Netherlands' regulated cannabis experiment postponed again

The Netherlands' experiment with regulated cannabis cultivation has been delayed again. The trial will only start in the second quarter of 2023, Ministers Ernst Kuipers of Public Health and Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius of Justice and Security said in a letter to parliament. The initial plan was to start selling regulated cannabis in 2020. That was then delayed to the second half of 2022 and now to next year.

According to the Ministers, it is taking longer than expected to get to the point "when the quantity, quality, and diversity" of the legally grown cannabis is sufficient to supply the participating coffeeshops with enough stocks. They expect this point to be reached in the first half of next year at the earliest.

Selecting the growers is "taking longer than expected, and several growers are having problems getting a location," the Ministers wrote. So far, eight of the ten growers participating in the experiment have been selected. "The expectation is that the ninth and tenth growers will also be selected shortly."

The Ministers now hope to start the "transitioning phase" of the experiment in the second quarter of 2023. In this phase, participating coffeeshops will sell both regulated cannabis and tolerated cannabis. Six weeks later, the experiment will begin in full force, with participating coffeeshops only cannabis from designated growers. The experiment will run for four years.