Court orders legal cannabis grower to address stench

A company that legally cultivates cannabis must put an end to the odor nuisance. On Wednesday, the Rotterdam court ruled that the environmental regulations set by the municipality of Voorne aan Zee are correct and can remain in force.

The company is a part of the national experiment for government-regulated weed cultivation. In a 32,000-square-meter greenhouse complex, cannabis is legally cultivated. Since the company started two years ago, more than 2,000 complaints have been filed. An expert from the company also confirmed the odor nuisance.

The judge called it “undesirable” for the nuisance to continue. The company has one week to take action; after that, the regulations will come into force, and fines of up to 3.5 million euros may be imposed.

According to an engineering firm hired by CanAdelaar, measures to limit the odor are complex. The smell comes from living plants, making it difficult to eliminate the odor completely without endangering the health of the plants.

Local residents, such as Cora van Mook, have expressed concern about the situation. Van Mook sees it as an experiment with their safety rather than an experiment in the legal cultivation and sale of cannabis.

“The national government is experimenting with policy regarding the Closed Coffeeshop Chain project and conveniently forgets the residents living near a cultivation site. The company on Middelweg has been operating since 2018 and has had more than enough time to find a solution to the problem it is causing,” Van Mook said to Voorne-Putten.nl.

The legal cannabis cultivation project in the Netherlands, often referred to as the Closed Coffeeshop Chain (GSC) experiment, was launched to provide a regulated supply of cannabis to licensed coffeeshops while reducing illegal trade. Pilot companies were selected to grow cannabis under strict conditions, including environmental standards, security measures, and quality controls.