A clash of policy approaches: The rise (and fall?) of Dutch harm reduction policies towards ecstasy consumption

Abstract

This paper describes the origins and evolution of Dutch harm reduction policies towards ecstasy. It is argued that the national government has allowed and supported local stakeholders to experiment with harm reduction measures. In the mid-1990s, the national government officially stated that the harm reduction practices developed on a local level represented the best possible solution to prevent harm. However, recently, harm reduction policy has come under pressure due to a variety of developments. The paper argues that the bottom-up approach of the Dutch government is no longer pursued because international pressure helps law enforcement agencies as well as conservative political parties to restructure ecstasy policy in a top-down and law enforcement direction. This process is underway but it has not yet fully eroded the structures that have instantiated harm reduction policies in the last decade.