Cannabis Initiative in Holland

[Sam_Skunkman]

Anyone else think it is time for an Initiative to allow Cannabis to be legally grown in Holland, taxed and regulated? 40,000 signatures is not so many. I would be happy to help both with my time and money. Can paid signature collectors be used? Like in the uSA? Can non Dutch citizens collect signatures? I am a legal resident but not a Dutch citizen. Lets get it together and make Cannabis really LEGAL. Tax and Regulate just like tobacco or alcohol. I sure hope the Clean Air Now Initiative is only for tobacco smoke!!
See below-

"Anti-smoking organisation 'Clean Air Now' announced it is to begin collecting signatures for a petition*to put the issue of banning smoking in bars and restaurants on the agenda of parliament.*This is the first time a
group*is to make use of the Citizens' Initiative law that was passed by MPs last week."

 

[JimmyEatWorld]

Hello from a non-Dutch person, just wanted to ask some questions ...

I believe the coffeeshops are the only way to buy cannabis, right ? Are all of the coffeeshops produce their own bud, or do they buy it from greenhouses (like other vegetables) ?
If they obtain their cannabis from another grower, isn't the grower taxed as an granger ? Or the whole buying and selling is semi-legal ?

thanks in advance

 

[Farmer John]

You can count me in for sure would help me a lot if this would be possible in every country, especially here in europe so I could just go and move to Holland.

 

[Blowmonkey]

Are you serious about this? I don't exactly think this is the time for such an action. Wait another year for the left wing politics to come into the cabinet. CDA and Donner can't be convinced by anything. We've had Germany recently complimenting the Dutch government for hardening the drugs policies. I'm sure you know about Gerd Leers and his plans. Even though they're far from perfect; you could consider it a middle-ground, they're not accepted, by far. Balkenende also made statements like: "I'd rather see the coffeeshops dissappear all-together", so I don't think you're going to get very far with 40000 signatures.

 

[whazzup]

The Dutch just got a real beating in Belgium too! They don't like our liberal approach. Article in NRC (Dutch newspaper). I think it's still incredible that they want to send youngsters underground to get theirs. The risk of them getting in contact with hard drugs is far greater than just getting you bag of weed in a coffeshop. btw.. recent research shows that in the UK and the USA the use of canabis is much bigger than in The Netherlands. I think even in France, where they complaint the most.

I agree with Blowmonkey (hi there btw blowmonkey! )

 

[Supreme]

@JimmyEatWorld
For coffeeshops its legal to sell 5 gram max a person. However it is illegal for a shop to buy weed in greater quantities. So the frontend is legal, and the rest illegal. So no greenhouses full of weed (not legally at least ;-) ), but small and big growers that supply the shops.

 

[Verger OG]

Which is a better system to avoid dangerous raids for produce on shops. I think couriers peddling from greenhouse to shop constanly take different roads to shops already.

I am not sure if a non Dutch resident can start such an action. I can see easily that you need to be a Auropean citizen to initiate a signature action.

Something tyhat you need to check out.

There is one problem with this.

I am on another forum for politics related to a Dutch news program. On there are also people who want to start such an action and we are having trouble figuring out what the possibilities are. I think the only legal way to get something to be put on the agenda of our Second Chamber is to do the work; that is go from door to door asking for signatures. Electronic signatures is something that we all would love to see possible but as of yet I think there is no way to do it through internet.

So that means you have to organize a group of people, nationwide, who are willing to go collect sigs in the street. And I think that is tough.

Another issue, once you get something on the agenda to be discussed, and if nothing happens with the initiative, you have to wait years before you can try again. So timing is important. You would do good to get 40.000+ sigs and enter it for debate during a time when political parties are able to win votes by showing they see something in the initiative towards legalization or whatever specified proposal you want to link to those signatures. ou need to ride the elction wave to have impact otherwise proposals may be torpedoed too easily by the CDA e.g.

Also, if the initiative or issue has been debated in a period prior to the initiative it won't be put on the agenda as well.

So that is another thing to check. You rewally have to compare the regular discussions on legalization in the Second Chamber or compare the agenda of the past period to you own initiative. If it similar, it won;'t be entered in the agenda. If it is something different or new...then it gets on. Legalization is discussed here relatively frequently. If your proposals add nothing new to the debate, it won;'t be put on the agenda.

So before collecting even one signature...you need to get informed very carefully what has already been discussed in the last 2 years or so and carefull craft the proposal/inititaive wording to avoid problems. Only then you can start organizing people to collect sigs.

it is not as easy as it all sounds. I think if the EU Constitution had been put in place it would have been easier because at the moment we still only have the treaties and rules we have already agreed upon in Europe... and those are in the EU constitution and would have been ratified.

 

[Dokkie]

If we start now, collecting these 40,000 signatures, maybe we got them,when the time is there for elections, & when there
s gonna be a leftwing goverment in Holland, belief it's gonna be the same shit anyway.
So i think lets gif them a fight, and show the people howmanie there are who wan't this plant to be legal.
And yes we could use people who go from door to door.
Ore just put up a website and let people signe there signature. ore something.

I know there a lot of discussions about this, right now, people are against aswel as people are in favor.
This discussion is going on for years know.

When the Cannabis-backdoor-law in Holland was accepted and koffieshops where allowed to sell their pot.
they wer not alowed to buy it from local breeders..
So it was semi-legal.
the goverment agreed that they would annalize the problems accuring with this new law.
NORMALISATION they cold it.
So everybody just hade to whait for a couple of years to let Cannabis normalise her way into our Way of life.
Now, after years and years they didn't act to it.
Cannabis is normal now.
Mary jane did it.
Bud the fucking goverment doesn't act on it, not in the way i hoped any way..
I think it's a good thing, keeping this normalisation alive, and inspire people for a referendum.

that's what i think..

Dokkie...

 

[whazzup]

Hi Dokkie! ltns - see you @wietforum

 

[Dokkie]

The time is nigh.....
The Dutch goverment is down, she fell...ghehehe..
Confusion in The Hague..
Elections in a couple of month's...

It's all quite on the western front..

 

[Hitman]

You better watch they don't go trying to change the laws all around and eradicate smoking.