ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses how and why Dutch law enforcement has strengthened their effort against growing marihuana, and to explores some consequences of and intrinsic conflicts within this new policy. It describes the role of coffee shops within the Dutch retail market. The chapter analyses the national policy towards cannabis cultivation and recent trends in law enforcement, with a discussion of arrests and seizures. It explores the dynamics in marihuana supply and discuss some possible effects of criminalization on the marihuana market, particularly price and purity. The chapter also examines some conflicting interests and critically discusses recent developments in Dutch cannabis policy. Dutch police forces engage commercial firms in the dismantling operations. Dismantling firms might be tempted to take over investigative tasks from the police and set out in search of cultivation sites themselves. At most marihuana cultivation sites in the Netherlands, the plants grow in pots or trays placed under grow lights.
