The Dutch government’s cannabis cultivation pilot program is set to continue despite opposition from Amsterdam. The pilot program aims to expand the legality of cannabis cultivation in the Netherlands and has received mixed reactions.
While some cities, such as Zaanstad, support the program as a means to combat crime associated with cannabis cultivation, Amsterdam’s Mayor Femke Halsema has expressed frustration over the exclusion of Amsterdam from the pilot. Other Dutch cities, including Tilburg and Breda, have already begun selling legal cannabis as part of the program. Village Farms International is also constructing an indoor cannabis production facility in Drachten, showing growing interest and investment in the cannabis industry.
The pilot program is considered a significant step towards allowing limited cultivation and distribution of adult-use cannabis, with a startup phase scheduled for December 2023. The Dutch Parliament has rejected a proposal to terminate the program prematurely, indicating their commitment to exploring the potential benefits and impacts of regulated cannabis cultivation.
In the Netherlands, the Christian and nationalist right-wing wants to completely ban the cannabis trade. Geert Wilders, the leader of the largest party in parliament, the nationalist Freedom Party, has previously portrayed legal cannabis cultivation as a dreadful “experiment against the children of the Netherlands.”
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Parliament allows Dutch cannabis cultivation pilot to continue, but without Amsterdam