Next phase of Dutch cannabis experiment will start on April 7th
There will be no new postponement of the ongoing cannabis experiment. Despite a request from the coffee shops
There will be no new postponement of the ongoing cannabis experiment. Despite a request from the coffee shops from the 10 experimental municipalities, Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel is sticking to the start date of April 7. He expects that 'the start criteria with regard to the quantity, quality and diversity of regulated products will be met'.
What are the concerns of coffee shop owners?
In an urgent letter, the participating coffee shop owners had recently warned that this was not the case: 'We are on the right track with all parties involved - from growers, coffee shops and transporters to civil servants and managers of the Track & Trace system - but not quite ready yet. As coffee shops, we have established that the quantity, quality and diversity of legal products are still insufficient. The risk of chaos and a failed experiment is therefore enormous. That would be disastrous for the energy that all parties involved have put into it so far.’
Van Weel does not expect it to get that bad: ‘At the moment, seven growers are in production, six of whom supply the coffee shops in the participating municipalities. Of these, five growers are currently producing hashish to a greater or lesser extent. On 7 April, seven growers will supply the coffee shops, one of whom will initially focus solely on hashish. The other three growers will start production and delivery later this year.
In total, seven of the ten growers will also produce hashish for the time being.’ Regarding the criticism of the quality of the hash, he writes: ‘In the administrative consultation, the concerns of the coffee shop owners, particularly with regard tohashish, are shared. If the supply is of insufficient quality, this could possibly lead to (illegal) street trading.
There is consensus that the start of the experimental phase will not go without a hitch, because an artificial new market is being opened that cannot be compared to other markets. At the same time, the importance of starting the experimental phase is also emphasised. Moreover, it is expected that supply and demand can only fully align once the experimental phase has started.'
Finally, the VVD minister announced a new meeting: 'We realize that this does not allay the concerns of coffee shop owners. That is why our ministries are facilitating a meeting for growers, coffee shop owners and the participating municipalities on March 26 to bring growers and coffee shop owners together and share experiences.' In short, to be continued...
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Liz Filmer
