Mayor Femke Halsema decided that Amsterdam still wanted to take part in the trial of regulated cannabis cultivation. The city was not initially eligible due to the number of coffee shops in the city, but the Cabinet is preparing a new test that will allow Amsterdam to participate. You will investigate the city in the appropriate area for the experiment.

In 2019, the House of Representatives voted to prosecute the legal cultivation of cannabis. In ten municipalities, it was examined whether coffee shops could be supplied with controlled weed and what the implications would be for public order, crime and public health.

very big

Turns out, Amsterdam, with its 166 cafés, is too big to absorb the experience. To the city’s disappointment, the test did not go as well as they would have liked. For example, only 20 to 30 varieties of weed and hash are offered, while there are hundreds of variants on the market in Amsterdam. In addition, all the coffee houses in the city also had to participate, so that their illegal suppliers were withdrawn in one fell swoop.

Halsema even wrote a letter to former minister Fred Grapperhaus asking for the conditions to be modified so that at least one of the major cities could participate. According to the city council in 2018, the experiment was ‘doomed’ if Amsterdam could not participate.

Amsterdam is suitable

The Cabinet has now decided to extend the experiment to the eleventh municipality. To this end, an amendment should be made to the law on the closed coffee chain, which is currently before the House of Representatives. According to the Amsterdam Triangle (mayor, judiciary and police), which agreed to participate, different city districts are suitable for trial. Because of its size and population.

The city is in talks with the Departments of Justice and Security and Public Health about further developing participation. The municipality will soon enter into discussions with the city’s districts and the café sector. The goal is to choose which region will participate in May.