A group of Dutch MPs from ChristenUnie, SGP and Groep Markuszower has submitted an amendment to the national budget law calling for the start of a phase out of the Experiment Gesloten Coffeeshopketen, the Dutch regulated cannabis supply chain experiment. The amendment asks that the phase out be anchored in legislation and includes a €100,000 allocation for public prevention campaigns on drug use.
In the explanatory note, the MPs refer to figures from the Landelijk Alcohol en Drugs Informatie Systeem, LADIS, which list cannabis as the second most common substance connected to addiction treatment among people under 25. They also point to written statements from the Minister of Justice and Safety and the State Secretary for Health, Welfare and Sport on possible links between early cannabis use and effects on brain development, anxiety, concentration and performance.
The amendment does not propose an immediate end to the experiment, but a gradual winding down, combined with funding for awareness and prevention. The three parties behind it hold around 13 seats in the Tweede Kamer, limiting its chances of approval.
At the same time, the coalition agreement of the minority government formed by D66, CDA and VVD states that the Experiment Gesloten Coffeeshopketen will continue and be evaluated.
