Posted by Crazy_Charlie on January 11, 2005, at 14:02:32
In reply to Re: How I stoped smoking WEED, posted by wilson711 on January 11, 2005, at 13:00:09
Actually, smoking (tobacco) is getting more and more strict here too. In Norway it's illegal to smoke in any public place, including on restaurants and pubs. If a club or a cafe or something is violating the law, they risk getting shut down. Strictly speaking it is approximately the same law here, but less strict. There are still quite a few places where it is allowed to smoke, but not on the airport though. The Police in the Netherlands are known amongst foreigners for being slack. Although I wouldn't call it slack anymore, after seeing how it really works. They might ask you to put out your cigarette, and they might choose to consentrate on more important things. But, they can be quite tough if you start making trouble, espescially if you are a foreigner. And you are not safe anywhere, because they tend to make examples of what can happen if you don't follow the law (in form of a nasty fine for example, and it's no point complaining on anything in the Netherlands. If anything ever happens, it will be after so much nagging that you don't care anymore, BUT they WILL bug you with incasso in no time).
I guess it is the same thing as with the weed, they don't bother spending money on something they can't get completely rid of anyway. It's more important to get the cocaine king than checking if all the thousand cafes and restaurants are following the law. And besides, what aboutt the coffeeshops? They are made for smoking in, so it would be a bit ridiculous to forbid smoking in there? Some coffeeshops are making it a weed zone, making it illegal to smoke tobacco there. As far as I know the law is "no tobacco smoking", hehe.It is said (I don't remember by whom)that Norway is the most americanized country in the whole of Europe. I have been traveling a bit around, and I agree. You find Burger King (and drive throughs) and McDonalds everywhere, with huge yellow an dred sign and blinking lights. Even small cities have one or more huge shopping mall. American products are popular, and in many ways we do a lot of the same. American soaps are a part of many peoples life :) And the drug hysteria.
We are different in one thing though. The power of the police. The police is not allowed to walk with any weapons in Norway, unless there are a special situation. If they hav eto use guns, they are instructed to shoot on peoples legs and not lethal shots (though, one guy almost died anyway because they hit the main vein in his leg). It is discussions around it now though, since people (criminals? I don't like that word) have swapped from knives to guns in the last 20 years, and the street fights have become heavier. But the police are anyway underpaid and have a dangerous job, it's never enough money to do all they should do. People have to let thieves go because the police can't get out and fetch them then. You can allways bring him in yourself, but if you hurt him in the try, you risk a huge fine, and they would probably just let him go anyway. Besides, no one are allowed to carry weapons, and espescially not if loaded, in public areas. And it's also difficult to have get a weapon unless you hang around criminal environment. You either have to do a "wild life and shooting test" and be an active hunter, or be an active member of a gun club.
Oh well, there are good and bad sides to everything, luckily :)
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poster:Crazy_Charlie
thread:368221
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/subs/20041128/msgs/440693.html