Coffee Shops in the Netherlands Are to Sell Only Legal Cannabis from April

The Netherlands has long been known for its liberal approach to cannabis and coffee shops, but that doesn’t mean everything works perfectly. Quite the opposite – for decades there was a grey area where the sale of cannabis in coffee shops was “tolerated” but production remained illegal. In order to finally regulate this market, the government launched an experiment with legal cannabis cultivation, which is supposed to show whether it is possible to create a fully legal supply chain – from producer to consumer.

Sounds good? In theory, yes. In practice, however, the project is facing serious problems, and the next stage, scheduled for April 7th, 2025, may turn out to be a false start. Why? Coffee shops are reporting that there is a lack of suppliers, and the quality of products is uneven, the owners of “kofiks” said in a letter to the mayors of the participating municipalities. Is the experiment really ready for the next step? Will customers flee to the black market?

Legal Hemp Cultivation Experiment – ​​What Stage Is It At?

The Dutch experiment in regulated cannabis cultivation is the first attempt to create a fully legal cannabis market in a country that has for years allowed its sale but not its production. The goal? To see if it can replace the “tolerated” cannabis in coffee shops with a fully legal, government-controlled product.

The experiment was divided into several stages:

June 2024 – First phase of the project. Coffee shops in ten selected cities (including Breda, Tilburg, Groningen, Maastricht) have been given the green light to sell both legal cannabis from licensed suppliers and products from the existing market.

April 7th, 2025 – Phase two begins. From this point on, coffee shops in the experiment will only be allowed to sell cannabis from approved suppliers.

The entire project will last four years and will be monitored by an independent commission to monitor the impact on public health, crime and safety. On paper, it sounds good, but the reality shows that the system has serious gaps.

The main problems of coffee shops – lack of supplies and quality

The experiment was intended to create a stable cannabis market, but now it looks like it may have the opposite effect. Coffee shops are sounding the alarm – supplies are insufficient, not all varieties are available, and consumers may start looking for products on the street.

Supply shortages: Of the original ten licensed producers, only six are able to deliver on time. What does this mean? Many coffee shops are running out of stock, and some orders are simply incomplete. For customers, this means a lack of choice – and a lack of choice means they can look for alternatives.

Quality problems: Just because a product is legal doesn’t always mean it’s better. Coffee shops complain that some varieties are of lower quality than those previously available. The biggest problems concern products such as:

The position of mayors: Paul Depla (Mayor of Breda) and Theo Weterings (Mayor of Tilburg) were among the main supporters of the experiment and still believe in its success. But even they admit that the situation currently looks worrying.

“If there is not good supply, we have a serious problem. People will start buying on the street, and that is the worst thing that can happen,” Depla warns.

In connection with this, the mayors are calling for the deadline for moving to the next phase to be extended . In their opinion, the project is working – more and more customers are choosing legal products, and street trade is decreasing. However, if coffee shops suddenly lose access to their current supplies and have nothing to replace them with, the whole idea could collapse.

Political Context and the Future of the Experiment

The experiment in regulated cannabis cultivation was a political project from the start—and, as is often the case, its fate depends on who holds power. Initially, the plan enjoyed the support of a broad ruling coalition, but as time passed, sentiment began to change.

Changing political positions

When the experiment was included in the coalition agreement of the third government of Mark Rutte, it was supported by four parties: the VVD (People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy), the CDA (Christian Democratic Appeal), D66 (Democrats 66) and ChristenUnie (Christian Union)

But now that the political situation in the Netherlands has changed, only the VVD continues to actively support the project . The rest of the parties are distancing themselves from the experiment, while conservatives and drug-sceptic groups are beginning to openly criticize it.

The greatest resistance comes from groups such as:

PVV (Geert Wilders’ Freedom Party) – criticizes the experiment as “unnecessary” and “inefficient”. They claim that legalizing cannabis will only deepen social problems.

NSC (New Social Contract) – argues that the government should focus on combating the illegal drug trade rather than regulating the cannabis market.

BBB (Farmers and Citizens Movement) – fears that legal hemp cultivation will become another regulated agricultural sector that will not bring the expected benefits.

The VVD, for its part, still defends the experiment, saying the Netherlands needs legal supplies to curb the black market and increase control over the quality of the products.

The transition phase of the experiment was scheduled to end in September 2024 , but it is already known that delivery delays have resulted in the deadline being postponed to April 2025 .

What’s next? If legal cannabis production doesn’t reach the required scale, there’s a risk the timeline will slip again. In an extreme case, the experiment could even be ended prematurely if political and social pressure proves too great.

Will consumers return to the illegal market?

The Dutch experiment in regulated cannabis cultivation is an ambitious undertaking that has potential but needs improvement. If the government wants the project to succeed, it must take concrete steps to avoid a crisis. Political changes and supply problems could weaken it or even lead to its collapse.

If the government wants this project to succeed, it must take swift and decisive action to avoid a crisis. Otherwise, the Netherlands could find itself in a paradoxical situation where trying to legalize cannabis will only strengthen the black market.

__

(Featured image by flickch via Unsplash)

DISCLAIMER: This article was written by a third party contributor and does not reflect the opinion of Born2Invest, its management, staff or its associates. Please review our disclaimer for more information.

This article may include forward-looking statements. These forward-looking statements generally are identified by the words “believe,” “project,” “estimate,” “become,” “plan,” “will,” and similar expressions. These forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks as well as uncertainties, including those discussed in the following cautionary statements and elsewhere in this article and on this site. Although the Company may believe that its expectations are based on reasonable assumptions, the actual results that the Company may achieve may differ materially from any forward-looking statements, which reflect the opinions of the management of the Company only as of the date hereof. Additionally, please make sure to read these important disclosures.

First published in FaktyKonopne. A third-party contributor translated and adapted the article from the original. In case of discrepancy, the original will prevail.

Although we made reasonable efforts to provide accurate translations, some parts may be incorrect. Born2Invest assumes no responsibility for errors, omissions or ambiguities in the translations provided on this website. Any person or entity relying on translated content does so at their own risk. Born2Invest is not responsible for losses caused by such reliance on the accuracy or reliability of translated information. If you wish to report an error or inaccuracy in the translation, we encourage you to contact us