Will Moroccan hash soon be imported legally into the Netherlands?

While the Netherlands continue their regulated cannabis experiment, more and more voices are calling on the government to review a key element: the’no Moroccan hashish.

A new proposal, sent earlier this month to the mayors of participating municipalities, suggests authorizing the’legal import of hashish from Morocco to meet persistent consumer demand and avoid premature failure of the pilot project.

Temporary tolerance of supply difficulties

L’regulated cannabis experience, officially launched on April 7, aims to create a legal supply chain for cannabis-based products in ten Dutch municipalities. Its implementation has been delayed, particularly as regards the availability of hashish.

Since the start of the trial, the sale of foreign hashish in coffee shops has been temporarily tolerated - an exception to the initial framework of the experiment.

This two-month tolerance period, which ends on June 10, was granted because of quality problems and a limited supply of legal hashish.

According to Derrick Bergman, President of Foundation for the Abolition of Cannabis Prohibition, This tolerance reflects the Netherlands« unique approach to drug policy: »A typical example of Dutch tolerance," he explains to Cannabisindustrie.nl.

He adds that the original plan was for the experiment to begin only once. that the ten designated growers would be operational, which is not yet the case.

Demand for high-quality hashish remains strong

The Platform Cannabisondernemingen Nederland (PCN) reports that hashish still accounts for between 20 and 25 % of total coffee shop sales.

The Dutch cannabis growers cannot reproduce the qualities of traditional Moroccan hashish, as their varieties grow indoors unlike the Beldia growing outdoors in Morocco's Rif region. Moroccan hash is also known for its soft effects and its higher CBD content than modern cannabis varieties.

«Dutch growers are simply unable to produce traditional Moroccan hashish,» notes NCP.

This has led to significant dissatisfaction among coffee shop owners and consumers, many of whom consider the Moroccan hashish as irreplaceable. This shortage has led some coffee shops to refuse customers due to limited stocks.

Legal and technical feasibility of importing Moroccan hashish

The Initiative group for the legal import of hashish, composed of Pien Metaal (TNI), Kaj Hollemans (KH Legal Advice) and Nicole Maalsté (Acces Interdit), claims that importing legally produced hashish in Morocco is both technically feasible and legally permissible as part of the cannabis experiment.

The proposal presents a logistics plan which includes laboratory testing, secure storage and regulated transport. The aim is to import hashish produced in Moroccan cooperatives which now operate legally under the supervision of the Agence Nationale de Réglementation des Activités relatives au Cannabis (ANRAC).

Proponents of the proposal say it could help save the credibility of the cannabis experiment while supporting the legal cannabis sector in Morocco, which is currently facing a surplus of legal hashish unsold. Mr. Schafrat insists that importing Moroccan hashish «kills two birds with one stone» by stabilizing the Dutch market and offering Moroccan cooperatives a viable outlet for their exports.

As part of this project, a authorized Dutch importer would be responsible for importing, storing, processing and distributing Moroccan hashish, in line with the experimental framework. All products would be subject to centralized laboratory testing and delivered via secure logistics to participating coffee shops.

If adopted, this plan could set a precedent for the future. legal cannabis imports and strengthen links between European markets and traditional producer regions such as Morocco.