Dutch law gets even more interesting

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As I stated earlier on this blog, I recently returned from Amsterdam, a city of sin located deep within the Netherlands. In addition to it's beautiful canals and amazing architecture, most people know the city for another reason. Both prostitution and marijuana posession are not convictable crimes. I was in the city during the heart of Spring Break and it was quite a sight to behold as hundreds of tourists engaged in acitvities that would have American police running in circles, and they were doing it in the middle of the street.

While possesion of large amounts of the drug or growing and distributing it without a license is a punishable crime, police do not arrest or even bother people indulging in small amounts of the substance. This has long been a subject of debate about whether or not the Dutch government is undermining the drug policies of other countries, including the U.S.. This point became implicitly clear after a very rough and unnecesary search at customs once returning to Seattle. Apparently the agent was having difficulty believing that a college student such as myself would travel alone to Amsterdam with any other purpose than trafficking drugs.

Despite the already controversial issue, a Dutch court made an even more bizzare move recently. An AP article revealed the fact that in The Hague, a judge ruled that it was ok for a man convicted of hashish smuggling, a serious crime even in the Netherlands, to right off the expenses of said smuggling on his tax return. The fisherman for who the precedent was set, was allowed to make the deduction from his income in the amount that it cost him to ship the drug to and from the country. The courts justification for the move was that he was only trafficking, and not distributing the controversial substance.

Although an odd set of events, many in the Netherlands and out believe the consumption of these drugs to be a victimless crime, but the question now is, should it be actually rewarded with lowered taxes. Many in the Netherlands are probably rejoicing, while governments elsewhere only groan at what this does to their drug struggle. In the end the only logical answer would be for a worldwide drug consensus to be reached, in which all nations reach the same conclusions and adopt the same laws, but that has been historically impossible and will probably never happen. Until that day, tourists will continue to be harassed and government confusion and inconsistencies will only increase.

USDA increases the fruits of their labor.

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In a recent news story, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) voted on the new direction that their farm bills will take over the next five years or so. For the past 36 months, the USDA has conducted research and put together forums to get a sense of where they are going. Farm bills, proposed every half-decade, set the the tone not only for USDA programs and funding but for the activity of agriculture nationwide.

The USDA has wisely chosen to invest an additional 2 billion dollars on the purchase of fruits and vegetables nationwide, in hopes of improving the nutrition and waistlines of many suffering Americans. This nutrition funding, which makes up the largest part of the USDA budget, was not given lightly, and shows true concern by the government in what is growing to be a huge health issue. Obesity, as well as malnutrition that many Ameriacans suffer from obliviously as a result of missing many essential nutrients, can lead to very long-term problems. While many people think of smoking as one of the biggest problems facing our children, heart disease is the leading killer in America. So with our children eating increasing amounts of fatty foods, and neglecting the fruits and vegetables that keep them healthy, they are putting themselves at that much more at risk to die young.

The USDA has obviously realized the risks involved, and by making this landmark move towards nationwide health, they are giving Americans yet anothere chance to shape up their act. Hopefully we all jump on the bandwagon in time.

VIDEO UPDATE: Apartments At Risk on CurrentTV

My Video on Homes of Risk for college students has made it onto CurrentTV and is currently under review. So now you can use the player embedded below, or see the video on Current's website or YouTube (see below post). Enjoy!

Europe: Ahead in some respects, Lacking in others

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I just returned from Spring Break and a five-day tour of some beautiful countryside. I travelled throughout the Netherlands and Switzerland, visiting big cities like Zurich and Amsterdam, as well as beautiful villages like Brig and Montreaux.

There were beautiful sights, including castles, villages, the alps and much more. It was nice to get out and enjoy the fresh air during the spring months, that is until.....

I stepped outside!

Apparently I have been conditioned due to the strict smoking bans where I come from on the west coast, but seemingly everyone smokes in Europe. In restaurants, coffeehouses, open air markets, on the ski slopes and in the airports. Yes, even the Geneva Aeroport in Switzerland had a smoking section by the gates. Age doesn't seem to matter either, with kids who look not a day over 15 puffing away as they walk down the streets.

Just the threat of cancer by second-hand smoke blew me away as I saw ciggarettes used more liberally than I ever have before. Mom's were chain smoking while they ate lunch with their kids, and guys in bars were hitting on women by offering them a ciggarette instead of a drink. It was literally unbelievable.

The statistics extended my shock. As it turns out, France and Spain lead European countries in smoking population, and I didn't even visit those countries. The average person in France smokes 15 ciggarettes a day, according to ThinkQuest online library. This ties them with the United States for the most worldwide, but the amount of smokers blows us away, with an estimated 40 percent of youngsters smoking regularly, with no one putting a stop to it.

I've written about smoking before in this blog, and the amount of risks that it puts us at. I believe that these European nations are putting un due risk on there adults and youngsters. They could do well with an informative campaign about smoking, the likes of which can be seen in America. It's time to stop the epidemic, not just here at home, but worldwide.

VIDEO: Staying Healthy After the Dorms

Many students move into houses and apartments close to campus after spending a year in the dorms. It's their own space, close to campus, and best of all it's near their friends. But many landlords may be taking advantage of the situation by offering dirty, broken down, old and often substandard houses. In this video, posted on YouTube and soon to be on Current TV, you can see some of the things students will put up with in my town, just for the college experience.

France Slims Down Fatty Advertising, America Still Gaining

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It turns out that America, deemed as one of the fattest nations in the world, isn’t the only country that should be concerned about their citizens’ weight.

In a surprise decision, last week French officials voted to order that all TV food advertisements carry health warnings. The surprise is in the fact that France is comparatively a rather “skinny” country, where fewer that 9% are considered obese, according To Marie-Laure Combes’ AP article. The US however has an estimated obesity rate of between 25 and 30 percent, according to the American Obesity Association.

The article makes the assertion that the French have traditionally been very trim and figure-conscious, but that they are concerned that increasing recent popularity of processed and packaged foods, with lots of fat, salt and sugar may lead to an increasing national waistline.

Advertisers found in violation of the rule will be fined 1.5% of the cost of the commercial. Coke ads have already been seen displaying messages like:

· “For your health, eat at least five fruits and vegetables a day.

Other messages advertisers may choose to carry include:

· For your health, undertake regular physical activity."
· "For your health, avoid eating too much fat, too much sugar, too much salt."

With the overall weight of European children ballooning up to 20%, France has not been the first to adopt drastic advertising measures. Both Sweden and Norway do not allow advertising targeting children, and Ireland banned TV ads for candy and fast-food altogether.

The only missing part of the equation is the lazy giant that is the United States. We’ve been watching out numbers of overweight children grow for years, while the amount of time they spent exercising has gone down steadily simultaneously. With some fast food chains advertising meals that include several days worth of calories, we really need some information like this out there. I think these European countries are on the right track and we’d be smart to follow suit.

Condom Use Up, But Not Everywhere

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American youths are becoming more safety conscious, and going to more lengths to practice a healthy lifestyle-in the bedroom at least.

In a report for the Child Trends DataBank, condom use increased significantly in the past 15 years, rising from 46% among sexually active high school students in 1991 to 63% in 2005. In a country where there are over 300,000 unwanted pregnancies among 15-17 year olds a year and over 4 million of our adolescents have contracted a sexually transmitted infection (STI), it is good to hear that our younger generation is smartening up to the idea of safe sex.

For many years schools nationwide have been torn between whether to teach abstinence or safe sex in their programs, with many leaning towards abstaining. Well, with the amounts of sexually active students rising consistently, it seems only logical that schools support and teach students how to engage in the act safely, by using protection.

For sexually active people, condoms are by and far one of the best, if not only, effective way to avoid both STI’s and unwanted pregnancies, and many high schools have come to respect that, giving out condoms often as part of a sex-ed program.

My shock was rather great when I read recently that a school in Kansas City, at the University level (not high-school), has still yet to adopt such a program. The school in the article, Whitman Jewell College, only recently separated from the Missouri Baptist Convention, and has a hard time convincing its entire population that distributing condoms is a proper balance of Christian values. The school has only recently hosted the play, “The Vagina Monologues” and recently held an event called, “Do It Right,” focused on contraception use.

Following these steps in what my opinion is the right direction for the students, the next logical thing to do is make condoms available through the Student Health Center, as many students have reportedly already requested.

School officials stated budgetary concerns, but I don’t think you can put a price on improving the knowledge and well-being of our nations’ students.