06/03/2008 00:00:00
The Netherlands: Proposed Bill Bans Cannabis Grow Shops
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THE HAGUE, 07/03/08 - Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin wants to
outlaw the sale of materials for cannabis cultivation. The minister is
putting forward a bill shortly, his spokesman confirmed yesterday.
The Christian democrats (CDA) got a House majority behind a motion last
November urging the government to get tough on so-called grow shops.
These are shops that sell equipment used by cannabis growers, such as
automatic sprinkler systems, growth lighting systems and
'how-to-grow-weed' manuals.
The previous Justice Minister, Piet Hein Donner, considered a ban was
not feasible. His reasoning was that the equipment can also be used for
growing tomatoes - and that is legal. Donner, now Social Affairs
Minister, is like Hirsch Ballin a Christian democrat.
Hirsch Ballin is not completely ignoring Donner's reasoning. Businesses
selling equipment for cannabis-growing will be committing an offence and
tackled financially, but the proposed bill he is drawing up does specify
that it must be proven that the sales are deliberately intended for
cannabis-growing.
http://www.nisnews.nl/public/070308_2.htm
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=13330
Author:
NIS News Bulletin via UKCIA
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