By Mauro

Nov 11, 2014

Growshops will now have to operate more discretely if they want to continue their business.

Dutch citizens with potential criminal penalties has now grown disproportionally

Today a majority of the Dutch Senate voted for the so-called growshop law, essentially prohibiting the supply, preparation and facilitation of illegal cannabis grows.

It is already illegal to grow cannabis in the Netherlands, but now also supplying (even water cans and regular soil) and preparations (electrical construction for example) is illegal and punishable, depending on the size and personal vs commercial grows, by jail sentences up to 3 years.

Depending on your local municipality and local police officer growing up to 5 plants can still be tolerated however, again pointing out the hypocrisy of the Dutch laws.

Through passing this law, the amount of Dutch citizens with potential criminal penalties has now grown disproportionally. It remains to be seen how this will play out in court, as legal experts have expressed serious doubts on the burden of proof.

The usual suspects PVV (Geert Wilders Party), VVD (Liberals), CDA (Christian Democrats Party), Christenunie (Christian Part) and the Onafhankelijke Senataats Fractie (Independents) voted for passage, while PVDA (Socialist Party), Groenlinks (Green Party) D66 (Liberal Democrats), 50+ (Elderly Party), Partij voor de Dieren (Animal Party) voted against.

VOC-Nederland spokesperson Derrick Bergman commented:

“This new law criminalizes such a large number of people and actions that you would think it concerns preparations for a terrorist attack instead of preparations to grow a plant.

Our Department of Justice Minister has succeeded in making his already bankrupt cannabis policy even more absurd and contradictory.”

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