Dutch government eyes regulated cannabis production

The Netherlands’ new cabinet plans to sanction experiments that would change the country’s model of where and how legal cannabis is sold.

According to RTL News, up to 10 municipalities may be chosen for the test program, which could lead to state-licensed growers producing marijuana for sale in their own region.

Proponents of the move say it will help to keep the country’s famed “coffee shops” from purchasing cannabis supplies from the black market, the broadcaster reported.

Parts of the Netherlands, particularly Amsterdam, have long allowed the sale of small amounts of cannabis in coffee shops.

But under current Dutch law, selling marijuana through a coffee shop is illegal, though not punishable, and the businesses’ suppliers are technically forbidden from growing or selling cannabis. And that situation has led to an influx of illicit marijuana, Dutch critics say.