canada is personal to you, because I have received the best treatment in Ontario that is parallel to that of the US. Canada really doesn't do a good job looking after the other provinces, and I'm not going to pretend they do. Unfortunately the US seems to have the same problem, example: New Orleans. I don't think people care here that you're an investor, it's not making me jealous, I am in between high and middle class from a family of government/military employees, and I am proud to be who I am. The American military has better numbers and technology than Canada, nobody is disputing that, the reason why I have more respect for the Canadian military is because we don't go looking for war the way Americans do..and have always. There is no denying that, so why hate a countries military that promotes peace rather than invasion of countries? I can also give you examples of the Canadian health care system and the doctors I know that are equal with American doctors, that point is not relevant, you are giving your own examples that have standing on how the American health care system is better...you just have examples on how its better for you. I don't make it a habit to bring up points on how Canada is better than America, it doesn't matter, we are basically the same country. You write very strange, "You just don't get it and you never will, your false sense of pride is a meme inherited from your parents and is a Canadian social pastime", I get that you think Canadians should be enslaved by Americans, I don't see that as anything but evil and immature, I don't have a false sense of pride, I have pride for my country that is warranted, as Americans should have pride for their country as well. My parents taught me to look at the facts, look at the truth of all things and try to think outside the box, why you would say that our parents instilled a false sense of pride...i don't know even know how you thought that up..I am guessing you think your parents did that to you...otherwise why would you assume it of every other Canadian. Hating America is far from a social past time in Canada, maybe its like that in Vancouver, I have never lived there. In Ottawa, Toronto and Montreal people don't think like that, politicians here have respect for Americans, like we do any other country. For you to generalize Americans and self-confident leaders of the world is very fascist, what if the world doesn't want to be lead by America...the world is bigger then American and if they feel the American noose tightening along its neck, America is finished. America isn't the infallible, omnipotent country you think it is Captrick, it has problems like any other country, and throws its weight around on other countries that never asked for help. You can hate Canada all you want but you're not going to recruit any Canadians to leave their country because you said its bad, and you're not going to convince any Americans to invade Canada because you think we are incompetent. Your self-righteous war on Canada is only because you feel you have been shunned by your country, you feel like you have been let down...well it hasn't let me down by going into senseless wars, abandoning cities in need during natural disasters, hi-jacked communication companies to spy on its citizens, made prison into a breeding grounds for criminals, arresting people for nothing and putting people in prison for crimes that pose no risk to the community and eating up tax dollars, totally ***** up a terrorist act that agencies knew about and did nothing to stop it, elect a president that has a 6th grade literacy level, invading countries and so on and so on and so on...I don't envy America, but I don't hate them either, they are our brothers. You can hate Canada all you want and preach it over and over and over on Digg...nobody cares Captrick, I just wanted to find out why you hate Canada so much, and now I know.
          • captric, on 04/29/2008, -0/+1This is Exactly what I am talking about TRAVIS! Your words: "well it hasn't let me down by going into senseless wars, abandoning cities in need during natural disasters, hi-jacked communication companies to spy on its citizens, made prison into a breeding grounds for criminals, arresting people for nothing and putting people in prison for crimes that pose no risk to the community and eating up tax dollars, totally ***** up a terrorist act that agencies knew about and did nothing to stop it, elect a president that has a 6th grade literacy level, invading countries and so on and so on and so on"
            Every point you made in those statements are fictitious takes on American free press that is taken out of context and used to bash America. This is NOT a senseless war you Canadian nut job! Just as Vietnam was not a SENSELESS war!! Vietnam was one in a series of wars that defeated one of the greatest threats to North America and Europe in our entire lifetime - THE USSR! The USSR collapsed because of the relentless defense of freedom by NATO lead by America. No thanks to Canada who actually aided and abetted Americas cowards and criminals during that trying time just as they did during Americas revolutionary war. The war in Iraq in one of many conflicts that in the end will result on the defeat of radical Islamists all over the world, draw then to a central location - Iraq and Afghanistan - where we can kill them efficiently while rebuilding in a very intelligent and measured way, a country that will be an ally instead of an enemy in the future. Canada picks and chooses its battles because of the US and they are incapable of any real influence wherever they decide they want to fight. It is Americans taking the brunt of the work and the casualties and the expense while Canada sets back and enjoys the results. Just because you do not understand the problem nor the tactics and strategy does not mean it is WRONG! Not understanding military tactics and strategy is a very Canadian trait! Nobody abandoned New Orleans! It was a HURRICANE that wiped out New Orleans and the local populace was at fault for ignoring the grave danger and EVACUATE as they were ordered!! Again you take Americas free press and use it as a tool of misinformation. President Bush is not a favorite of mine, but he does have an MBA FROM HARVARD! How about you bean head? Are you so stupid and undereducated that you actually believe what you see on television and associate a southern accent with ignorance? I personally associate a Canadian accent with ignorance. The telecommunications companies did the RIGHT thing post 9-11 and allowed investigators to use their networks to discover future terrorist plots. How many innocent citizens do you know who were harmed?! The answer in NONE! Nobody gets arrested for NOTHING in this country and in fact 99% of all arrests lead to a conviction! That is a GOOD THING!! That proves there are very few false arrests. No one goes to prison for a victimless crime in this country, if you bilk people out of millions of dollars, sell harmful drugs that are illegal, you DESERVE to go to prison. Thank GOD we have prisons to lock these people up! Go live in a country that does not lock up its criminals, like Jamaica or Dominica and see how it works for you. Maybe that is what Canada needs to stop the outrageous assaults per capita that you enjoy! If you threw these people in jail they might stop assaulting people. Again, taking facts and American news supplied to you by a free press and turning it around to make it look bad! You are an idiot and Canada DESERVES you!
  • nick111, on 04/27/2008, -1/+10"a number of accidents"


    And that number would be precisely ***** what, exactly?

    And how does that compare to alcohol related accidents?

    Hmmm... I smell the wiff of lieing authoratarian *****.
  • Barnolde, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4You're not supposed to be regressive. Stupid politicians.
  • whiteknight128, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2someone eating mushrooms in their own home doesn't harm anybody. if they don't like mushrooms they shouldn't eat them! why do they have to ruin the fun of people who take them responsibly?
  • sagat, on 04/27/2008, -3/+5So are you people who are outraged by this the same ***** who want smoking outlawed?
  • 566f6c74726f6e, on 04/27/2008, -1/+0Looks like its the end of this show:
    http://youtube.com/watch?v=iRUGGy9RVrM
  • bmc31190, on 04/27/2008, -1/+6No one has ever gotten so drunk that they've hurt themselves? They named 3 incidents in the article, and none of them are really as crazy as some things I've seen drunk people do here in St. Louis. I've seen a guy get killed by a car, another fall off a 5 story balcony at a hotel near the arch downtown, and another fall off a 2nd floor balcony at a concert venue, while alcohol remains legal.
    • captric, on 04/27/2008, -3/+2Another good reason to not legalize drugs!
      • Akufen, on 04/27/2008, -1/+2Yeah look at how well that's working so far.
  • Petestreet, on 04/27/2008, -1/+8I've taken 4 types of mushrooms sold in Amsterdam. There are instructions that come with the purchase. The one time I bought the strongest ones sold, I was asked a few questions by the woman behind the counter about what kind of experience I had with hallucinogens and given some serious advice about set and setting. Those were incredibly strong, with flowers exploding out of the walls.
    The weakest ones gave everything a lovely glow and mild hallucinations in my peripheral vision. I went to the botanical gardens with my girlfriend and had an amazing time, especially in the butterfly house where it looked like fairies flying from flower to flower.
  • captric, on 04/27/2008, -9/+1WA WA WA!!! People are dying from eating mushrooms but we want are freedom back to whatever the ***** we want! WA WA WA!
    • fluxion, on 04/27/2008, -0/+6wa wa wa!!! people are dying from mushrooms and that worries me but im too stupid to decide for myself that maybe i should refrain from doing them so im gonna hope that my government makes that decision for me and everyone else and make fun of people who think otherwise wa wa wa!
    • citydragon, on 04/27/2008, -1/+4Stupid *****.
    • ATLien74, on 04/27/2008, -1/+3DOUCHE MONKEY ALERT!
    • s2ao, on 04/27/2008, -1/+3The article is misleading, there are no evidence whatsoever that the girl who died had done mushroom.
  • Snuffelbug, on 04/27/2008, -0/+1Way to go Holland. Djeez, now people will start selling the mushrooms that look exactly like it but are extremely poisonous on the black market. Let's see how that turns out in casualties.
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