Cannabis test in six to ten municipalities against council experts

The weed test will be conducted in six to ten municipalities over the next four years. That's what the Cabinet decided. According to Knottner's recommendation, these municipalities are far fewer than what is needed to achieve a reliable result.

Nevertheless, the responsible ministers Grapperhaus and Bruins expect it to be a full-fledged experiment that yields useful results. "I guess the test is seen this way," Bruins says. According to Grapperhaus, the firm follows the advice of the Knottnerus Commission. "We work with several growers and with a lot of variety in weeds."

The number of "cannabis municipalities" thus remains from six to ten. However, six to ten "control municipalities" are added, says Grapperhaus. In these municipalities, nothing really changes, but the cultivation and trade of cannabis are closely monitored.

Non-Illegal

In the lawsuit, the cultivation of grass and coffee shops in the participating municipalities not illegal. The goal is to examine whether this regulation by the government has the effect of reducing crime and improving public health. The parties of the VVD coalition, CDA, D66 and ChristenUnie agreed in the coalition agreement that the trial would be held in six to ten municipalities.

But the independent inquiry committee Knottnerus advised late June to extend the lawsuit to more than ten municipalities. still quite different from each other. The results would not otherwise be useful for discussing the effects of weed regulation throughout the Netherlands.

In addition, according to the Committee, many types of weeds and hashish should be tested with no limit of resistance. The Committee also disagrees with the Cabinet's decision to cancel the cannabis chain legalized after four years, regardless of the outcome.

More, not more

The government takes the part of the pilot council on a larger scale so not finished, but it is set up more varied. Yesterday, it became clear that the coalition parties CDA and ChristenUnie think differently from the weed test than the VVD and the D66. They were able to reach a compromise.