The Dutch government is reclassifying high-strength cannabis to put it in the same category as hard drugs.
It says the amount of the main active chemical in the drug, THC, has gone up, making it far more potent than a generation ago.
It means the famous cannabis-selling Dutch coffee shops will be forced to take the popular, high-strength varieties off their shelves.
About 80% of cannabis sold in coffee shops in the Netherlands last year had a THC concentration above 15% with an average concentration of around 16.5%.
"We see cannabis with a THC content above 15% as a hard drug, which poses an unacceptable risk" to health, Dutch Vice Premier and Economic Affairs Minister Maxime Verhaging said.
The ban on the high-strength "skunk" is expected to be introduced next year, when police will start doing random checks in the cafés.
Though technically illegal, the Netherlands decriminalised the possession of less than 5g of cannabis in 1976 under a so-called "tolerance" policy.
Its 670 coffee shops are currently permitted to stock no more than 500g of the soft drug at any given time.
