Private individuals can grow up to five marijuana plants at home before facing criminal charges, no matter how big the yield is, the high court ruled on Tuesday.

However, growers will have to hand over the plants to police immediately if they get an official visit, the court said.
The ruling relates to separate home-grown cases dating back to 2006 and 2008. In one case, a man in Roermond was found to have five plants in his garden with a combined yield of 2,180 grammes. In the other, a couple were found with five plants yielding 6,712 grammes.
The public prosecution department had argued that the weight of the yield broke regulations allowing individuals to have up to five grammes of marijuana for their own use.