Regulated cannabis supply chain experiment to enter new phase in April 2025
Starting April 7, 2025, coffee shops in ten Dutch municipalities participating in the regulated cannabis supply chain experiment will be required to sell only cannabis products sourced from official, licensed growers. The government announced the date as final, aiming to provide clarity for municipalities, coffee shop owners, and growers.
The next phase, known as the "experimentation phase," will last four years. Minister of Justice and Security David van Weel and State Secretary for Health, Welfare, and Sport Vincent Karremans informed the Tweede Kamer of the timeline in a letter.
The transition marks the culmination of earlier steps to regulate cannabis sales. Since June 2024, coffee shops in Breda, Tilburg, and eight additional municipalities—Groningen, Zaanstad, Almere, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Voorne aan Zee, Heerlen, and Maastricht—have been allowed to sell both regulated and tolerated cannabis products. As of now, 70 out of 75 participating coffee shops have adopted regulated cannabis sales.
The April deadline will coincide with the readiness of three additional growers, bringing the total number of licensed suppliers to seven. "This will improve both the diversity of products available to coffee shops and the stability of the supply chain," Van Weel and Karremans said.
Initially, the transition phase was set to end in September 2024. However, the timeline was extended due to insufficient production from growers. Coffee shop owners had criticized the limited supply and variety, citing quality concerns.
The government has emphasized that the regulated cannabis experiment seeks to determine whether the production, distribution, and sale of cannabis can be successfully regulated. The research, led by an independent monitoring and evaluation committee, will assess impacts on public health, crime, safety, and nuisance.
The cannabis experiment was originally included in the coalition agreement of the third Rutte government, comprising VVD, CDA, D66, and ChristenUnie. However, implementation was delayed for years.
While the experiment now moves forward, political opinions in The Hague have shifted. Of the current governing parties, only the VVD continues to support the initiative. Opposition parties such as the PVV, NSC, and BBB remain skeptical of its merits.
