DUTCH CITY WANTS TO GROW POT IN CO-OPERATIVE, FLOUTING FEDERAL LAW

The Dutch city of Utrecht wants cannabis smokers to grow their own
marijuana in a co-operative, a move that would go against the
Netherlands' drive to discourage soft drug use.

It also would be illegal, the government said.

The use of marijuana is legal in the Netherlands, but the mass
cultivation of cannabis plants is illegal and controlled by criminal
groups.

"If you have some users grow the cannabis, you remove it from the
criminal and illegal scene," said Utrecht Alderman Victor Everhardt.
By controlled cultivation, the quality also would be guaranteed and
reduce health hazards, he said.