You might have heard that the Dutch government wants to change the Opium Law. If this goes through, we will not be able to provide you with many of our beloved products. That is why Chemical Planet EU actively joined the vendors association BVND. We are going to fight to beat the ban.
The proposed ban
With the proposed amendment to the Opium Act, research chemicals and other legal substances will be brought within the scope of the Opium Act. This will be done as a precaution through a substance group prohibition, without it being clear which substances are covered. Also, without it being proved whether these substances are harmful to health or the society.
The BVND believes that the substance group prohibition proposed by the government does not fit within the system and objectives of the Opium Act. The proposal does not contribute in any way to protecting public health.
The substance group ban will ban hundreds of substances that have no psychoactive effect, are not harmful to health or even have a beneficial effect. This includes medicines, nutritional supplements and nutritional components.
The alternative
The BVND likes to consult with the government about an alternative to the substance groups ban. An alternative that does justice to the principles of the government and the legal objectives. The main reason why a substance groups ban does not work, is that a it does not remove the demand for these substances. A ban is not effective in preventing the use or misuse of substances, but it is expensive for society and harmful to users. Persistent demand creates an illegal market and reinforces organized crime, causing many problems.
The BVND believes that regulating new psychoactive substances is better than banning them. In this way, requirements can be imposed on the production process, the origin, the composition and the quality of substances. Requirements can also be imposed on the environment where and the way in which these resources are sold. This will make people more likely to refrain the use of harmful drugs offered in the illegal circuit and reduce drug-related crime. Regulating the sale of new psychoactive substances leads to less social damage and fewer risks to public health.
There is also plenty of room for such an approach, because a large part of the trade in new psychoactive substances is not (yet) controlled by organized crime. The current market for new psychoactive substances is largely self-regulating and presents less danger to users than the sale by criminal street traders.
Instead of a substance groups ban, the government could better consider regulating the existing market by imposing a form of regulations similar to the rules that apply to the sale of other harmful substances, such as alcohol and tobacco. The starting point is to keep the health risks as low as possible and to guarantee the health, safety and well-being of society as a whole as good as possible.
What about Chemical Planet EU?
If the proposed ban goes through, it has an impact on the products Chemical Planet EU is able to supply. Several products such as 4-CMC Powder, 4-CMC Rock and C-Liquids fall within the scope of the proposed ban. You can always contact us to check if your favourite chemicals stay available if the proposed ban goes through.
Can we fight this together?
Guess what, you can help! Check out www.bvnd.nl for more information about the association and how you can help, making sure your favourite chemicals will stay available.
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