Free ‘National Cannabis Newspaper’ aims to get cannabis consumers to vote in Dutch elections

EINDHOVEN – A free ‘National Cannabis Newspaper’ will be available throughout the Netherlands from February 9 to March 17, the day of the national elections. The paper is published by the VOC, the Union for Abolition of Cannabis Prohibition. The 100.000 copies will be distributed via the 570 cannabis coffeeshops in the country.
The twenty-page newspaper is free of advertisements and contains articles, columns, an interview with Member of Parliament Vera Bergkamp, recipes, home growing tips, an English Readers Section, an overview of the political parties’ positions on cannabis and a cannabis crossword puzzle. Bergkamp says in the interview: “It is now tolerated that people grow five plants. I would like to see that this is no longer punishable at all. This point is still on my to-do list.”

Golden Tickets

Seven of the hundred thousand copies of “De Nationale Cannabis Krant” contain a Golden Ticket. The lucky finders get to spend an unforgettable cannabis day in Amsterdam, including a visit to the Cannabis College, the Hash, Marijuana & Hemp Museum and various coffeeshops, a private canal tour and a VIP dinner with special guests. Participation is limited to persons aged 18 and older. The VOC foundation, established in 2009 to speed up legalization of cannabis in the Netherlands, cooperates with the “Maatschappij en Cannabis” foundation, creators of the “Cannabis-Kieswijzer” and the new “Cannabis-Stemwijzer”, and with the national coffeeshop unions PCN and BCD. The paper will be available for free at cannabis coffeeshops from February 9, the website www.denationalecannabiskrant.nl contains a PDF and additional information. Cannabis-friendly voting With “De Nationale Cannabis Krant”, the VOC tries to get the negative effects of cannabis prohibition higher on the political agenda and to get as many cannabis consumers as possible to vote cannabis-friendly in the elections. The center pages feature an election poster, designed by Amsterdam based artist Mossy Giant. The slogan “Geef de plant jouw stem” translates as “Give your vote to the plant”.
In the first week of March, all 570 Dutch cannabis coffeeshops will receive a campaign package in the mail, containing election posters, campaign vests for staff, filter tips and eighty copies of “De Nationale Cannabis Krant”. From February 9 the paper will be available at 24 distribution points in eleven of the twelve Dutch provinces, listed on the back page.