De proef vindt plaats omdat coffeeshops nu wel wiet mogen verkopen, maar niet inkopen. Een onderdeel van de wietproef is om te kijken of ook de inkoop legaal kan worden.
Het kabinet noemt dat de gesloten coffeeshopketen. Dit moet ervoor zorgen dat de kwaliteit van de cannabis wordt gecontroleerd. De plannen hiervoor verschijnen voor het eerst in het regeerakkoord uit oktober 2017.
Gedoogbeleid softdrugs en coffeeshops
- Nederland telt zo’n 573 coffeeshops.
- Deze shops zijn verspreid over 103 gemeenten.
- Volwassenen met een geldig identiteitsbewijs of een verblijfsvergunning kunnen er voor eigen gebruik cannabis kopen, mits deze coffeeshops zich aan de (landelijke en lokale regels) houden.
- Het toelaten van de verkoop van cannabis ondanks dat het eigenlijk verboden is, wordt gedogen genoemd.
Ten municipalities have nominated to pilot cannabis
What this closed cannabis chain should look like is under an advisory committee. It will be submitted by that committee in mid-2018 a report. In her own words, the committee draws heavily on her experiences with medical cannabis. “The Netherlands already has a strong example of a closed chain for cannabis: medical cannabis. Production, distribution and sales appear to be possible here in a coherent manner,” the report states. Most of the committee’s advice is approved by the Council of Ministers and the draft law will be submitted to the House of Representatives in July.
The so-called online consultation will start in November, so municipalities, cafe owners and farmers can respond to the plans. After the bill was passed in the House of Representatives in January 2019, ten municipalities were nominated to trial cannabis in August of that year. These are Arnhem, Almere, Breda, Groningen, Heerlen, Hellevotzlaus, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Tilburg and Zaanstad.
Starting planting causes delays
Almost a year later, in July 2020, it was done First steps Put to hemp testing. An independent steering and evaluation committee is appointed. In addition, the first farmers are selected. A lottery will be held in December to finally determine who can participate. This happens after a final search and examination. The first growers will get the green light in May 2021. They can then prepare their site and start growing hemp.
The cannabis experiment was late around that time. This is partly due to the difficulties in starting farming. Moreover, café owners want to ensure adequate continuity. In March 2022, this came in a Message to Parliament The trial is expected to start in the second quarter of 2023. Therefore, this date has not been met.
As previously reported, cafes in Tilburg and Breda will receive weed from legal growers in December. If all goes well, the other eight municipalities will follow at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
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