Here's What The US Could Learn From Marijuana Legalization Around The World

While the US is certainly not the first country to begin legalizing marijuana, it has probably gotten the most attention. However as the marijuana industry grows in America, it may be worth looking the trials and tribulations that other nations have endured when legalizing marijuana. The Netherlands Amsterdam is famous for its relaxed

which allows patrons to buy and smoke marijuana inside designated coffee shops. Dutch officials say their system has reduced the presence of illegal drug activity and even prevented many users from going on to try harder drugs. However, it hasn't all been tulips for much of the Dutch population. Complaints about the proximity of the shops to schools prompted the government to begin closing marijuana businesses within a certain distance of educational facilities. Even more complicated were problems with "drug tourism". Tourists who visited the country in order experience marijuana, especially in border downs like Maastricht, were creating problems for residents by littering, urinating in public and acting out. To combat this, the Dutch government tightened its marijuana regulations, outlawing pot tourism. While some cities like Amsterdam use loopholes to continue allowing tourists to frequent weed cafes, others like Maastricht were relieved to crack down. But a year later, Maastricht has seen a rise in illegal weed sales alongside the decline in rowdy tourists.

In Spain the

are similar to those in Washington, D.C. The commercial sale of marijuana is prohibited, but personal use and sharing is allowed. While pot is considered illegal, privacy laws allow individuals to grow and smoke marijuana as long as they are not in a public venue. This has done little to eliminate illegal drug pushers, but has kept the nation from commercializing a potentially dangerous drug. Marijuana smokers can join clubs and associations that share growing tips and seeds, but since there is no financial incentive to take on new members, the industry hasn't developed much of a marketing system.

In the US, where the entrepreneurial spirit is celebrated and encouraged, the marijuana industry is likely to take on an entirely new form. Already, startups merging technology and weed have begun to spring up and inventive companies in states where recreational pot is legal have started organizing unique offerings to promote tourism. Many worry that the introduction of legalized weed in the US is likely to bring a host of problems, especially those associated with drug tourism; but others say the end of marijuana prohibition is no different from the end of alcohol prohibition in the 1930's— feared at first but eventually integrated into normal society.