The Netherlands: Cabinet moves to ban super-strong cannabis

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Expatica.com

Friday 09 Apr 2004

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AMSTERDAM — The Dutch cabinet decided on Thursday to ban the sale of
super-strong homegrown cannabis if a commissioned study reveals that the
soft drug has become too powerful.
Ministers also decided to ask municipal councils to restrict as much as
possible the sale of cannabis from coffeeshops near schools and
political borders.
But opposition party Labour PvdA said the cabinet plan was "unwise" and
that soft drugs should remain controllable. A spokesman said if soft
drugs became illegal, authorities would lose supervision of their trade
and use.
Research by the Trimbos Institute for Addiction indicates that the THC
level — the workable agent in cannabis and hash — has increased
significantly over the years, meaning that Dutch-grown marijuana,
Nederwiet, could now be considered a hard drug.
Nederwiet is an extra-strong variant of marijuana. It is grown in
professionally-equipped greenhouses and is often referred to as skunk.
It is much in demand in Dutch coffeeshops.
And in its annual Drugs Monitor report, the institute said last month
that the THC (Tetrahydrocannabinol) level in Nederwiet has increased to
15 percent compared with 9 percent in 1999. The increase is due to
professional growing techniques.
Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner, Interior Minister Johan Remkes and
Health Minister Hans Hoogervorst urged the cabinet to conduct further
research into THC levels and investigate a possible ban on the sale of
strong cannabis.
Deputy Prime Minister Gerrit Zalm — who spoke on behalf of Prime
Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, who was on a State visit to China this
week — said the cabinet's cannabis legislative proposal will be
presented to Parliament next week, newspaper De Volkskrant reported.
The legislation proposes further research into the health effects of
strong cannabis and toughening jail terms for large-scale cannabis
cultivation from four to five years.
[Copyright Expatica News 2004]

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