Amsterdam Left Out of Netherlands Legal Weed Experiment hightimes.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from hightimes.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dutch people are not expected to purchase as many fireworks this year as last year, when a record was set for the amount of revenue the sales generated. Through Friday, consumers had ordered about as many fireworks online compared to a year earlier, said Leo Groeneveld, the chair of Dutch pyrotechnic association BPN. He revised that on Wednesday, saying he doubts whether the sales record of 2022 will be achieved.
More municipalities are now coming out in favor of a national ban on lighting fireworks. An ANP survey of approximately 200 of the 342 Dutch municipalities, over 50 expressed support for a ban, up from 30. Most municipalities were neutral on the issue, preferring to leave the decision to national politicians, and saying that they will adhere to that decision.
Legally grown cannabis can be purchased in the Netherlands for the first time, as the first phase of a long-awaited government supported pilot program starts on Friday in Tilburg and Breda, the second and third largest cities in Noord-Brabant. In addition to cannabis grown by three approved organizations, the coffeeshops in both cities may continue to sell products which are tolerated, though not necessarily legal, for the time being.
The number of violent incidents involving explosions in Rotterdam and surrounding municipalities has risen to 104 this year, according to a spokesperson from the Rotterdam police, corroborating reports from the regional media outlet Rijnmond on Wednesday.