Netherlands: a pro-cannabis activist tries to hang himself in Parliament

During a speech in the Dutch Parliament on organized crime, Hans Kamperman, an activist advocating for cannabis law reform in the Netherlands, attempted to take his own life by jumping off a railing with a rope around his neck.

According to Dutch media reports, Kamperman survived the suicide attempt thanks to first aid administered by members of Parliament until an ambulance arrived. Hans Kamperman has since been discharged from the hospital.

Kamperman had been camping out in front of Parliament for over a month to draw attention to the legalization of cannabis. «I won’t stop until there’s a change in this bizarre policy,» he had said.

He had announced his suicide in a Facebook post.

«Please forgive me for doing this, but I have to do it to get the attention of politicians—I can’t reach them with my message alone,» he begins his letter. «I have a sustainable solution for the Earth, and I’ve been here for two months to raise awareness about medical cannabis users who are being criminalized by the government, but they aren’t listening! In defiance of humanity and our rule of law, the tobacco industry causes 5 million deaths a year by adding carcinogenic additives approved by the Dutch Plant Protection Service. Cannabis is criminalized, even though it could save the planet and has proven to be a medicine for many people.»

Hans Kamperman is a well-known activist in the Netherlands. In May 2017, he was sentenced to 80 hours of community service for growing medical cannabis at his home. After appealing the decision, the court upheld the conviction without imposing a sentence, but entered the conviction on his criminal record. It was after this ruling that he decided to camp out in front of the country’s Parliament.

«I’ll stay until cannabis is removed from the Opium Act [Editor’s note: the law regulating narcotics in the Netherlands]; hemp can save the planet,» he told the From De Gelderlander.

Despite their coffee shops, the Netherlands is struggling to reform its cannabis laws. Coffee shops can legally sell cannabis, but growing cannabis is illegal and is merely tolerated if the number of plants is five or fewer.

Some cities have now taken up the issue to attempt to establish legal cultivation and controlled distribution of cannabis and put an end to the backdoor system which supplies the coffeeshops.