Marijuana.com

PotShot

Dutch may regulate marijuana farming
By Toby Sterling | Dallas Morning News | December 13, 2005

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands – A broad coalition of political parties unveiled a pilot program last week to regulate marijuana farming on the model of tobacco, which opponents say would be tantamount to legalizing growing the drug.

Under the test program, to be conducted in the southern city of Maastricht, existing health and safety standards will apply to growers, but they would no longer be the target of police raids or prosecution.

Coffee shops permitted to sell marijuana would be required to provide consumers with information about the health hazards of smoking – similar to tobacco companies – and the chemical content of the marijuana. The shops would also have to say where they bought the marijuana they sell, which proponents say will deter growers from operating dangerous underground greenhouses.

Under current Dutch policy, marijuana and hashish are illegal, but police don't prosecute for possession of less than one ounce. Authorities also look the other way regarding the open sale of cannabis in designated coffee shops.

But commercial growing is outlawed, giving rise to a contradictory system in which shop owners have no legal way to purchase their best-selling product.

Dutch mayors along the country's borders have lobbied hardest for the change, which they say would make it more difficult for German and Belgian drug tourists to smuggle large quantities of marijuana out of the country.

"It will be possible to trace where cannabis is grown, and where it's sold," said conservative lawmaker Frans Weekers.

Opponents, however, have argued that regulation could open the door to outright legalization (PotShot Note: Oh no! Not legalization!) of marijuana in a country that already has some of Europe's most lenient drug laws. Prime Minister Jan-Peter Balkenende and his ruling Christian Democrat Party said regulating marijuana cultivation would set the Netherlands another step apart from the rest of the continent.

"This experiment would be at odds with Dutch law, and there's a legal problem" internationally, as well, Mr. Balkenende said.

The Justice Ministry has ordered an investigation into whether the plan would violate international law. The findings are expected within several days.

Mr. Weekers said, however, that the current policy is "leading to increasing problems."

"There comes a moment when you say, 'Now we have to take the next step,' " he said. "If this pilot program works, and we can show to everyone that it's an improvement, then you have a good argument to take to foreign governments."

The coalition of parties gave Mr. Balkenende until today to implement the testing program, after which lawmakers said they will introduce a bill in Parliament to do it. They said about two-thirds of Parliament members support the plan.

__________________

Carl Sagan Goodness Richard Dawkins Goodness

 

killer12382

If they regulate the growing of marijuana and regulate the coffee shops and still want to say "its illegal", I'd be happy with that status quo here in America.

PotShot

For myself, I will not be happy untill I can legally grow my own... I will not accept quasi-legalization.

Nevertheless, the Dutch hopefully will be progressive, as always, and take this step. Hopefully it will lead to full legalization as the opponents of this program fear.

TheNewGuy

People can't see that as a good thing? How could someone opposed to marijuana use be against knowing exactly where its coming from? Whats better, people secretly growing pot in basements and closets under conditions that change from person to person, house to house, or people growing pot on a farm thats regulated by the same laws that apply to the very food we eat? Its common **** sense.

__________________
"Anyway, no drug, not even alcohol, causes the fundamental ills of society. If we're looking for the source of our troubles, we shouldn't test people for drugs, we should test them for stupidity, ignorance, greed and love of power." ~P.J. O'Rourke

bassman5066

this is definatly a step in the right direction for the dutch government. look at how much the US government profited off of tobacco growers in the 17-1800's. if they start to have regulated MJ farms, the prices will go way down and then the government can tax it without any problem to the consumer because the prices and the taxes will even out. the US should consider slowly doing what the dutch have been doing for years. im sure it couldnt hurt because of our already 8.2 trillion dollars in debt. also, doing such a thing means that there are less people breaking laws, so less tax dollars are wasted on courts and prisons and whatnot.

 

oneluv4boognish

That's just it....it is a step in the right direction...but basically you can't have it both ways in my opinion. It's either legal or it's illegal. Of course I'd prefer legal....but i'm not diggin the half assed legalization. It's not supposed to be about settling...sure some would be happy with it being the way it is there here, but it seems like settling for that and thinking that is good enough is settling. I've just never been one to settle i suppose.

TheNewGuy

Setteling indeed. Only problem is, the key to winning over the non-smokers is convincing them that the governement would be in control of weed, not the people smoking it. That way we could say that the tax money could go to getting people off other drugs or that it wouldn't just make street dealers even more abundant. I would like to be able to legally grow it on my own too, but nobody will listen to us if we say we want it our way or not at all, because they won't have any problem not doing it at all. If we want total legalization, we'll have to phase it in, and we can't phase it in without first going through all this regulation crap.

vladimir

for the average pot smoker, the dutch system already works very well as they can just go to a store and purchase it.
for the supply side of the story, this would finally make it cut and dry as to where it's coming from and if that is legal.
so, the smokers are happy, the sellers are happy, the growers are happy...i dont care what they call that, but it's sure better than anything else in the world.

__________________
If a drug (or technique or process) were ever to be discovered which would consistently produce a plus four experience in all human beings, it is conceivable that it would signal the ultimate evolution, and perhaps the end of, the human experiment.

vladimir

for the average pot smoker, the dutch system already works very well as they can just go to a store and purchase it.
for the supply side of the story, this would finally make it cut and dry as to where it's coming from and if that is legal.
so, the smokers are happy, the sellers are happy, the growers are happy...i dont care what they call that, but it works out for everyone and is better than anything else in the world.

hendrix lives

I like the dutch idea where you can go to a coffee shop and get your stuff! But if you are aloud to grow the green well thats obviously better.