MPs block cities from harvesting marijuana
According to municipalities, regulated cannabis cultivation will lead to less crime and fewer health risks
Wednesday, May 20, 2015
A narrow majority in the Tweede Kamer, lower house of parliament in the Netherlands, supported a motion to not allow municipalities to experiment with cannabis cultivation: 75 parliamentarians voted for, 70 voted against. Many municipalities want to experiment with the production of cannabis for coffee shops, despite opposition of the government. Municipalities like Utrecht, Eindhoven, Nijmegen and Rotterdam are investigating whether there are opportunities for communal recreational cannabis cultivation. (See also: Dutch police destroyed 6,006 marijuana plantations in 2014)