Marijuana News
Marijuana news and cannabis news feed
Is Spain thinking about legalizing cannabis to obtain more tax?
Amsterdam- On Thursday, there was a strange debate in the
Spanish Parliament with the Minister of Justice Alberto Ruiz
Gallardón present at that time. The debate was in fact about
whether or not to legalize marijuana to generate more much needed
tax revenue. The minister was asked this question by some MPs on
Thursday, and the response of the minis...
Minister Opstelten explores small scale cannabis cultivation
Amsterdam- Minister Ivo Opstelten is identifying which
municipalities have plans to regulate marijuana cultivation and has
promised to investigate small-scale cannabis cultivation in Europe
and the U.S. He says so in response to questions asked in the
House. Several Brabant municipalities, including Tilburg and
Eindhoven, would like to have the abi...
Court also agrees with restrictions on selling weed
Amsterdam- Again, coffee shop owners from the south of the
country come away empty-handed from court: that is, the court
thinks it should continue to be forbidden to sell weed to drugs
tourists. According to the court, the state has good reasons to
limit the size of coffeeshops and to combat marijuana tourism this
way. The court in The Hague has al...
Cannabis tourist remains welcome in Amsterdam
Amsterdam- Foreign tourists remain welcome in Amsterdam
coffee shops for the time being. This is what Minister Opstelten
has said following the decision of the municipality to ban smoking
weed from schools. The ban applies to schoolyards of high schools
and vocational schools. Amsterdam has already said several times
that tourists should continue t...
Opstelten happy with Amsterdam policies against smoking weed
Amsterdam- Minister Ivo Opstelten (Security and Justice) is
satisfied with the policies against smoking weed for young people
that the city of Amsterdam has announced. "The municipality
realizes the policy exactly the way I have imagined," he has said
on Wednesday. Amsterdam implements a ban on smoking weed in
schoolyards...
Weed more legal in America than in the Netherlands
Amsterdam- It might become quiet on the streets of Amsterdam.
An important group of tourists does not have to get out of its own
country anymore to obtain weed legally. Who is this illustrious
group of stoners? Well, they are those oh so conservative
Americans. Because over there, weed is legalized for the first time
in their history. Across Americ...
Abolition of weed pass mere formality
Amsterdam- The coffeeshops in Maastricht call the abolition
of the weed pass a mere formality. According to chairperson
Josemans of the Association of Official coffeeshops Maastricht,
very little changes because customers must show identification and
an extract from the municipal population register. what measures
are effective,' according to Opste...
Municipality can fill out approach coffeeshop itself
Amsterdam- Municipalities may determine their policy on
coffeeshops and drug nuisance. In addition, the much debated weed
pass is immediately abolished. This is what Minister Ivo Opstelten
writes in a letter to the Lower House on Monday. For the whole
country, it will apply that visitors of coffeeshops must prove that
they live in the Netherlands b...
Amsterdam coffeeshops remain open for tourists
Amsterdam- Tourists can keep visiting the 220 coffee shops in
Amsterdam, even if they are not Dutch residents. Mayor Van der Laan
confirms this in the Volkskrant based on the coalition agreement of
the new cabinet. For over a year, he has been in a conversation on
the impact of the new policy on soft drugs in Amsterdam with
Minister Opstelten of Se...
Amsterdam mayor Van der Laan has not gotten permission from Opstelten
Amsterdam- Mayor Van der Laan has received no permission to
allow tourists in coffee shops after January 1st at all. That is
what a representative of Minister Ivo Opstelten of Security and
Justice has said. He says that the mayor of Amsterdam is premature
with his conclusion, according to the NOS. This morning, Van der
Laan has said in De Volkskran...
The weed pass is good for gentlemen thugs from Maasje
Amsterdam- Much is said about the streets of Maastricht. The
weed pass, that was introduced on 1 May, would make those streets
much less safe according to the inhabitants of the city. According
to politicians, however, it only makes the streets safer! I went to
Maastricht for a day to learn more, and also to let the people
speak that the mainstream...
Sufficient support for more stringent policy on soft drugs
Amsterdam- Debate - Minister Opstelten (Safety) advocates a
vigorous approach to drug-related nuisance and crime. Minister
Schippers (Health) seeks to prevent young people from wasting their
lives. Van der Steur (VVD), Çörüz (CDA) and Elissen (PVV) support
the reassessment of the soft drugs policy. Limit the coffeeshops to
where they originally wer...
Weed pass may worsen drug nuisanc
Amsterdam- The inhabitants of Hoorn had already been looking
forward to it: no more traffic jams in the city, no more minors
asking them to buy hashish or marijuana for them. The two coffee
shops in the center would make room for one large one, on the
outskirts of the city. The operation was even included in the 2010
coalition agreement. But the na...
Utrecht continues marijuana experiment
Amsterdam- The municipality of Utrecht continues with the
plans to let marijuana users grow cannabis legally within closed
clubs. This is what responsible alderman Victor Everhardt said
Wednesday morning. Previously, Minister of Justice Ivo Opstelten
and a parliament majority expressed strong criticism on the plan
for this experiment.Utrecht wants ...
Cannabis of 4200 year old in tomb Hanzelijn (Netherlands)
Amsterdam- In a Stone Age tomb detected near the Gelderland
Hattemerbroek, over 4200 years old cannabis is probably found. The
Dutch cannabis is probably used medicinally due to the
pain-relieving effect, just like what is happening again nowadays.
It is almost certain that it is about cannabis pollen. In that
case, these would be found in the Neth...
Rush expected because of weed pass
Amsterdam- Municipalities in the south of the Netherlands can
expect large crowds at the population register. Blowers need an
extract for a weed pass. Municipalities in the south of the country
can expect tens of thousands of applications in total for extracts
from the population register starting next week. Soft drug users
need the latest extract ...
Amsterdam- In Limburg, it is feared that coffeeshops in
Roermond, Hoensbroek, Sittard-Geleen and Venlo will get in the
hands of one party. Following this, a nationwide investigation is
started. Mayor Henk van Beers of Roermond explained a letter about
this in a meeting of the North and Central Limburg mayors, police
and justice Friday. In Roermond,...
Mayor Rehwinkel wants no weed pass in Groningen
Amsterdam- A survey on the weed pass of the NOS shows that
municipalities reluctantly enter the weed pass. For the survey, 31
municipalities were contacted: border communities, provincial
capitals and the four major cities. 26 municipalities replied.
Groningen is one of the municipalities that have not responded to
the survey, but that expressed it...
Cannabis addicts are not to be found at the emergency room or intensive care in the weekend
Amsterdam- While they in political The Hague worry about weed
passes and hashish prohibitions, health facilities are filling up
with GHB addicts. 'The drug debate is not sharp and outdated.' Weed
pass this, hashish ban that. Regulate this, tolerate that. No
coffeeshops near schools, kindergartens and nurseries. Or exactly
the opposite. You stumble ...
Spanish cannabis clubs are no Dutch coffeeshops
Amsterdam- The Spanish government launched an investigation
on the cultivation of marijuana in the country. Madrid reacts to
the decision of a village near Barcelona to grow marijuana to raise
money for the municipal treasury. The weed is for a private club of
users, 'not comparable to the Dutch model. The Spanish cannabis
clubs have no pecuniary ...
Coffeeshop employees threatened with redundancy set up together to the UWV
Amsterdam- About sixty employees of Maastricht coffee shops
have collectively reported at the UWV this morning in Maastricht to
get attention to the fact that they will be redundant as of May
1st, along with 300 other Maastricht colleagues. The resignation
wave in the coffeeshop industry is the result of the introduction
of the weed pass that Minis...
Weed pass the end for good old Amsterdam coffeeshop
Amsterdam- As of May 1st, all coffee shops below the rivers
should 'become private clubs, with compulsory membership list, weed
pass and registration of private data. Monday, the Tilburg council
committee takes a look into this. Much has been said and written
about this plan of administration Rutte 1; please note that the
motto chosen is "Fre...
Dutch drug policy and discussion on it made on basis of false assumptions
Amsterdam- The Dutch drug policy and the discussion on it has
long been based on false assumptions. Today, the ministers and the
right wing of the Parliament are happy to continue that. What are
the words of the Government, MPs of CDA, VVD and PVV and the police
about soft drugs worth? Nothing, we can plainly say. In recent
weeks, several studies a...
Top lawyer Spong also sees no benefit in weed pass
Amsterdam- During the council meeting, there is a political
call for a test case on the legal feasibility of the weed pass.
D66, PvdA, Groenlinks, SBM, SP and PvM have already pledged their
support to a motion raised about this during the council meeting.
In that motion, the politicians ask the college to implement a test
trial against one of the f...
Maastricht wants test trial on weed pass
Amsterdam- During the council meeting, there is a political
call for a test case on the legal feasibility of the weed pass.
D66, PvdA, Groenlinks, SBM, SP and PvM have already pledged their
support to a motion raised about this during the council meeting.
In that motion, the politicians ask the college to implement a test
trial against one of the f...
Catalan village seeks salvation in marijuana cultivation
Amsterdam- The Catalan village Rasquera wants to keep head
above water during the economic crisis by leasing land for cannabis
cultivation. The council has adopted a proposal for this with four
votes to three Wednesday night, a proposal for adoption. The
central government has announced to intervene when the first seeds
are put into the ground. Ras...
Political party VVD questions strong weed control
Amsterdam- The VVD sees a problem with the control by coffee
shops on the sale of too strong weed. The government does not allow
this anymore, but the coffee shop owner cannot easily control how
strong the weed is that he gets delivered. According VVD MP Ard van
der Steur, there is equipment with which the coffee shop owner can
measure how strong h...
Where to buy marijuana in the Netherlands without a Dutch weed pass
Amsterdam- Dear visitor, During the last few weeks, there is
confusion about whether foreign tourists are or are not allowed to
buy weed or hashish in the Netherlands. We would like to answer
this question. Where are you welcome and where not? Since the first
of May, a weed pass is needed for 3 southern provinces of the
Netherlands. These 3 provinc...
Control weed pass not a priority
Amsterdam- Checking the coffee shops for their compliance
with the rules surrounding the weed pass gets no priority in Den
Bosch. Mayor Rombouts writes this in a letter to the council
committee administrative affairs. Spearheads of the Bossche policy
on the coffeeshops have always been nuisance, youth and hard drugs;
it will remain this way.
Dutch soft drugs policy government disaster
Amsterdam- The JOVD Heart of Brabant, Tilburgs department of
the independent liberal youth organization JOVD, criticizes the
naivety of Mayor Noordanus. The young liberals respond to the
article of the Mayor on the website of the Brabants Dagblad. Here,
the mayor suggests that by the introduction of the weed pass, no
increase in illegal street tra...
