Pilot project launched for the sale of legally grown cannabis
A pilot project for the sale of legally grown cannabis has been launched in the Netherlands. Coffeeshops in the cities of Breda and Tilburg have been supplied by certified growers since Friday. During a visit to a coffee shop in Breda, Health Minister Ernst Kuipers described the launch of the project as a "historic moment". Previously, the cafés were allowed to sell small quantities of cannabis. However, they had to rely on illegal dealers, who often belonged to organized crime, to buy it.
In order to eliminate this legal gray area and combat drug-related crime as a whole, the Dutch government decided in 2019 to launch the pilot project, which has now been launched after a long period of preparation. After a start-up phase in Breda and Tilburg, eight other cities and one district of Amsterdam want to take part in the project.
Contrary to popular belief, cannabis is not legal in the Netherlands, which is world-famous for its coffee shops. Since 1976, only the sale and consumption of small quantities has been tolerated in the coffeeshops. Anyone who consumes hashish or marijuana there is officially breaking the law, but will not be prosecuted.
Until now, however, it has not been legal or tolerated to grow cannabis in the Netherlands. As a result, the almost 570 coffee shops in the country have so far been forced to buy cannabis on the black market. Many coffee shop operators were therefore "dependent" on criminal drug gangs - "and that had to stop", said Breda's mayor Paul Depla.
During the experiment, they will now be supplied by growers such as Holland High, which grows tens of thousands of cannabis plants under bright LED lights in Bemmel near the border with Germany. Holland High was already supplying coffee shops before the pilot project - and was often involved in a "cat-and-mouse game" with the police, as greenhouse boss Ashwin Matai recalls. The delivery trips were therefore often "stressful".
Read also:
- Year of climate records: extreme is the new normal
- Precautionary arrests show Islamist terror threat
- UN vote urges Israel to ceasefire
- SPD rules out budget resolution before the end of the year
The pilot project aims to shift the cannabis supply from illegal dealers linked to organized crime to certified growers, as seen with Holland High's involvement. Following the launch, eight more cities and a district of Amsterdam plan to participate in this historic endeavor.
Source: www.ntv.de
