Editor's Note: The interesting thing here–well, one of the interesting things–is that Brendsen's proposal would still make cultivating cannabis illegal, but would provide an exemption for growers "under strict conditions," as the NL Times reports in the article below. And even better: "This exemption will allow them to cultivate regulated cannabis and supply it to coffee shops, provided that they meet all the conditions. Coffee shops will then also only be allowed to sell regulated cannabis, everything else is illegal."
The D66 wants to legalize cannabis farming. Member of Parliament Magda Brendsen is presenting a legislative proposal today which will allow pot farmers to get an exemption to grow cannabis under strict conditions.
This is a proposal that should get a lot of support from the population in general, which may be a good move by the D66 with the provincial elections around the corner. In December of 2013, 25 mayors joined a campaign, led by the mayors of Eindhoven and Heerlen, asking Minister Ivo Opstelten (Security and Justice) to allow them to do a test run on regulated marijuana cultivation. By the end of January last year 10 more mayors joined the campaign, but the minister still refused, claiming that it would be illegal and will not solve the problem. Four out of the five largest cities in the Netherlands is also keen to experiment with controlled cannabis cultivation.
