Amsterdam will participate with other Dutch cities in an experiment on the sale of cannabis legally produced in the Netherlands, a country famous for its tolerance towards soft drugs, the government has decided.
While the consumption and sale of hashish, weed and their derivatives is tolerated, the rest of the supply chain is illegal and the narcotics sold generally enter the country through smuggling, notably through various mafias.
With the integration of Amsterdam, the experiment now involves eleven municipalities and aims to define whether the regulated production, distribution and sale of cannabis is possible. It must also make it possible to control the quality of narcotics and analyze the impact of such an approach on crime, security and public health.
The experiment is due to begin in December in Bréda and Tilburg, two cities in the south of the country.
A delayed and gradual start
In a decision published on Friday, the resigning Dutch government indicated that the East district of Amsterdam had been chosen to participate in the experiment, which will start in the capital later, at the earliest at the end of the first quarter of 2024, alongside eight other municipalities.
The experiment was authorized in 2019 and most legal producers designated in 2020, but its launch, initially planned for 2022, has been postponed several times.
“The starting point for the addition of an eleventh municipality was: that this does not cause delays,” explained the government, which also indicated that a “gradual start does not mean that the experience will also end at different times.”
Initially, participating coffee shops will be able to offer both legally grown products and “tolerated” products. The duration of the experiment will be at least four years.