VIVAnews - Wearing a green t-shirt that reads ‘weeds’ in the chest, Derrick Bergman tried hard to explain the idea behind the “Cannabis Bevrijdingsdag" or the “Marijuana Liberation Day”.
“It’s half legal,” the member of the Dutch Marijuana Organization (Vereniging van het voor Opheffing Cannabisverbod) said, adding that the law forbids weed sales (except in certain coffee houses) and cultivation.
However, the people are allowed to consume the plant in a certain amount. Bergman later took a small box out of his jeans pocket and opened it.
A pinch of leaf and a flower was kept inside the box. “This is my weed,” Bergman said, smiling. “I bring it along with me everywhere I go (in Netherland)”. He got the weed from his own plant.
According to him, the Dutch law permits someone to own marijuana as long as it does not weigh more than five grams. Any overweight possession will lead to prosecutions.
“In the US, I could go to jail because of this,” he said. “There have been 700,000 people sent to prison.”
The Opium Laws state that every part of marijuana plants is prohibited except for the seeds. However, the particular part is still illegal although it is said to be tolerated.
A recent court verdict has allowed medical marijuana users to avoid legal charges for having a small amount of weed plants. “You can have up to five pots at home. But, if ever there’s a raid, the police will take all of them,” Bergman said.
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Translated by: Nataya Ermanti
