Dutch parliament wants to regulate cannabis cultivation

The Democratic Party 66 has submitted a bill to Parliament to allow the creation of cannabis cultivation under state control. Historically, this is one of the first times this proposal has been supported by a majority of parliamentarians, with the liberal Voor Nederlands (VNL) joining D66 on this bill.

«In our country, we've had a wobbly tolerance policy for years. You're allowed to sell weed, but not to grow or transport it. We don't like it. If we regulate it, it will be good for public health and reduce the black market. A large part of the population and municipalities also support this,» said Vera Bergkamp, a member of the D66 party. The new law, if passed, will also test the quality of cannabis sold in coffeeshops. «People often have no idea what they're smoking».

The legislative proposal stipulates that coffeeshop owners would only be able to purchase cannabis from licensed businesses that would make grow cannabis in enclosed, secure premises. Cultivation would have to comply with certain requirements, and would be monitored by the government. Unlicensed plantations would always be dismantled.

The country's labor party, the PvdA, supports the project in principle, but still sees practical problems, notably with the financing of the regulatory system and the intervention of health authorities to control products.

The bill had been tabled in February 2015. At the time, VOC Nederland (the Union for the Abolition of Cannabis Prohibition), pointed to two missing aspects. Firstly, the right to grow at home for personal consumption, which today is allowed up to 5 plants but can be penalized if at least two growing devices are used (a tent and a lamp, for example), and the introduction of Cannabis Social Club, where members can grow cannabis by pooling their resources and sharing the harvest.

The Dutch initiative is strangely in line with the proposal made by British parliamentarians for the legalization of medical cannabis in the UK.