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.

Cannabis coffeeshops in the Dutch city of Maastricht have agreed to bar French, Italian and Spanish tourists, reserving access to Dutch, German and Belgian nationals—ostensibly to cut back on noise, traffic and other disturbances associated with cannabis tourism. The idea seems to be that tourists from neighboring countries are better behaved and do not bring their cars. "The authorities have signalled that the coffee shops will be shut if the problems do not ease," said Marc Josemans, president of the Maastricht Association of Coffee Shops.

The Dutch government's plan to stop tourists from purchasing cannabis was apparently set back June 29 by a decision by the country's top legal advisory body. The Council of State, ruling on a 2006 Maastricht ordinance barring foreigners from "coffee shops," said the city had overstepped its authority, because cannabis sale is already theoretically illegal in the Netherlands by national law—even if under the law goes virtually unenforced under the country's tolerance policy.

South African anthropologist Francis Thackeray has asked permission to open the graves of William Shakespeare and his family to determine what killed the Bard—and whether his immortal works may have been composed under the influence of cannabis. While Shakespeare's bones could reveal clues about his health and death, the question of his cannabis use depends on the presence of hair, fingernails or toenails in the grave.

The Amsterdam city council, backed by the tourist board and local campaigners, is opposing a new law proposed by the Dutch government that would ban foreigners from frequenting the city's cannabis-serving coffee shops by 2012. "If tourists are denied access to coffee shops, illegal sales and drug dealing on the streets of Amsterdam will increase," warned Mayor Eberhard van der Laan. "Amsterdam does not want to facilitate soft drug use by tourists, but to help those who wish to use drugs to do so as responsibly as possible."

The Dutch government on May 27 said it will start barring tourists from buying cannabis at coffee shops by the end of the year. Backed by the far-right party of anti-immigrant politician Geert Wilders, the coalition government that came into power last year announced plans to restrict "drug tourism" as part of a nationwide "anti-crime" program. Under the new rules, only Dutch residents will be able to sign up as members of cannabis shops. "In order to tackle the nuisance and criminality associated with coffee shops and drug trafficking, the open-door policy of coffee shops will end," the Dutch health and justice ministers wrote in a letter to the country's parliament. (Reuters, May 27)

Dr. Jean Colombera, Green party deputy in Luxembourg, has launched a campaign to legalize cannabis in the European statelet after discovering that it can be used to treat tumors. Colombera, a well-known supporter of medicinal cannabis, said that his research team can demonstrate that an extract from a non-psychoactive variety grown in Luxembourg helps to dissolve brain tumor cells.

The new Dutch government, which took office last month, has unveiled a policy to limit the sale of cannabis to Netherlands residents. "No tourist attractions. We don't like that," the new security minister, Ivo Opstelten, told public broadcaster NOS. "The heart of the problem is crime and disturbances surrounding the sale. We have to go back to what it was meant for: local use for those who would like it."