Travel: “Only in Amsterdam”

I’m getting ready to leave for Amsterdam and the Let’s go Amsterdam guide book has a section named Only in Amsterdam

  1. Commercial Sex
    “Window prostituion, which grew out of the practice of prostitutes showing off their goods from the front windows of private houses, was officially legalized in 1911 and in 2000, the law outlawing brothels was taken off the books, making informal streetwalking the only prohibited form of prostituion”
  2. Coffee Shops
    “Places calling themselves coffeeshops sell pot or hash or will let you buy a drink and smoke your own stuff” “
  3. Smart Shops
    “Smart shops are also legal and peddle a variety of herbal enhancers as well as hallucinogens that walk the fine line between soft and hard drugs”

Now a few thoughts

  1. Prostitution:
    Because it’s legalized, prostitutes have to pay taxes, but there is still stigma, health insurance is still a problem and borrowing money is also a problem when the bank finds out what they do for a living. If women choose to sell their body for money, what’s wrong with it? If they are not being exploited by pimps, they set their own prices and earn a living like anyone else.
    Could this model work here in the US? Legalize prostituton: control the spread of STD, crimes associated with pimping, drug use, give women who want this profession a way to make money. I’m sure I’m being naive, but if we accept the fact that you can’t stop it, why not contain it?
  2. Marijuana: I don’t get it, why smoke something that is just bad for you.. I really don’t get the big deal. It’s almost like saying, we have free cigarrettes for a year, come and smoke it
  3. Hallucinogens: I don’t get this either, big deal if it’s legalized, why put drugs into your body

3 Comments

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Yahoo! User Yahoo! User
commented
05/29/2005 09:09 am
It would actually be a good idea to legalize everything – from prostitution to ciggarettes, to alcohol to heroin. That way all the ‘induh’viduals in this planet would have a way out, and the rest of mankind would be able to continue with evolution…
Does this make sense? Or am I just feeling too sleepy?
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Yahoo! User Yahoo! User
commented
05/26/2005 02:10 pm
I think it should all be legal and controlled. Hey, if the two worst drugs, cigarettes and alcohol, are legal, why not make the rest legal? I would give you a better argument with more supporting evidence but I’m too lazy.
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commented
05/26/2005 01:49 pm
“Could this model work here in the US? Legalize prostituton: control the spread of STD, crimes associated with pimping, drug use, give women who want this profession a way to make money.”

We have this just a few short hours to the east. Nevada.


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