From April 7, coffee shops participating in the weed experiment must switch completely to selling legal cannabis. The deadline is fast approaching, but according to many coffee shop owners, this switch is not yet feasible at this time.
The Netherlands has a tolerance policy when it comes to cannabis. You are allowed to smoke and buy cannabis in a coffee shop, as long as you are 18 years or older. But growing or transporting cannabis yourself is prohibited. The question then is: how does the cannabis get into the coffee shops? This often happens through illegal channels, the so-called 'back door'. The weed experiment must change this.
From back door to front door
This experiment, called the 'closed coffee shop chain', officially started on 17 June 2024. The aim is to investigate whether it is possible to legally grow, transport and sell cannabis. Ten growers were given permission to legally grow cannabis and supply it to coffee shops in participating municipalities, including Breda, Tilburg, Almere, Arnhem, Groningen, Heerlen, Voorne aan Zee, Maastricht, Nijmegen and Zaanstad. But despite the start date of the experiment, it was not yet fully operational. Because there was not yet enough legal supply, the coffee shops were allowed to continue selling their illegal cannabis.
More time needed for legal cannabis range
However, from 7 April 2025, coffee shops must only sell legal and regulated cannabis. Many coffee shop owners find this deadline unachievable. In an urgent letter to the mayors of the municipalities involved, they indicate that they are on the right track, but are not quite ready yet. They warn of the risks of chaos and a failure of the experiment. That is why they request more time to fully switch to a legal assortment.
Too little choice and quality
The coffee shop owners indicate that the supply of legal cannabis is too limited. The quality and diversity of the products do not yet meet expectations. They only want to switch to a fully legal supply when all participating shops have access to sufficient different types of good quality cannabis. This is only possible if there are more growers who are able to supply. At the moment, only six out of ten growers can supply the coffee shops with sufficient cannabis.
Your favorite weed is gone
Willem Vugs, chairman of De Achterdeur, the association of Tilburg coffee shops, tells the NOS that certain popular cannabis strains are selling out quickly. Because the stock is limited, these strains cannot be on the menu permanently. This could lead to customers buying their favorite weed illegally, or going to other cities where tolerated weed is still available. Vugs thinks that this will mainly cause problems for smaller coffee shops. He believes that the growers need more time to get the supply up to par, so that the experiment can be successful.
However, the municipalities do not seem very enthusiastic about the request to postpone the deadline. Mayor Paul Depla of Breda believes that postponement is not a solution. He acknowledges the problem, but does not believe that the market conditions are so unfair that a postponement is necessary. This would also disadvantage the growers, who have invested a lot in the experiment.
A spokesperson for mayor Theo Weterings of Tilburg says that the points in the letter have been discussed with the mayor and that an administrative meeting will take place next week. Whether this will lead to changes in the planning, remains to be seen.
Source: NPO.nl
