Netherlands to classify high-potency cannabis as hard drug

Sceptics say move to group cannabis containing more than 15% THC with cocaine and ecstasy will be hard to enforce

The Dutch government has said it will move to classify high-potency cannabis alongside hard drugs such as cocaine and ecstasy, the latest step in the country's ongoing reversal of its liberal policies.

The decision means most of the cannabis now sold in Dutch coffee shops would have to be replaced by milder variants. But sceptics said the move would be difficult to enforce, and that it could simply lead many users to smoke more of the less potent weed.

Possession of cannabis is technically illegal in the Netherlands, but police do not prosecute people for possession of small amounts, and it is sold openly in designated cafes. Growers are routinely prosecuted if caught.

Maxime Verhagen, the economic affairs minister, said cannabis containing more than 15% of its main active chemical, THC, is so much stronger than what was common a generation ago that it should be considered a different drug entirely.

The high potency cannabis has "played a role in increasing public health damage", he said at a press conference in The Hague.

The cabinet has not said when it will begin enforcing the rule.

Jeffrey Parsons, a psychologist at Hunter College in New York, who studies addiction, said the policy may not have the benefits the government is hoping for.

"If it encourages smoking an increased amount of low-concentration THC weed, it is likely to actually cause more harm than good," he said, citing the potential lung damage and cancer-causing effects of extra inhalation.

The Dutch justice ministry said it was up to cafes to regulate their own products and police will seize random samples for testing.

But Gerrit-Jan ten Bloomendal, spokesman for the Platform of Cannabis Businesses in the Netherlands, said implementing the plan would be difficult "if not impossible".

"How are we going to know whether a given batch exceeds 15% THC? For that matter, how would health inspectors know?" he said. He predicted a black market will develop for highly potent cannabis.

The ongoing Dutch crackdown on cannabis is part of a decade-long rethink of liberalism in general that has seen a third of the windows in Amsterdam's red light district closed and led the Netherlands to adopt some of the toughest immigration rules in Europe.

The number of licensed coffee houses has been reduced, and earlier this year the government announced plans to ban tourists from buying cannabis. That has been resisted by the city of Amsterdam, where the cafes selling cannabis are a major tourist draw.

What it's like to be young and looking for work in Britain

Living on benefits, moving back in with mum and dad, enduring unpaid internships - job seekers tell their stories

‘I have less and less belief the longer it goes on' James Lawson, 18, west London

I'm looking to become a trainee electrician, but it's really hard to find anything. I ring companies, email them, anything, but, so far, I've had no luck.

I went on an IT course last year, but it didn't really help me out like they said it would. I was quite disappointed. But earlier this year I passed a construction course with JTL [a training provider for the building and engineering sector].

Every morning, I spend time with Tomorrow's People [an employment charity working with marginalised adults and young people] volunteering. I hope this will help my CV and show I've got a bit of experience. In the afternoons, I spend my time looking for trainee schemes or a part-time job. The response I normally get back from electrical companies is: "Sorry, but we're not looking for an apprentice." Or they want some experience. But I can't get any experience. It's like a trap.

I don't have any family to help me with my expenses. Tomorrow's People help me with bus fares, but I live in a London Cyrenians hostel at the moment with other 16- to 19-year-olds in the same situation. Some have jobs, a few don't seem bothered, but most are looking really hard. They just don't have any confidence that they will find one.

Having experience is more important than having the right qualifications, it seems. But even though I would work for free with an electrician to get experience they can't do this unless I've been through a trainee scheme first.

I just need a break to set up my future. I'm not sitting on my backside like some people think. I'm applying for a part-time job at Waitrose at the moment so I can hopefully show employers that I can work hard. My heart is set on being an electrician, but I can't hold out for ever. Maybe I'll give it another nine months. Once I turn 20, companies will be less likely to invest in me if I still can't show I've got experience. I have to keep believing it will happen for me, but I find I have less and less belief the longer it goes on.