After several years of waiting and delay, the experimentation with legal cannabis in the Netherlands will finally start on December 15, 2023. According to sources involved in the project, the kickoff of this experiment will be given in the cities of Breda and Tilburg before the end of the year. This news was first communicated to De Telegraaf, before being officially announced by the Dutch government the next day and covered by CannabisIndustrie.nl.
Volgens betrokkenen mogen Breda en Tilburg dit jaar al los. And then you will have to wait until the transfer begins. Bij de proef krijgen coffeeshops ‘staatswiet’ aangeleverd van door de overheid geselecteerde telers.https://t.co/x4cnqwxhUf
— De Telegraaf (@telegraaf) September 14, 2023
“The outgoing Minister of Health, Mr. Kuipers, announced at the beginning of the year that the start-up phase would begin with three growers, but the third is not ready in time. To maintain support for the experiment, we have decided to waive the condition that a minimum of three cultivators must be ready,” the minister and his justice colleague Yesilgöz wrote in a letter to the lower house.
The Dutch government website further states the following:
“The cabinet decided that the start-up phase of the legal cannabis experiment will begin on December 15, 2023. The latest planning shows that by the fourth quarter of 2023, two legal producers should be ready to supply coffeeshops. This will be enough to launch the start-up phase of the experiment in Breda and Tilburg. During this phase, participating coffee shops in these municipalities will be allowed to offer both legally grown and tolerated products. »
Other participating municipalities could join the first two cities during the first quarter of 2024, provided that growers are ready and there is sufficient supply.
Why experiment with legal cannabis in the Netherlands?
Currently, the Netherlands applies a policy of tolerance towards coffeeshops and the sale of cannabis. On the other hand, the cultivation and delivery of cannabis to coffee shops is illegal, effectively placing cannabis growers illegally.
The experiment with legal cannabis in the Netherlands therefore intends to authorize a defined number of producers to cultivate cannabis and supply voluntary coffeeshops to participate in the legal distribution of cannabis. 11 cities have so far volunteered to host the experiment.
