The Netherlands is truly beautiful and the amount of snow that can settle overnight is remarkable. Not for the faint-hearted or those who suffer from the cold, the Netherlands is a destination one needs to visit at least once in your lifetime. If you know anything about the Netherlands’ tourist culture, you will have heard of Amsterdam.
Amsterdam has always been known for their booming marijuana market. You can walk into almost any cafe and sample the most divine confectionery. All these sweet treats are beautifully displayed for you to choose from to enjoy while having a deliciously brewed cup of coffee. There are curio shops with all sorts of trinkets to take home. But the most interesting might be the seed and bud shops where you can purchase smokables and even what you need to grow your very own marijuana.
Read: Bees Absolutely Love Cannabis and It Could Help Restore Their Populations
While consuming pot is legal in Amsterdam, the growth and sales thereof are not quite there yet
Police have gotten smart about finding illegal grow dens and houses. They discovered a little trick that can help them spot a grower in winter so easily, it’s almost ridiculous. They simply look for roofs with melted snow. It was in 2015 that they first raided a residence in Haarlem, a city west of Amsterdam after noticing an odd-looking roof.
The roof was the only one in the block that was not covered in snow. This suggested that there was an exorbitant amount of heat radiating from within the building. This could indicate too many lights being on at once in a smallish space which could only mean one thing – a grow den. That alone was cause enough for them to search the property and they discovered something crazy.
On inspection, officers discovered an entire indoor grow operation
Multiple heat lamps covered the ceiling and an industrial-scale grow den was under operation. An undisclosed number of plants were actively being cultivated on the premises at the time. The local police even tweeted an image of the Haarlem roof in order to prove how easy it was to spot. This was posted to warn other growers to immediately lay off their operations. Making it clear that the police were on to them.
Dutch laws are clear on growing cannabis
In the Netherlands, the law states that Dutch residents may grow up to 5 plants at a time for their own personal use. The police have previously raided another property in the town of Zutphen when residents spotted a rooftop absent of snow. It’s pretty simple actually as they posted on their Twitter page with the following caption: “Take a look at the rooftops in your neighborhood. No snow?”
Sources
- “Snow-Less Rooftop Leads Dutch Police to Pot Grow Op.” High Times. Mark Miller. February 20, 2015.