The VOCM was founded in 1999

At present Maastricht has 16 official coffee shops. Of those, 15 coffee shop owners are united in the VOCM. Part of the objectives of the VOCM is to improve the cooperation with the government (local authority), civil society organisations in the health care department (GGD, Mondriaan care group) and police/law force.
The VOCM is aware of her social responsibility she has within the community of Maastricht. A responsibility not only towards the officials but also towards the civilians.
Therefore the VOCM would, again, like to pursue an open discussion concerning certain subjects of the Maastricht tolerance policy.
The VOCM has a distinct view concerning soft drugs and soft drugs policy and strongly rejects every association with hard drugs.
Initially the VOCM, in cooperation with the Mondriaan care group, GGD and Stichting Trajekt, tried, with an integrated approach, to accomplish a common memorandum.
Last mentioned organisations however have chosen for a more independent approach but have explicitly stated to be willing if requested by the local authorities, and in short term, to reflect their view.

Objectives of the VOCM

• To, on behalf of the official coffee shop holders, promote the interests within the range of the so called AHOJG terms.
• Conducting and pursuing consultation with government agencies (local authority), several civil society organisations in the field of health care, care and justice department (Mondriaan, GGD, police), neighbourhood councils, district councils, parent organisations etc.
• Informing interested parties and concerned parties regarding issues of soft drugs use and soft drugs policy (political parties, parents, teachers, foreign delegations).
• To clarify and enlighten the soft drugs policy on both local and rural scale.
• To pursue and live up to agreements made to limit and reduce nuisance.
• To pursue a pro-active attitude towards local policy. For example license transferability in case of death of the manager.
• To make efforts that are a positive contribution to the feeling of security within the residential environment.

The VOCM takes part in structural meetings and will make use of own resources to give interpretation to the AHOJG directives:

• Regular meetings with civil society organisations and local authorities. Although there isn’t a formal agreement in writing, in principle it does exist. After all the VOCM, GGD, Mondriaan, local authorities and the police consult together on a regular bases concerning the policy and the corresponding prevention.
• Regular consultations with neighbourhood councils and districts councils.
• Drafting, printing and publishing of folders in four languages with informative and preventive writing for visitors.
• Formulating and as much as possible maintain behaviour criteria (values and standards) for visitors and foreign visitors in particular. Dutch values and standards will hereby be indicated.
• Creating boundary conditions to limit nuisance.
• The, in cooperation with Mondriaan, GGD and police, organising of courses for administrators and employees of the coffee shops.
• Objective conciliation by a neutral mediator who is not a concerned party , in other words is not working in the cannabis line of business, this works easier for for example districts councils who don’t want to consult together with a coffee shop owner right away but prefer to meet with a neutral person first.

Experiences

Asked for their experiences with smoking a joint many managers, imitating an American president, will say that they did smoke but certainly not inhale.
This forced answer to a normal question shows once again that the cannabis product doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves.
This although the plant serves mankind for thousands of years as medicine and stimulant. The oldest known cannabis pipe originates from the time of the Mesopotamians.
The medicinal effect of the plant is not proven?
Well, ask patients who suffer from sleeplessness, cataract, M.S., or even cancer. Many of them benefit from the cannabis plant.

So why is the plant still seen in a dusky daylight? Among other things one of the reasons is that the pharmaceutical industry makes a lot of money with sleeping pills and sedatives and therefore doesn’t benefit from total acceptance of a much more innocent and cheaper household product.
Furthermore cannabis, in most countries still equals hard drugs usage, which surely blocks a general acceptance. Nevertheless cannabis is after tobacco and alcohol the most naturalised stimulant. Meanwhile used by 40 million people in Europe alone.

Compare: alcohol is at any time used by 88.7% of the population, of which 14% stopped using it again.
Cannabis is used by only 17% of the population, of which 83% stopped using again. (Dr. Dirk Korf Bonger Institute 25th May 2004, raising smoke clouds)

However, looking at alcohol problems we see an indifferent attitude to take action against abuse.
In the Netherlands we have 9.700.000 alcohol consumers of which 1.300.000 are problem drinkers.
Cannabis on the other hand has about 3.200 solo cannabis problem users on a total number of 420.000 users, by which most complaints concern mental dependence (NDM – Trimbos April 2006).

Research

Economic research performed by the science shop of the Maastricht University indicate among other things that coffeeshops have a substantial economic influence in the region and offers 326 full time jobs for people who are generally educated low.
Furthermore internal research from 2005 indicates that 60% of the coffee shop tourists also visit for other things that Maastricht has to offer, like restaurants, bars, shopping, culture etc.
On a yearly basis not-Maastricht cannabis consumers spend about € 15.000.000,-- outside of the coffee shops. So there is clearly a substantial economic effect by the presence of the tolerated coffee shops.

In 1976 the opium legislator decriminalised the use of cannabis.
The deliberate having in stock and even delivering up to 30 grams is a simple summary offence and not a crime.
The Netherlands pursue a tolerance policy, through which cannabis, with strict rules, can be sold in coffeeshops.

In the interest of the public health a tolerance policy has been introduced to separate the narcotics markets.
This tolerance policy has proven to be successful.
Cannabis consumers in tolerated coffeeshops are not confronted with hard drugs.

Up till today the VOCM still believes that cannabis policy should be based on two important pillars:

 The protection of the cannabis consumer in the interest of the public health.

 The prevention/limitation of nuisance due to use of and trade in cannabis.