Global Ganja Report

The Dutch government announced Oct. 7 that it will reclassify high-potency cannabis, placing it in the same category as hard drugs, claiming that THC levels in the strains have dramatically increased over the past generation. The move means that coffee shops will be required to remove the popular potent varieties from their shelves. Dutch politicians say high-strength strains, locally dubbed "skunk," are more dangerous than cannabis of a generation ago. Economic Affairs Minister Maxime Verhagen said that in the future, anything containing more than 15% THC will be treated the same as cocaine and ecstasy.

Critics said the new move will encourage users to smoke larger amounts of the milder strains, actually causing greater health risk. Marc Josemans, who runs a cafe in Maastricht, said the tough new approach is being driven by the increasingly influential far-right in Dutch politics. "Everything which is considered unusual for them—they call it 'left hobbies,' and under this name they want to ban all 'left hobbies', like using cannabis," he told the BBC. (BBC News, AP, Oct. 7)