According to the specially appointed advisory committee, Commision-Knottnerus, the government must broaden the experiment with controlled cannabis cultivation and supply for recreational use: More participating municipalities, several growers involved and no limits to the strength of the weed.
The Committee has examined the planned cannabis experiment in recent months and is currently issuing it’s advice. This states that the experiment should take place in “significantly more” municipalities than the six to ten that the government has now established. According to the committee, it is important for the value of the experiment, that large and small municipalities across the country participate in the trial. The weed experiment will take four years. During this period, cannabis can be produced in certain municipalities and also be delivered to coffeeshops.
The plan is to evaluate the experiment after four years and then, over a period of six months, return to the present situation. After the completion everything would be as before. Christian parties have forced this point as they fear the experiment will quietly become standard practice. But the committee thinks it is “illogical and risky” and wants to be able to extend the trial if it is successful. According to the committee it would also be “unethical” to have sales outlets operate legally for four years only to have them return to clandestine operations for supply at the end of that period. The Committee advises the government to make it clear in advance that upon a succesful completion of the experiment, the aim is to “implement the closed, regulated cannabis chain nationally”.
[photo from debate during Cannabis Bevrijdingsdag 2018]