Throughout The Netherlands, especially in the city of Amsterdam, crime is greatly on the rise. Addicts, unable to pay the steep black-market price for drugs, are resorting to theft. They are even breaking into pharmacies to hunt for opium and morphine. In the center of Amsterdam, prostitutes under the influence of drugs may be seen sitting at brothel windows. Warfare rages among Chinese gangs for control of the narcotics trade.

The problem has reached such proportions that the Amsterdam city council is advocating the legalizing of drugs, agreeing in principle with the policy “free heroin for addicts.” The police, too, are in favor of this. From other quarters, however, a chorus of loud protest is being heard. It is feared that the legalization of narcotics would swell the already large number of addicts.

The Netherlands became the European hub for drug traffic because of the country’s central position, and the city of Amsterdam happens to be ideally situated. Only a few kilometers from Amsterdam lies the busy international airport Schiphol. In just a few hours, Belgium, Germany or France may be reached by land transportation. Rotterdam, Europe’s biggest seaport, is only 75 kilometers (47 miles) away.