Dutch Dispatches by dr. Adriaan Jansen
Adriaan Jansen counts among the best-informed researchers of the Dutch
cannabis sector. As a professor at the Faculty of Economics and Econometrics
in the University of Amsterdam and living in the center of Amsterdam since
the sixties,he was able to study the emergence of coffee shops firsthand.
he published the book Cannabis in Amsterdam; a geography of Hashish and
Marihuana in 1989. Many publications on the economics of growing growing
marihuana followed.
He coined the term ' Green Avalanche' to describe the explosive growth
of hemp under artificial light in the Netherlands during the nineties.
As in the early 21th century the 'Green Avalanche' is taking
on European dimensions, his research now follows the European cannabis market.
Adriaan Jansen was also an adviser to PCN (Platform Cannabisondernemingen
Nederland), one of the associations of cannabis entrepreneurs in the Netherlands.
Dutch Dispatches will appear on this website regularly and will report on
forthcoming 'cannabis troubles' in the Netherlands.
Below you can read is most recent article, here you can find older articles
Some years ago, the criminologist professor Frank Bovenkerk wrote a report about the Dutch marihuana-growing industry. He considered cannabis production to be largely a matter of ‘organized crime’. He found that gangs rather than individuals dominated the scene. In a recently published book, however, Nicole Maalsté and Michiel Panhuysen present a somewhat different picture (see at www.polderwiet.nl). Behind the facades in the Netherlands they found a large variety of cannabis production. Extra incomes are being earned both large-scale and small-scale. Embittered hippies with principles seem to exist alongside professionals who have nothing to lose. And, of course, non-commercial growing in the Netherlands thrives as well, although the hash coffee shops seem to make this practice rather less popular than elsewhere. Growing your own remains a tempting proposition. After all, only a few plants are needed, indoor or outdoor, to attain a rather charming level of self-sufficiency.
Although Maalsté and Panhuysen present a rather balanced view on the Dutch marihuana-growing scene, of course their insight cannot be complete. After all, only some tens of growers were interviewed for their analyses. But, listening to the coffee-shop owners, it is quite obvious that the American way of fighting cannabis-growing in the Netherlands already presents its consequences ‘at the backdoor’ of the coffee shops: the number of small growers (of only a few kilograms) is decreasing. They have become frightened by the extreme punishments when hunted down, and they seem to give way to professionals who have nothing to lose (among them ‘organised crime’)
"Euforia®"
The way in which Cannabis Sativa L time and again reacts to the threats of eradication appears to have been both resourceful and intelligent. For more than half a century already, the weed seems to resist in a most effective way. It all began when she allowed her seeds to be upgraded. In doing so, she developed her inspiring qualities. Her flowers became one of the most cherished and therefore most expensive in the world. Thus, she made herself attractive to even the tiniest of gardens. To evade the dangers of extinction she used some other of her extraordinary talents. Cannabis Sativa L. succeeded in flowering in all parts of the world – even in its most northern corners were the amount of sunlight leaves a lot to be desired. To put it more strongly: eventually Cannabis Sativa L. has proved to be able to grow and blossom without a single ray of sunlight! In our country she even seduced no less than 90% of all blowers to prefer this sunless indigenous product. The Netherlands presents only part of the plant’s worldwide strategy to be too clever for her adversaries, however. It goes almost without saying that, in doing so, she has made herself attractive to criminal gangs as well. One shouldn’t blame her too much for that, though. It seems defensible for the plant to make use of all means that are necessary to survive.
Romantics, but even economists who let Cannabis Sativa L. speak for herself, are tempted to take research insights and other stories about organized cannabis-crime with a pinch of salt. Those messages suggest the fight against marihuana to be beneficial for king and country; as if a world war against cannabis could be won. Romantics as well as economists consider this mistake to be both tragic and costly. Cannabis Sativa L. has already proven time and again to be invincible.