Dutch cannabis grower revels in court victory

In the Netherlands wholesale growing and sale of marijuana remains banned, forcing coffee shop owners to buy from criminals to meet the demand
Asia One / Reuters
Tuesday, December 1, 2015

doede-de-jongOnce in his greenhouse in a remote Dutch village, Doede de Jong nurtured a thriving cannabis crop to sell to local users. Now only five plants remain, after the police moved in. Yet the 66-year-old Dutchman remains unbowed after winning a court victory despite deliberately flouting the country's drugs laws. In a verdict that could have major implications for cannabis growers in The Netherlands, a court found De Jong guilty of breaking the law, but refused to hand down a sentence, arguing that his enterprise was quite distinct from that of real criminals who rake in huge, illicit profits.