Final start date for the experimental phase confirmed: 7 April 2025

11 DECEMBER 2024 | NEWS

The experimental phase of the Closed Coffeeshop Supply Chain Experiment starts on 7 April 2025. From that date, coffeeshops in the ten participating municipalities may only sell regulated cannabis products. The decision was taken on the basis of evaluations of production capacity, the diversity and quality of the regulated products, and input from coffeeshop owners and municipalities.

The experiment focuses on a central research question: what are the effects of a closed cannabis supply chain on public health, crime and safety? The aim is to examine whether regulated cultivation and sale can replace the illegal market, what the social effects are, and whether the new market offers advantages over the current tolerance policy.

While the outcomes will provide valuable insight, it is important to stress that they can contribute to decision-making on future cannabis policy but do not guarantee national rollout of a regulated chain.

Start of the closed coffeeshop supply chain

The start date was set after monitoring the progress of growers and the quality and diversity of supply. On that basis it was concluded that by April 2025 enough regulated products will be available to fully start the experimental phase. The decision was coordinated with the municipalities and approved by the responsible ministers.

During the experimental phase, coffeeshops in participating municipalities may only sell regulated products. This gives growers, operators and municipalities the opportunity to work together within a fully regulated chain. For consumers it means that in the participating municipalities they only have access to products that were inspected and produced within the experiment.

The evaluation of the preparation phase, set out in the report "Op weg naar een nieuwe cannabismarkt" ("Towards a new cannabis market"), produced important lessons. Several points, such as more efficient cooperation between the parties involved, will be addressed in the upcoming phases. The evaluation showed that developing the legal framework and the related regulation has taken more time and complexity than expected.

Although the experimental phase now appears well prepared, several factors could still cause delays. A key risk is that five of the selected growers are not yet operational and must start producing by May 2025 at the latest. Challenges around supervision and enforcement also remain a point of attention. The report notes that responsibilities in this area are not yet fully clear, which may cause inefficiencies. Alignment between growers, coffeeshops, municipalities and the ministry could also remain a bottleneck, particularly if the consultation structures are not set up more efficiently than in the preparation phase. Unexpected obstacles — legal, logistical or political — could also affect progress. Although 7 April 2025 is a hard deadline, vigilance and flexibility remain necessary to absorb possible delays and make the experimental phase a success.

Attention to the grower selection procedure

Delays in selecting and operationalising the growers led to a limited and unstable supply during the preparation phase. For the experimental phase, growers' production capacity is expected to match demand better, partly thanks to the addition of new growers in April 2025. This will improve both availability and product diversity.

The five growers that have not yet started producing are also subject to a nine-month deployment obligation, meaning they must be operational by May 2025 at the latest or risk having their designation withdrawn. If they miss this deadline, new growers from the waiting list will have to be approached, which requires extra time and coordination. The measure is intended to ensure the experiment has enough regulated production capacity at the start of the experimental phase.

Recommendations for the experimental phase

The evaluation makes several recommendations to organise the experimental phase better and avoid further delays. The main points are:

More efficient selection and cooperation: improved cooperation between national and local authorities is essential. Local growing municipalities, for example, need clearer frameworks and more support from central government. Demonstrating partnership and understanding of the local context is considered crucial.
Stricter selection procedures: during the preparation phase, the selection criteria for growers were not strict enough. This led to issues with suitable cultivation sites and banking relationships. The report advises that, in future selections, only growers that already have a suitable site or a bank account should be admitted.
Better communication and transparency: the lack of timely and transparent communication with stakeholders led to a loss of confidence during the preparation phase. The report recommends focusing communication more at local level and facilitating regular information exchange between ministries and the parties in the experiment municipalities.
Strengthening supervision and enforcement: control of the closed chain remains a point of attention. The report stresses the importance of a uniform supervisory protocol and better coordination between NVWA, IJenV and local authorities. Without effective control, the integrity of the chain could be compromised.

Although progress has been made, the experiment remains a challenge full of uncertainties. The results of this phase will ultimately contribute to the evaluation of a regulated cannabis chain.

The Closed Coffeeshop Supply Chain Experiment aims to examine whether a regulated chain of production, distribution and sale of cannabis is feasible. The outcomes of the research may contribute to decisions on the future cannabis policy in the Netherlands.

References:

Research report — Op weg naar een nieuwe cannabismarkt: an evaluation of the preparation phase of the Closed Coffeeshop Supply Chain Experiment. Bureau Boekhoorn, Hogeschool van Amsterdam, University of Groningen, published by WODC.
Memo start criteria experimental phase — internal document describing the criteria for starting the experimental phase.
Central government news bulletin — "Experimental phase of the Closed Coffeeshop Supply Chain Experiment starts in April", 10 December 2024.
Evaluation reports — summary of the process evaluation (Dutch).
Annexes to the letters to parliament — letter on the start of the experimental phase and submission of the process evaluation report (10 December 2024).

BCD Editorial Team, 11 December 2024