Amsterdam to begin experimenting with legal marijuana production

The legalization of marijuana production in Canada and a few U.S. states may soon be taking root across the Atlantic. The Dutch government will soon begin experimenting with legal marijuana production, according to CNBC.

Amsterdam has long been viewed as a model for the legalization of marijuana. In the 1970’s the Dutch government adopted a toleration policy for marijuana consumption. When visiting Amsterdam, it is common to see recreational use of marijuana in the many famous Dutch coffee shops that line the streets. Although tightly regulated, the Dutch government allows coffee shop customers to purchase up to 5 grams of marijuana for consumption.  

Though consumption of marijuana is allowed, producing and acquiring marijuana is not. It's illegal for coffee shops to purchase their supply of marijuana. Cannabis production is also forbidden. “This has led to an illicit market for cannabis in the Netherlands,” Stijn Hoorens, associate director at RAND Europe, told CNBC.

The prohibition on production is largely overlooked by authorities, however, it poses many difficulties for the coffee shops who must procure marijuana illegally. "The most difficult thing about having a coffee shop in the Netherlands is that it's allowed to sell it, but it's not allowed to buy it," Joachim Helms, co-owner of Green House Coffeeshops in Amsterdam and chairman of the Dutch Cannabis Retailers Association, told CNBC.

Now, as Canada and several U.S. states have legalized various schemes of marijuana production and distribution, the Dutch government has taken notice. According to CNBC, the Dutch government is planning an experiment with legal marijuana production in a handful of municipalities. But it's a small step in an increasingly growing legal weed market.

With the Dutch government actively experimenting with the legalization of production, many coffee shop owners are optimistic that the legal quagmire they continually face could soon be a thing of the past. Like Canada, they hope that Dutch companies will be allowed to produce marijuana. "To walk around in those companies and facilities for us is really a dream come true because it's growing weed in a 100 percent legal way," Helms told CNBC.

 

--Colin Heinrich