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Mayors want to licence growing marijuana
24 November 2008

Marijuana should be grown under government licence and supplied to the 700 or so coffee shops that sell cannabis in the Netherlands, according to over 30 Dutch mayors.

This is the conclusion of the ‘cannabis summit’ on Friday at which the mayors discussed the country’s policy on soft drugs.

The mayor of Eindhoven, Rob van Gijzel, said his city is prepared to run a ‘monitored pilot scheme’ to assess if a system of licenced growers reduces drugs-related crime.

Health minister Ab Klink told tv programme Buitenhof on Sunday that an experiment with licenced cannabis growers in Eindhoven would conflict with the coalition agreement but that he is prepared to look more closely at the plan and discuss it with the rest of the cabinet.

The summit in Almere was organised by the local authorities association and the city of Maastricht to discuss the Netherlands’current policy of turning a blind eye to the sale of small quantities of marijuana in licenced cafes known as coffee shops.

Closing cafes

It follows a decision by the border towns of Roosendaal and Bergen op Zoom to close all the coffee shops within their boundaries because of the nuisance caused by thousands of foreign tourists who flock to the towns to buy drugs.

Closing down coffee shops is not a solution to drugs tourism and will not change the fact that most marijuana is supplied by criminal gangs, the mayors said. ‘It will only lead to more crime,’ Maastricht mayor Gerd Leers told the NRC. ‘And do not believe that it will mean that people smoke less [cannabis].’

Venlo mayor Hubert Bruls called for the introduction of passes so that only Dutch nationals would be allowed to buy drugs in coffee shops. ‘That would get rid of 80% or 90% of the 6,000 customers a day which Venlo coffee shops attract,’ he told the paper.

Coalition divided

The mayors’ plea for legal production has divided the coalition government. The Christian Democrats (CDA) and orthodox Christian ChristenUnie parties are opposed, saying such a move goes against the coalition agreement. But Labour has called for a parliamentary debate on the issue.

Even though the coalition agreement states that there would be no changes to the current policy on soft drugs, the call by the mayors, including those who are members of the CDA, cannot be ignored, Labour MP Lea Bouwmeester said.

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/o

The ONLY way the criminal gangs can be removed from this area is by satisfying ALL demand through official channels.

Full-'king-stop.

I got half way thru the report...and had to go back and start again cos i could'nt believe what i was reading...

POLITICIANS TALKING COMMON SENSE !!!!!!!!!!!!!

This must be a first...I'll believe it when it happens...

Ab Klink considers a marijuana nursery in Eindhoven

De Volkskrant reports that Health Minister Ab Klink agreed to discuss a proposal to allow the municipal authorities in the city of Eindhoven to start their own marijuana cultivation nursery.

The minister said that the proposal, which was adopted by 33 local councils at a ‘marijuana summit’ conference in the city of Almere on Friday, was not in line with the current coalition-government agreement. "But I don't want to jump to conclusions, I want to look at this with an open mind," he said.

A council-controlled marijuana nursery would eliminate the criminal gangs that often control the marijuana supply to the country’s ‘coffee shops’ where the sale of small quantities of marijuana is tolerated by the authorities.

Mr Klink said he was willing to consider the pros and cons of the proposal, but the coalition parties are strongly divided on the issue.

During the 2006 coalition negotiations, the three parties that make up the current government - Labour, the Christian Democrats and the Christian Union – agreed not to conduct any experiments in this field, so there is little chance that the proposal will be accepted.

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