Welcome to the National Cannabis Paper’s English Readers Section! On this page you can
read all about the purpose and contents of this truly unique, free and ad-free publication.
From March 15 to March 17, the Dutch national elections will determine the composition of
the new parliament and the next government. The main goal of The National Cannabis
Newspaper (‘De Nationale Cannabis Krant’) is to get as many cannabis consumers to the
polls as possible for this crucial election.
Cannabis Liberation Day
The paper is published by the VOC, the Dutch NGO that has been fighting for legalization of
cannabis since 2009. The VOC organized the annual free Cannabis Liberation Day festival in
Amsterdam between 2009 and 2018. VOC is short for ‘Verbond voor opheffing van het
Cannabisverbod’: Union for the abolition of cannabis prohibition.
One million cannabis consumers
According to the renowned Trimbos Institute, there are about one million cannabis consumers in the Netherlands. If they would vote cannabis friendly on a massive scale, they could determine the elections. Pages 16 and 17 contain information about the cannabis policy proposals and ideas of the 17 most promising parties, meaning the ones that are most likely to win at least one of the 150 seats in ‘De Tweede Kamer’, the Dutch House of Representatives.
War on weed
In the overview below you can see at a glance which parties have the most progressive ideas on cannabis and which parties basically hate the plant and want to continue or even ramp up the war on weed. All three Christian parties fall into this last category, as well as the far right PVV, led by Geert Wilders. Of the small parties, PiratenPartij and Bij1 are by far the most progressive, of the larger parties SP, D66 and GroenLinks are most cannabis-friendly.
Golden Ticket
Seven of the 100.000 printed copies of the newspaper contain a “Golden Ticket”. The lucky finders get to spend an unforgettable cannabis day in Amsterdam. Together with the other lucky finders, they will visit the Hash, Marijuana & Hemp Museum, Cannabis College, Hemp Gallery and a number of coffeeshops with a guide. The day includes a private cannabis canal cruise, a VIP dinner with special guests and a gorgeous goodie bag to take home. Please note: you must be 18 or older to enter.
Poster by Mossy Giant
In the middle of the paper, pages 10-11, is the 2021 elections poster designed by Mossy Giant. The work of this Amsterdam based graphic designer and artist is used by numerous cannabis companies and the HomeGrown Cup. The slogan ‘Geef de plant jouw stem’ translates as ‘Give your vote to the plant’. We encourage you to put up this poster, preferably behind your window, facing outward. And we ask you to help spread it: just ask the staff of your favorite coffeeshop why the poster is not on their walls if you see it isn’t.
More prizes!
Find some Dutch speaking tokers, solve the crossword on page 6 together and mail your answer to prijsvraag@denationalecannabiskrant.nl. The sooner the better, but no later than March 17. We will pick five winners from the correct answers, who will receive a unique prize package. It contains the photobook ‘Humboldt Green Gold’ by Steef Fleur, top class cannabis seeds, a box of large rolling papers with tips, a Cannabis Liberation Day medal, two tickets to the Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum in Amsterdam and other special gifts.
Recipes and tips to grow your own
For those who like to bake (nudge, nudge, know what I mean), we present two recipes. A recipe for the ideal infused base for making edibles, using coconut oil on page 2 and a great recipe for chocolate chip cookies using this base on page 8. Want to try your hand at growing your own? We explain the best method to germinate cannabis seeds on page 8 and offer expert growing advice on page 15.
Cannabis and driving
Since 2017, Dutch police officers regularly check drivers for drug use with a saliva test. The main catch here is that the effects of cannabis last about four hours, while THC can be detected for days or even weeks. The article on page 12 explains this problem and contains ten tips to protect yourself against the saliva test.
Distribution points
The back page has a map of the Netherlands on which the distribution points are marked. You can get free extra copies here as long as stocks last and help distribute them to coffeeshops and other cannabis-friendly spots. Thanks for helping!
Smoke the vote!
Are you entitled to vote in the Dutch elections? Than by all means use this right and cast a cannabis-friendly vote in March. You can always encourage your Dutch friends to go out and “smoke the vote”, as the Americans say, this year. If the cannabis consumers don’t stand up for their rights we might end up with Wopke Hoekstra, the rising star of the Christian CDA party, as our prime minister. Yes, that’s one of the parties that wants to close down all the coffeeshops in the Netherlands.
