80 Dutch coffee shops start selling only legal cannabis

Since the April 7, 2025, nearly 80 cannabis coffee shops in ten Dutch municipalities have entered the final phase of the’experience of legal cannabis in the Netherlands, a landmark pilot project to establish a cannabis supply chain fully legal.

This initiative marks a break with the country's long-standing policy of tolerance, which authorized the sale of cannabis in coffee shops but turned a blind eye to the illegal production of the substance.

The near-end of the «back door» policy»

The Dutch government launched this initiative in 2022 to resolve a paradox: while the sale of cannabis in coffee shops has been tolerated for decades, its cultivation has remained illegal, creating a grey market that undermines both public health and transparency. The aim is to study whether a closed-loop cannabis system - culture at the point of sale - can replace the ambiguous status quo.

As of this month, all participating coffee shops in cities such as Breda ,Groningen, Maastricht or Tilburg are now required to stock cannabis exclusively from ten government-approved growers.

However, one notable exception remains: stores will still be allowed to sell hashish from illegal sources to the June 10, under a temporary grace period granted by Justice Minister David van Weel and Secretary of State Vincent Karremans.

«This measure was taken to give growers more time to improve hashish production and coffeeshop owners the opportunity to expand their offerings,» officials said.

A long-awaited move towards legitimacy

For many players in the sector, this development was long overdue.

«Weed has been sold legally here for 50 years, but production has never been legal. So it's finally time to put an end to this crazy, inexplicable situation and make it a legal professional sector,» said Rick Bakker, sales manager of Hollandse Hoogtes, in a statement to the Associated Press.

Hollandse Hoogtes is one of ten authorized producers, alongside international players such as Village Farms, a U.S.-Canadian company that supplies cannabis from its facilities in Leli Holland. The plant, which has a cultivation capacity of 2,500 kilograms per year, began trading in January and has already started shipping its products to Dutch markets.

Despite this development, only five of the ten approved growers are currently operational. The delays have been attributed to the difficulties encountered in obtaining land, opening bank accounts and attract verified investors. This slow start has led to supply chain concerns, with some coffee-shop owners reporting empty shelves and limited availability of legal cannabis products.

«If not, we'll have a serious problem,» warned Stan Esmeijer of the Coffeeshop Platform Nijmegen in an interview with OUR. «We will then have empty shelves and we fear that street trading and nuisance will increase.»

Consumer enthusiasm and political implications

Despite the obstacles, early signs suggest a positive reception from consumers. Many have expressed support for the idea of being able to buy quality-controlled cannabis, Even if some popular varieties are not yet systematically in stock.

The experiment will be monitored over a of four years, with the possibility of’a one-and-a-half-year extension. The government hopes that the results will help define the policy the country's long-term cannabis material, even Europe.

With over 565 cannabis coffee shops in operation in the country, the stakes are high. If successful, it could serve as a model for other countries struggling to reconcile consumer demand with unregulated supply chains.