From October, ten Dutch municipalities will legally grow cannabis. Although the sale and consumption of small quantities in coffee shops is tolerated, cultivation and wholesale has so far been prohibited. After the experiment, the government wants to decide for or against full legalization of cannabis.
Coffee shops in the southern cities of Tilburg and Breda are likely to be the first to sell the legally grown drugs, said Health Minister Ernst Kuipers in The Hague on Wednesday. It is a test phase that will start in the autumn. To date, coffee shops depend on illegal and often criminal wholesalers to purchase their supplies.
To put an end to this situation, the government had agreed to an experiment in state-controlled cultivation of marijuana. Ten municipalities are expected to participate. The experiment had been postponed several times. Of the ten predetermined breeders, only one is able to supply larger quantities. Another problem for companies is that they are not yet allowed to open a business account with any bank.
Weed ban in the old city center of Amsterdam
After the experiment, the government wants to decide whether cannabis should be fully legalized or not. In Amsterdam – as reported – the sale of small amounts of hashish and marijuana in coffee shops could be restricted between 4 p.m. and 1 a.m. It is certain that from mid-May there will be a smoking ban in the streets of the old city. According to the city council, residents should feel safer again.
Source: Krone
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