Belgium: next Cannabis Club trial in Mons

In addition to the bill tabled by the Belgian PS to legalize cannabis, the mayor of Mons, Elo Di Rupio, wants to present a text for the creation of a Cannabis Social Club (CSC) in the city of Mons.

The text is «part of a medical and scientific experiment with very strong government control and strict regulations», and will be submitted shortly to the ethics committee of the city's CHU Ambroise Paré.

The elected representative intends to exploit the UN Conventions of 1961 and 1971, which allow medical and scientific experiments involving the use of narcotics, in the same way that some Swiss cities are trying to achieve. However, he still has to obtain the approval of Health Minister Maggie De Block and the local ethics committee.

The Mons public prosecutor's office quickly opposed to the idea, arguing that its proposal does not comply with Belgian law. However, if the Minister of Health and the ethics committee approve the project, the public prosecutor will have to authorize it.

The experiment is to be carried out with 200 participants, supervised by health and prevention professionals and academics. Half of them will be registered with the CSC, and will buy cannabis there. The other half will be part of a control group, and will continue to obtain their supplies «through their usual networks», either on the black market, or by growing their authorized plant at home. Participants must all be over 21, residents of the city of Mons, and have smoked cannabis at least 25 times.

Based on this medical and scientific experiment, conclusions will have to be drawn, notably concerning the control of the composition and quantity of cannabis consumed, consumption patterns, the reduction of illegal trafficking and the impact on local justice.

In Belgium, several Cannabis Clubs have already tried to implement this model, but without going through the scientific and medical process. Few survivors remain.

Between the agreement of the ethics committee, the Minister of Health and the establishment of the Cannabis Club, the project will not see the light of day before 2018. Elo Di Rupio had already already communicated on this project in April 2017.