founder_letter

AN INTRODUCTION TO THE FOUNDER OF DRUGS FAQ CITY TOUR AMSTERDAM. --------------------------------------------------------------03/06/2011

Why did I start with Drugs FAQ City Tour Amsterdam?

My professional background is actually in international business. I started as a business entrepreneur at the age of 16 back in Uruguay, where I
was born. Now I am 35 years old and I have been working in international business for almost all my life. In the private sector, I started with the
import/export of leather products, followed by my own IT/outsourcing company based in New York City.

As an entrepreneur, I have two broad motives: the opportunity to transform the reality around us and the challenge of creating something that adds
value.

In addition to my private enterprises, I also worked for the Uruguayan government. I operated under the coordination of local governments and the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, focusing on the import/export activities of Uruguayan companies in international markets.

Privately, one of my biggest sources of inspiration and enjoyment is electronic music and a vibrant night life. In my working environment, in the
private and public sector, and in the electronic music scenes and night life that are my passion, drugs were always around. They ranged from hard
drugs, like alcohol, tobacco, cocaine or amphetamines, to soft drugs, such as marijuana or hashish.

The consumption of drugs is a constant in almost all levels and activities of society. I have always maintained how important it is to have a deep
understanding of this “underground drug world”. Generally, however, nobody wants to talk about it because drugs are a taboo subject, despite their
strong presence in modern society.

When I closed my IT outsourcing company based in New York City, I decided to move to another country. I had originally looked into moving to
London, but in the end I chose Amsterdam. I think the Netherlands offers plenty of opportunities for an entrepreneur. As a relatively wealthy country,
where basic needs are generally fulfilled, it promotes, to a great extent, the intellectual and cultural aspects of life. Furthermore, the well-known
down-to-earth and social Dutch mentality fosters initiatives that add value to society. Finally, Amsterdam is a great place to be, with a wide range of
cultural offerings and with services available that are comparable to mega cities London or New York, only nothing is more than 30 minutes away by
bike. Last but not least, if I ever have children, I can rest assured that they will be in one of the safest cities in the world.

Amsterdam has a black cloud that covers it, as it is the world’s most infamous city for drugs. When I arrived in Amsterdam 4 years ago, I moved to
my current house at Nieuwmarkt, just 100 meters from the Red Light District, the neighborhood most infamous for drugs and prostitution.

In my first days in the city, the issue of drugs was a big puzzle. On the one hand, there were all the stories that I had heard before coming to the
city, about “crazy” Amsterdam, the paradise of drugs, the place where you can see people injecting heroin in the streets, the government that gives
heroin for free, the city full of drug addicts; the list of myths goes on and on. On the other hand, there was my own impression of the city, that
everything looked very relaxed and safe. None of the legends seemed to be true and everything that was happening related to drugs in the city had
a logical reason.

It was then that I started my research into drugs in the city and about the Dutch Drugs Policy. I found a readily available treasure trove of
information that showed me the reality of drugs in the city in particular and in the Netherlands in general. Imagine my surprise when I found out that
the Netherlands has one of the lowest incident rates with hard drug users in Europe and even one of the lowest consumption rates of cannabis. One
of the most important things I found was that drug addicts in the Netherlands are not treated as criminals. They are recognized as individuals
suffering from heath problems and are therefore treated with all due respect.

Around two years ago, I decided to do something to share this information, as drugs are one of the most serious problems of the modern world. The
Netherlands has one of the most modern, liberal and efficient drugs policy in the world, but, sadly, millions of people come to Amsterdam from
around the world and most leave the country with entirely the wrong idea about the reality of the situation. Even between locals, there is a big lack
of information and understanding of the drug reality in the Netherlands.

So I turned my entrepreneurial spirit on the question, asking, 'What I can do to improve the image of the city while at the same time providing
people with useful information on the Dutch drug policy?' It had to be something simple, enjoyable and educational.

For achieving these objectives, nothing is better than a walking tour in a gorgeous city. It also had to be FREE, at least in the most widely spoken
languages in the western world, English and Spanish. The philosophy is that, if the participants think that the information they get is relevant and
the experience is rich, they can give tips. This is the best way to be sure that people with all budgets can get this important information.

To diversify the offerings, I also decided to offer the option to take a private tour that is paid at a fixed price and is available in 10 of the world's most
common languages.

Given my business-related background and considering that all information I had gained on the Dutch drugs policy to that point was theoretical, I
decided I needed to gain fieldwork experience. Therefore, 8 months ago, I started to do volunteer work in the center for Homeless Hard Drugs
Users, AMOC – De Regenboog Groep. Additionally, I attended various training sessions at the Vrijwilliger Academie of Amsterdam on drugs and
how to handle homeless hard drugs users.

The results of these two years of research and education, along with an insider's look at one of the most successful and controversial city policies
on earth, is now available in a two hour walking tour around the city of Amsterdam. If you want to do further research in the field at the end of the
tour, I’ll give you access to our database with more than 1000 pages of the documents that are the key sources of information on the tour.

The only thing I can guarantee is that, after the tour, your vision of Amsterdam never will be the same.

I look forward to meeting you,

Ernesto Diringuer

Founder of drugsfaq.nl
ediringuer@drugsfaq.nl

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