The experiment with legally grown weed and hash has been postponed again. This is to the great disappointment of Mayor Theo Weterings of Tilburg, he informs Omroep Brabant. Tilburg is one of ten municipalities participating in the trial.
The Ministry of Health expects that the so-called weed test can only start in the second quarter of 2023, according to a letter to the House of Representatives that was sent on Wednesday. Previously, the second half of 2022 was assumed.
“We want to move forward,” says a spokesperson for the municipality of Tilburg on behalf of the mayor. “The current soft drug policy is bankrupt. We want it to be different and that requires this experiment.”
For Tilburg there is postponement, not adjustment. “We will remain part of the experiment and we will continue to talk with the ministry,” said the spokesperson. “We also hope that MPs will now ask questions about the new delay.”
Bottlenecks according to ministry
The ministry expects that there will only be enough weed that meets the quality requirements in the first half of next year. In addition, there must also be enough different types of weed to supply the participating coffee shops.
Of the ten intended growers who are to grow the cannabis, eight have so far been designated. The ministry writes in the letter to parliament that selecting the growers is taking longer than expected. A number of growers are having trouble finding a location.
Also, some designated growers have problems opening a bank account. Banks are obliged to combat money laundering and terrorist financing, which is why banks see ‘barriers’. The Ministry of Health is looking for solutions with the Ministry of Finance and De Nederlandsche Bank, among others.
‘transition phase’
When all preparations are actually completed in the second quarter of 2023, the ‘transition phase’ can begin. In those six weeks, coffee shops can still sell the legal and illegal offerings side by side. After that, coffee shops in the participating municipalities are only allowed to sell the legal offer for a period of four years.
The experiment was already included in the coalition agreement of the previous cabinet, which took office in 2017. The current coalition has agreed to expand the experiment with a large city. This is in addition to the ten municipalities, including Tilburg and Breda, that have already participated.
In addition to Tilburg, we also asked the municipality of Breda for a response to the delay in the experiment. We have not yet received these.
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