"Controlling English Football Hooligans
Jim Leitzel at 05:24 PM
The Euro 2004 soccer tournament is about to kick off in Portugal, and once again, controlling fan violence is a major undertaking. The England-France match set for Sunday is one venue that has the Portugese authorities particularly concerned. Drunken England fans have caused more than their share of havoc in the past. But the Portugese police have a new weapon in their arsenal: they intend to look the other way at the public consumption of....marijuana. It's a harm reduction measure: toked-up fans do not present the same sorts of public order problems as do drunk fans, and police resources have higher uses than bothering fans who are smoking a joint but not harming anyone else."
Jim Leitzel at 05:24 PM
The Euro 2004 soccer tournament is about to kick off in Portugal, and once again, controlling fan violence is a major undertaking. The England-France match set for Sunday is one venue that has the Portugese authorities particularly concerned. Drunken England fans have caused more than their share of havoc in the past. But the Portugese police have a new weapon in their arsenal: they intend to look the other way at the public consumption of....marijuana. It's a harm reduction measure: toked-up fans do not present the same sorts of public order problems as do drunk fans, and police resources have higher uses than bothering fans who are smoking a joint but not harming anyone else."
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