2017 was a year with surprises, special developments, loss and a difficult weed summer.
The year began with the death of Franco Loja. One of the “strain hunters” from the eponymous documentary series. Franco Loja traveled the world to gather knowledge and share about the cultivation and use of cannabis. Strainhunters can be viewed on youtube and definitely worth it. R.i.p. Franco Loja. (1974-2017).
2017 was also the year of the cannabis law. The cabinet agreed with 77 against 72 with the weed law of D66. Cultivation and transport of hemp and hashish, now forbidden, can soon take place under the supervision of the government. Just like the sale at the front of the coffee shop, the much-discussed ‘back door’ is also regulated and tolerated. We have to wait and see how the cannabis law will work out because after the elections we are sadly stuck with a conservative cabinet, of which we do not have to expect much positivity around the plant. Unless it concerns money … R. Hiemstra, who has good political contacts, he is chairman of the VVD department Rijswijk and until last year was an active member of the authoritative party committee Safety and Justice of the Liberals, together with a real estate entrepreneur and a director of a large greenhouse horticulture company to earn a living from cannabis. Although the companies have no experience with the cultivation of weed, they hope to get a good share of the market. They have united in the Legal Cannabis Coalition (LCC). One of the possible breeding locations that they have in mind is the former dome prison in Breda.
For example, there was more baffling news from the political corner. Apparently, key reports on drug policy have been provided by the then minister Ivo Opstelten with ‘steering’, so that results have been concealed or distorted. With this, the Court was misinformed at the time, the public was being lied to, the political debate manipulated and the trust in science and the cabinet damaged. There comes a monkey out of the sleeve …
Also this year the popularity of Cbd oil and medicinal use of cannabis increased. People seem increasingly aware of the medicinal effects of the plant. The television program Radar has broadcast an item about it, where they have tested various Cbd oils. The way to argue about that but that aside.
And 2017 was the year that the saliva test was introduced. Since 1 July 2017, the police have been using a saliva test for the use of cannabis and a number of other illicit drugs by road users. The punishments are high, the method is controversial and the police and the CBR (Central Agency for Driving Skills) contradict each other …
The year ended with the death of Kees Hoekert, grandfather of the Nederwiet. With his actions and the resulting lawsuits Kees Hoekert in the sixties and seventies forced the Dutch tolerance policy for soft drugs. R.i.p. Kees Hoekert (1929-2017).
Let 2018 be the year where we let the plant grow and flourish with common sense, an open mind and a lot of fun. Preferably with a nice sunny summer, because the outdoor growers did not have it easy in 2017, with the changeable weather and over-zealous police officers with their nasty facebook messages …
