A narrow majority of MPs oppose any efforts to introduce some form of regulated marijuana cultivation in the Netherlands, to head off the involvement of organised crime, the Volkskrant says on Tuesday.
On Monday, the local authority association VNG urged the government to set up a licencing system to supply the country’s cannabis cafes, where small amounts of soft drugs can be bought and sold.
‘The current situation cannot continue,’ Monday’s report states. ‘As local officials, we are experiencing major social problems.’
‘By turning a blind eye [to marijuana], the government is giving criminals free rein to sell their products. The cannabis industry is closely entwined with organised crime, which is also involved in ecstasy and human trafficking,’ the report says.
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