Nuisance associated with coffee shops and cannabis growing

Nuisance associated with coffee shops

Coffee shops and drug users sometimes cause considerable nuisance. There is more crime and nuisance near coffee shops than elsewhere. For this reason, the Dutch government has introduced stricter rules for the sale of cannabis in coffee shops. A coffee shop is an establishment where cannabis is sold, but no alcoholic drinks are consumed.

Cannabis growing causes nuisance

Cannabis growing in residential areas is a fire hazard and can cause flooding, unpleasant odours, and damage to people’s homes.

The government and the police combat cannabis growing in a variety of ways:

• by dismantling cannabis-growing operations;
• by making arrests;
• by seizing the proceeds of crime;
• by terminating rental contracts.
   

Controlled cannabis supply chain experiment

The Dutch government has initiated an experiment involving the cultivation of cannabis for recreational use. The purpose of the experiment is to determine whether and, if so, how controlled cannabis can be legally supplied to coffee shops, and what the effects of this would be.