Netherlands: Market and legal data analysis of the cannabis sector

25th June 2024: Netherlands: In a letter to Parliament, the minister of medical care announced gradual policy changes for medicinal cannabis and the intention to amend the Opium Act. As of 1st September 2024, a new policy will expand the trading of cannabis preparations. The role of the Office of Medicinal Cannabis (OMC) will be limited, allowing non-contracted parties to sell products, but still via the OMC, which will retain its exclusive role in supplying such products to pharmacies. Further changes are expected by 2026, including a reorganisation of the OMC to reduce its legal role further, and amendments to the Opium Act. Currently, a new cabinet is being formed, the outcome of which is still unknown.
17th June 2024: Netherlands: The next phase (the transitional phase) of the closed coffee shop chain experiment starts today. Coffee shops in all ten participating municipalities will be able to sell both tolerated and regulated products. A three-month transition phase will optimise the quality, quantity, and diversity of regulated products.
8th April 2024: Netherlands: A recent survey shows that 60% of Dutch people support legalising cannabis, while only 11% are satisfied with the current tolerance policy, media reports. The survey was conducted between the end of March and the beginning of April, with 6,501 adults participating in it.
18th March 2024: Netherlands: The government has announced that the next phase (transitional phase) of the closed coffee shop chain experiment starts on 17th June. Coffee shops in all ten participating municipalities will be able to sell both tolerated and regulated products. A three-month transition phase will optimise the quality, quantity and diversity of regulated products.
11th March 2024: Netherlands: Last week, the House of Representatives voted with a majority against the bill seeking to add the district of Amsterdam-Oost to the closed coffee shop chain experiment, media reports. The Party for Freedom (PVV) put forward a motion to pause the experiment until a new cabinet is formed, but it did not win a majority.
15th December 2023: Netherlands: The startup phase of the closed coffee shop cannabis experiment kicks off today in the municipalities of Breda and Tilburg. Participating coffee shops may offer both legally grown and tolerated products in this phase.
13th November 2023: Netherlands: The government has published an information leaflet for the closed coffee shop chain experiment, which will be supplied with every cannabis product via a QR code on the packaging. It provides important information for all cannabis users with the aim of reducing harm to the health of users.
2nd October 2023: Netherlands: The outgoing Dutch cabinet has decided that Oost, an eastern district of Amsterdam, will be participating in the cannabis experiment as the 11th municipality, media reports. Last month, in a letter to Parliament, the outgoing cabinet informed that the start-up phase of the cannabis experiment kicks off on 15th December 2023, in two municipalities – Breda and Tilburg. Participating coffee shops may offer both legally grown and tolerated products in this phase. The start of the experiment for Amsterdam and other municipalities is expected at the end of the first quarter of 2024.
20th September 2023: Netherlands: Earlier this month, the government published the updated timeline of the cannabis experiment, media reports. The new timeline includes the start date of the experiment. As alerted previously, the outgoing cabinet announced that the startup phase of the cannabis experiment will kick off on 15th December in the municipalities of Breda and Tilburg. In this phase, participating coffee shops may offer both legally grown and tolerated products.
18th September 2023: Netherlands: In a letter to Parliament, the outgoing cabinet has informed that the startup phase of the country’s cannabis experiment kicks off on 15th December in the municipalities of Breda and Tilburg. In this phase, participating coffee shops may offer both legally grown and tolerated products.
13th September 2023: Netherlands: In a webinar held today (13th September) by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction, Margriet van Laar, head of the Drug Monitoring and Policy department of the Trimbos Institute and the Reitox National Focal Point, talked about the background of the closed cannabis supply chain experiment. She said the Netherlands is still in the preparatory phase. Van Laar referred to some of the experiment’s delays and challenges, such as the nomination of growers taking more time than expected, problems growers had finding a location, getting licences to cultivate cannabis, and obtaining a bank account.
28th August 2023: Netherlands: In light of the recent collapse of the coalition government, the Ministry of Justice and Security commented on the future of the cannabis experiment, media reports. The ministry said the consequences of the coalition's collapse on the experiment are not yet known, and it will continue with preparations for the trial. The mayor of Amsterdam's proposal for the participation of the Amsterdam-East district is currently being considered, the ministry confirmed.

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