Strong cannabis may face ban   

By The Holland Times Sunday 09 October 2011, 20:10

The cabinet on Friday will discuss plans to restrict the sale of strong cannabis in the Netherlands. According to media reports Thursday, marijuana with a THC level higher than 15 percent may fall under the Opium Act.

A commission last June declared excessively high levels of THC are dangerous and may increase risks of addiction and psychosis. Based on these assessments, Minister of Health Edith Schippers (VVD) will suggest a tightening of the country's soft drugs policy. The minister is expected to suggest that strong cannabis be treated as a Class A drug.

Some MPs, however, have voiced criticism of the move. In particular, D66 MP Boris van der Ham called for increased supervision of the production of cannabis in the country, referring to the fact that commercial cannabis production is illegal.

Marc Josemans from the national coffeeshop associations voiced a similar opinion. "We welcome quality controls, but we need to have the opportunity to control it," he told de Volkskrant.