The Netherlands and Drugs

Did you know that marijuana is one of the most popular Dutch export products? And that it ranks second after cucumbers and tomatoes on the list of best-selling Dutch exports?

Selling soft drugs is decriminalised in the Netherlands. Growing cannabis, which is used to make marijuana, is prohibited. In recent months, the Dutch government has been making an effort to close plantations where cannabis is being grown. Coffeeshops aka hash bars too close to schools have been closed down. The Government is brooding over new cannabis rules for Dutch coffeeshops.

Dutch-grown cannabis is much stronger than the traditional cannabis grown in Morocco or Pakistan. The Dutch soft drugs market relies increasingly on home-grown cannabis. Depending on the quality, coffee shop owners pay between € 3,500 and 5,500 per kilo to cannabis growers.

In 2008, 720 Dutch coffeeshops sold some 255,000 kilograms of soft drugs, mostly grown in the Netherlands. Police estimate that only 20 to 40 per cent of the Dutch marijuana is sold locally. The bulk is exported.

The Dutch tax authority receives some € 400 million on value-added tax generated from the sale of the soft drugs sold in local coffee shops. The total gross revenues in the soft drugs business is around € 2 billion. This figure is comparable to the cost of of Dutch public transport.

Therefore, it is highly unlikely that coffeeshops and the selling soft drugs will be outlawed completely.

photo credit: personal collection