Dutch make move against marijuana
2011-10-07 22:14
Amsterdam - The Dutch government says it plans to reclassify high-potency marijuana alongside hard drugs such as cocaine and Ecstasy.
The move announced Friday by Economic Affairs Minister Maxime Verhagen means that most of the cannabis currently sold in the Netherlands' famed weed cafes will have to be replaced by milder variants.
Verhagen said the high-potency cannabis is so much stronger than the strains sold a generation ago, it should be considered a different drug entirely.
The step is the latest in the country's decade-long retreat from permissive policies of the past.
Opponents say the plan will prove difficult to enforce and heavy smokers will simply smoke more milder weed.
- SAPA