Part of: Residents criterion (I-criterion)
From pilot in the south to nationwide status — and the question of whether that means nationwide enforcement.
The border first, then nationwide
From 1 May 2012 the private-club criterion (B) and the residents criterion (I) were introduced in the southern provinces of Limburg, North Brabant and Zeeland, where drug tourism caused the most nuisance. That combination became popularly known as the wietpas (cannabis pass).
The B-criterion — a private club with a membership register and a maximum number of members — was dropped after six months. The registration requirement met privacy objections and demonstrably pushed customers toward illegal street dealing. The I-criterion remained.
From 1 January 2013 the criterion formally became nationwide: coffeeshops throughout the Netherlands were required to sell only to residents.
Enforcement determined locally
Nationwide validity is not the same as nationwide enforcement. When the rule went national it was explicitly established that enforcement happens in consultation with the local triangle — mayor, public prosecutor and police — taking account of the local situation and of public-order and health risks.
That tailoring was politically necessary to introduce the rule at all, but it has produced large differences between municipalities ever since. One rule on paper, a patchwork in practice.