NL: Comparison between cannabis from coffee shops and from the Office of Medicinal Cannabis

Researchers of the University of Leiden in cooperation with the laboratories Farmalyse (Zaandam) and Bactimm (Nijmegen) compared the quality and price of cannabis sold by coffee shops and cannabis of the Office of Medicinal Cannabis (OMC) of the Health Ministry delivered by pharmacies.

Researchers found that cannabis from coffee shops may be contaminated by bacteries and fungi, that may harm seriously ill patients. The micro-organisms found on the samples included Coli-bacteria and several Aspergillus species. Coli-bacteria are faecal bacteria, that may have found their way into the cannabis by somebody who did not wash his hands. “This may go well in healthy people, but is a hazard to people who use this as a medicine," lead researcher Dr. Rob Verpoorte said. No micro-organisms were found on the medicinal cannabis distributed to pharmacies by the OMC.

There were only small price differences between cannabis from pharmacies, patients’ foundations and coffee shops, based on the amount of THC in the cannabis. The average price in coffee shops was between 6 and 7 EURos per gram. The cannabis in pharmacies was 10 to 40 per cent more expensive, but coffee shops often sold more then 5 per cent too little. One coffee shop gave 7.5 gram in stead of the 10 grams that were ordered and paid.

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