Interpolis, the Dutch insurer, says it plans to begin offering coverage to illegal cannabis growers who supply marijuana and hashish to the country's quasi-legal coffeeshops.

"If I have tomato growers as clients, why am I not allowed to insure cannabis growers?" [Interpolis director Alof] Wiechmann asked rhetorically. He also noted that Interpolis included several coffeeshops among its client base.

Wiechmann said his company was primarily concerned about safety issues. Illegal cannabis operations, often hidden in the attics of old houses, are a notorious fire hazard.

Cannabis growers often tamper with electrical systems to steal power for the strong lamps needed to help cultivate the illegal crops. Faulty or old wiring can and often does spark fires.

Sounds like harm-reduction-meets-the-free-market to me. More here on the proposal from the very cool Expatica. And read more about Interpolis here.