Ahhh,..... I hear those European prisons ain't so bad.
c/p from
http://www.drugtext.org/library/articles/NORML%202000%20-%20Legal%20-%20Europe%20-%20Study.htm
"Regarding cannabis and marijuana, all Member States have adopted the UN resolution classifiing these substances as illicit drugs. 11 out of 16 European countries classifies cannabis in the same category as heroin or other hard drugs.
According to the EMCDDA in its1998 report:
"Some Member States classify substances in terms of medical use and health risks, and also by the ways in which illicit activities are punished. These countries distinguish between the nature of the substance, varying the penalty accordingly. The countries in which this happens are Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the United Kingdom."
- Spain distinguishes between substances that do or do not cause serious damage to health;
- The Nederlands makes a distinction drugs that pose unacceptable risks (hard) and others;
- Britain makes some kind of differences between 'hard' and 'soft' drugs: it has 3 classes. Class A is the most controlled one (MDMA, LSD, cocaine, heroine); class B (cannabis, codeine); and class C for steroids, the less controled. But Britain has also 5 schedules for medical applications (cannabis is not included);
- Italy classifies also cannabis in class B, apart from the most controlled class A (hard drugs);
- Ireland considers cannabis is like LSD and opium, but not like heroin and cocaine);
- No distinctions between 'hard' and 'soft' drugs (ie, heroin in the same class as cannabis): Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Luxembourg, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland.
end c/p
This is outdated information. I believe that 'most' of Europe is adopting a more relaxed view of mj use.