The Dutch experiment with regulated marijuana production, which aims to pave the way for a closed chain of growers and retailers, expands nationwide on Monday, with 10 towns and cities now taking part.

The new stage in the trial involves cannabis cafes, or “coffeeshops”, in eight more cities selling both illegal marijuana and hashish produced by licenced growers.

The experiment was launched in Breda and Tilburg at the end of last year and is now being extended to Groningen, Zaanstad, Almere, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Voorne aan Zee, Heerlen and Maastricht.

This stage in the programme aims to “optimise” the “quantity, quality and diversity” of the marijuana on offer. This means the café owners can buy from multiple growers to ensure their customers have a wide choice and do not have to resort to illegal weed.

Currently, just three suppliers are up to speed with production but officials hope two more will be up and running by September, broadcaster NOS reported. If that is the case, then the 80 coffee shops in the trial will only be allowed to sell licenced products from that month.  

The new coalition is known to be concerned about the experiment but a majority of MPs voted against the far-right PVV’s plan to call a halt. They also rejected a bid to allow Amsterdam’s eastern district to join in at the last minute.

The experiment aims to phase out the Dutch gedoog (tolerated) policy that has decriminalised the possession of small amounts of cannabis and licenced sales outlets,  but makes it illegal to produce and sell in bulk.

This “front door, back door” system was introduced to draw a line between so-called “soft” and “hard” drugs in the 1970s, when Amsterdam became world-renowned as a drug haven.

Crime

But this civic compromise has left the door open to continued criminal rule, with robberies, violence and money laundering still plaguing much of the industry. Consumers also don’t know exactly what they’re consuming, and the health service can’t know exactly what it might be treating. Now policymakers want that back door closed.

Breda’s mayor Paul Delpa, one of the main campaigners for a regulated system, told Dutch News last year the experiment is fundamentally about safety.

“The Dutch policy for weed is quite devious. People can buy it legally in coffeeshops, but the production of the weed and the buying part (the back door) of the shop owners is illegal. That means there’s a big criminal world that thrives on producing the weed and selling it to the shops. That needs to change.”