[Uncle FREEDOM]

As someone that has visited amsterdam many times in the last 20 years, i have noticed more and more regulations/bans in the industry.

Now that the christians have got the boot, can we expect a more liberal view/laws for the shops?

i.e. drinking beer/magic mushrooms, etc?

[Hash Zeppelin]

I imagine the netherlands wants their main tourist tax revenue producer up ad running full speed again.

Actually is there some official ICmag news on this? I am in California and I need to know.

Has there been a surprise in the political focus there? Has the Pointer moved to the liberal side on this issue?

There must be formed a coalition between several political parties but the combination will be very difficult.For pro Cannabis it would be great to have a combination of D'66, Groenlinks, PvdA and VVD without the Freedom Party of Wilders, but that is not the wish of Rutte VVD.VVD has some trauma from the past during the Pim Fortune time period, so he is not jumping to form a coalition with the Freedom Party.
CDA has taken the boat to Never neverland.They went for gold, but got lead instead, so they don't jump either in the air to form a coalition.

Till next time for a new update

For the weather broadcast, Thai weather has done his introduction right now and the Cannabis plants are growing like hell.

Namaste

[bigtopsfinn]

From the Financial Times

https://www.ft.com/cms/s/0/81dd8d08-9...44feab49a.html

Dutch get it right

Published: August 2 2010 20:02 | Last updated: August 2 2010 20:02

The process of forming a coalition government in the Netherlands may not have matched the speedy standards set by Britain. But if the latest proposals for a minority centre-right administration are adopted, the Dutch will have achieved something far more important than haste: the protection of its citizens’ basic liberties.

The proposals would see the Liberal party (VVD), victorious in June’s election, form a government with the diminished Christian Democrats. The coalition would rely on the support of the Freedom party (PVV) – whose inclusion in government was opposed by the Christian Democrats – in exchange for “tough agreements” on issues such as immigration.

In principle, the deal is a sensible one. With its coalition partner and the external backing of the PVV, the VVD would be able to carry out its mandate for tough austerity measures and curbs on immigration. And the ruling coalition would be less likely to suffer from the internal instability that brought down the previous “grand coalition” between the Christian Democrats and the Labour party. The three parties are in broad agreement on the need, above all, to cut the country’s deficit, which will reach 6.6 per cent of gross domestic product this year.

Most importantly, the concessions made to the PVV are likely to fall well short of the misguided and oppressive policies espoused by the party’s controversial leader, Geert Wilders. Mr Wilders wants Moroccan and Turkish immigrants to leave the country, and with characteristic tact has proposed a “head rag tax” of €1,000 per year on women wearing headscarves.

By refusing to concede too much to Mr Wilders – and by excluding him from government – the Christian Democrats have coaxed the VVD into taking an important step towards securing the freedoms of Dutch citizens. Some have argued that Mr Wilders deserves a role in government on the grounds of fairness: the PVV were the biggest gainers in the election, finishing just seven seats behind the VVD. But one must ask whether Mr Wilders’ policies, and not just his electoral prospects, stand up to the test of fairness. The answer is negative.

It would be a setback if the Netherlands – once viewed as a beacon of tolerance – followed the path of countries such as France and Switzerland in legislating against harmless Islamic practices. So far, Dutch politicians have shown that they intend to put the interests of their country above those of opportunistic demagogues. Let us hope they do not change their minds.
The Financial Times Limited 2010.

Not familiar with Dutch politics myself... Any interpretation of what this means for coffeeshops and small grow ops?

[papie]

Well, I can tell you that the VVD-CDA government supported by the PVV will not bring good news for coffeeshops.

The coalition is kind of unique because it's a minority coalition, it doesn't have more than half of the votes. But because PVV is agreeing party the coalition is going to pass probably.

So that means that the PVV has to agree with everything the government does or else it doesnt pass.

VVD: Have always been slightly against softdrugs, but aren't the ones who want to change the way it is.
CDA: Very against softdrugs in any way.
PVV: Against softdrugs and coffeeshops.

[bigtopsfinn]

Thanks for the reply papie

[cob09]

In Finland, todays news. There is a story about drug policy changes in the Netherlands. Is it true that they will ban selling cannabis products to others than local people? Sounds rediculous but it would not be the first time that finnish media changes stories when it comes to drug policy.

[Lazyman]

Mm, sorry, necroposting.

Apparently the Dutch just voted to bar foreign tourists from visiting coffeeshops, so I guess Amsterdam is officially off the "cool" list now for weed.

Originally Posted by Lazyman

Mm, sorry, necroposting.

Apparently the Dutch just voted to bar foreign tourists from visiting coffeeshops, so I guess Amsterdam is officially off the "cool" list now for weed.

Even for me as Dutchman who doesn't live in Amsterdam.

Namaste