Reluctant repression: a case study of the ban on consumption of hard drugs in Utrecht

Abstract

In the Netherlands, as in other nations, people using drugs in public and their related behavior are experienced as a nuisance by other residents. Municipalities have always been at the forefront of these debates, as they balance different mandates: protecting the public order, providing care for the often homeless and otherwise vulnerable population of drug users causing nuisance, and safeguarding the wellbeing of local residents and business owners affected by drug-related nuisance. The approach to this issue has shifted in focus over the past decades, turning away from an approach focused on public health and harm reduction to an approach focused on security and crime prevention.

This thesis is a case study of the municipal debates surrounding increasing nuisance at the Lucasbolwerk in Utrecht in the summer of 2023. These debates culminated in several policy measures taken by the municipal authority, the most important being a change to the municipal by-law (algemene plaatsverordening), banning the consumption of hard drugs in public. Through qualitative analysis of the debates, guided by the first four questions formulated in the ‘What is the Problem Represented to Be’ approach by Carol Bacchi, the thesis identifies three discursive strategies used in the problem presentation, with the aim of balancing the different mandates. These strategies consist of framing repression as essential to the success of harm reduction interventions, excluding many of the drug users causing nuisance from their care responsibility, and leaving out large issues related to the issue at hand.

This thesis is unique as a qualitative analysis of a municipal discussion surrounding nuisance caused by drug users in the Netherlands. Problems and subsequent discussions and municipal decision-making like this occur frequently in municipalities, especially larger cities, in the Netherlands and beyond. The research identifies how a particular problem presentation may lead to an insufficient policy response with possible unintended consequences, making it of importance for policy researchers and policy makers alike.