Marijuana is a major cash crop
Friday 02 May 2008
Coffee shops where small amounts of cannabis can be bought, contributed some €400m to the treasury a year, according to estimates by tv programme Reporter.
The country’s 700 coffee shops are responsible for selling some 265,000 kgs of soft drugs a year, mostly Dutch-grown marijuana, Reporter says. This means turnover in the sector is some €2bn a year.
The programme also estimates some 5,500 plantations were destroyed by police last year. Between 20% and 40% of local production is sold in the Netherlands, the rest exported abroad, largely to Germany and Britain.
Police chief Max Daniel told the KRO programme that that marijuana is the Netherlands second or third-biggest cash crop after cucumbers and tomatoes.
In a programme to be broadcast on Sunday night, Reporter also looks at the amount of (illegal) fertisers and heavy metals found in Dutch-grown marijuana.
Source
Marijuana is a major cash crop
400 Million Euro From Weed Sales
Same story. Different news agency.
400 Million Euro From Weed Sales
Posted on May 2nd, 2008
The Dutch state earns good money from the sale of weed. Yearly earnings are around 400 million euros in tax income from the owners of coffeeshops in Holland
According to estimates around 265,000 kilos of weed are sold every year from the around 730 Dutch coffeeshops. The majority of this is the Dutch grown strong ‘nederwiet’. Turnover is estimated at 2 billion euros.
Coffeeshop owners don’t pay a sales tax, they pay income tax on the highest tariff. The tax service go on the fact that the buying price is half of the sales price. Tax inspectors wanted to remain anonymous because it is politically embarrassing.
Growers with more than four weed plants can be arrested and coffeeshop owners may have only 500 grammes of weed in stock even though they may sell a few kilos per day.
The reportage shows also that the sale of imported hashish is much lower than the sale of Dutch grown weed. There is far more weed grown in Holland than can be smoked and it is estimated that up to 60% of it is exported, mainly to Germany and the United Kingdom.
Source
400 Million Euro From Weed Sales
Posted on May 2nd, 2008
The Dutch state earns good money from the sale of weed. Yearly earnings are around 400 million euros in tax income from the owners of coffeeshops in Holland
According to estimates around 265,000 kilos of weed are sold every year from the around 730 Dutch coffeeshops. The majority of this is the Dutch grown strong ‘nederwiet’. Turnover is estimated at 2 billion euros.
Coffeeshop owners don’t pay a sales tax, they pay income tax on the highest tariff. The tax service go on the fact that the buying price is half of the sales price. Tax inspectors wanted to remain anonymous because it is politically embarrassing.
Growers with more than four weed plants can be arrested and coffeeshop owners may have only 500 grammes of weed in stock even though they may sell a few kilos per day.
The reportage shows also that the sale of imported hashish is much lower than the sale of Dutch grown weed. There is far more weed grown in Holland than can be smoked and it is estimated that up to 60% of it is exported, mainly to Germany and the United Kingdom.
Source
Cannabis is The Tree of Life
I agree with Dr G - whenever the Netherlands is mentioned on British TV, on something like Have I Got News For You (satirical news quiz on BBC1), they always, but always, mention drugs and prostitution, and imply that Dutch people are a bit "out there".
I can see how this would annoy older people and christians etc.
I can see how this would annoy older people and christians etc.