Legal Weed Is Now Available In Many Parts Of The Netherlands As Government Cannabis Trial Enters Next Stage

The cannabis experimental trial program in The Netherlands, which was met with controversy from some politicians, just got expanded to eight new cities countrywide.

Initially launched last year in the municipalities of Tilburg and Breda the country's four-year cannabis experiment has entered its next stage. The expansion allowed for cannabis cafes, or "coffeeshops" in Groningen, Zaanstad, Almere, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Voorne aan Zee, Heerlen and Maastricht to sell marijuana and hashish produced by licensed growers.

The move is expected to result in the expanded product offering featuring "quantity, quality and diversity," reported DutchNews.

The trial program that kicked off in December, was set to allow for growers and suppliers to operate legally across 11 municipalities, with coffee shops taking part so that the same rules apply to everyone.

However, cannabis sales remained prohibited to underaged smokers, while the possession maximum was set to five grams with only people in the Netherlands being able to take part.

Moreover, the marijuana in question is to be tested and stored in a package with a QR code, providing consumers with information about the products, including where and when was cannabis grown, by which company, and how strong it is.

Four years following the trial launch, the authorities will decide if the program should be extended or made permanent. 

Members of the attempted to kill the Dutch government’s pilot project earlier this year, but that attempt failed. In addition, the measure that would have made it possible for the experiment to expand from 10 to 11 municipalities so that the Amsterdam-Oost district in the capital could participate was also struck down by the Parliament.

The latest cannabis regulatory development comes on the heels of other European countries embracing cannabis. Slovenia voters gave the green light to an adult-use cannabis legalization measure earlier this month, while cannabis legalization went into effect on April 1 in Germany.  

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