Amsterdam mayor: Growing our own weed totally illegal

[Rossi]

According to Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard van der Laan, it is currently legally impossible to start with an experiment on regulated cannabis cultivation. But he promises to continue to work hard in The Hague for permission to perform such an experiment.

Van der Laan said this to the Amsterdam city council on Wednesday, ANP reports. End 2014 Van der Laan told the council to examine possibilities for regulated cannabis cultivation. The municipality would appoint companies to legally grow cannabis. In theory this should insure the quality of the cannabis and reduce illegal crops.

The mayor has now come to the conclusion that within the framework of the law it is currently impossible to experiment with regulated cannabis cultivation. He added that other municipalities have come to the same conclusion. “It is obvious what the central government thinks of the matter. The Minister of Security and Justice, like his predecessor, is adamantly opposed.” Van der Laan said.

Van der Laan will continue to lobby in The Hague for permission to do a temporary experiment through a so-called cannabis social club in a former coffee shop in the city, ANP reports. He will also draw attention to the so-called backdoor problem present in the current situation. He wants to talk about Minister Ard van der Steur of Security and Justice about allowing larger commercial stocks in coffee shops, tolerating storing stock in a location outside the coffee shop and the toleration of transport between the storage place and the point of sale.
http://www.nltimes.nl/2015/05/28/amste ... urn false;

[Papi]

It's like, they don't acknowledge the already existing coffeeshop market and are trying to start everything from a scratch, going back at least 40 years.

[madmaxxx]

just let everyone grow it,again a lucky few companys will make all the money,just like the gangster who grow for the coffee shops now,so now it be legal gangsters controlling the price of the weed in coffee shops,t you can bet the legal growers will get togerther and control the price and inform on any illegal grower that get in there way of making big profits

[qahouaji]

You folks have to accept the reverse consequence--if growing weed is legal in licensed coffeeshops, there's almost no chance that the Dutch government will spare hashish. It's not a bad idea, but coffeeshops are usually small buildings and they would still have to grow off-site.

Myself, I'm torn. Hashish is not treated well legally anywhere because it's 'processed'-a drug. I admit that there is no better smoke than good black resin, and that scores of people will be disappointed in the new 'menu'. But that's the future - governments have been harsh on the hash, and that's why so many backpackers come.

I'm not really sure why the UN made that stipulation - it's traditional in many Third World countries. But licensed growing would be extremely easy to implement - a card would identify the coffeeshop grower and maybe they could open a few more shops. But the Netherlands has always been super paranoid about drugs - it's a small country. I think it's been awhile since Europe was in the forward direction - the EU constitution didn't help. It says that the maximum number of plants you can grow is 12 plants. A coffeeshop can't run on that kind of tiny turnover. But I agree that the world of illegal grow houses is bad--no idea if what you smoked was clean.

Hash on the other hand isn't cheap. But a lot of travelers will say there's no better smoke. It's natural, no plant nutrients or lamps. But that's changing fast even in Asia--several of the blogs mention a Moroccan ice hash.

It's been a long, long time since Amsterdam boasted good purple. They changed the law and wiped it out. Back then, The Noon would do 2.2 grams for 25 guilders. I bought green and they looked at me like I was crazy.

The 'dealer ethic' won't change easily Amsterdam is a city with a city wide mafia and everyone advertises. They won't go away because coke is still popular. The mayor should read up on Spain, where private growing is legal.

[monster420]

[qahouaji]

Sorry? Or if you have one? What's the problem with talking about coffeeshop policy? I don't understand why talking about potential changes that could eliminate criminal mafias, or the problems with the back door policy, provoke these kinds of responses. Surely, such a dirty, under federal comment that has no basis for a forum like this - it's the reason that the Dutch government doesn't like stoners. People pay a lot of money to come to the Netherlands - should everybody open wide and swallow simply because they're still interested in weed?

The policy on hashish has been the subject of government proposals for about four years. I am sorry that you couldn't cope with my take on weed policy. I sincerely apologize to anyone here that was somehow offended by us having a mere opinion - hence the burning urge to 'whip it out'.

If people come to Amsterdam and get this kind of abuse simply because they liked the city, I don't think anyone will come - excuse my pejorative. Your disgusting attitude is the main reason that the government started cracking down. But more than that, there is no reason why talking honestly about how Europe has not gone forward with cannabis policy would incur such a crude, unbecoming comment.

Lemming, people like this should not be allowed to post anything. It is sad that such scare tactics are in place like this, just for a post where Mayor de Laan should look more carefully into the general problem.

[Smith2]

Yes, I recognise all those words. But a bit of semantic content would be nice.