Government sticks to 7 April start of the closed coffeeshop supply chain

17 MARCH 2025 | NEWS

The Dutch cabinet is sticking to the planned start date of 7 April 2025 for the Closed Coffeeshop Supply Chain Experiment. Despite ongoing concerns from coffeeshop owners, growers and local administrators, State Secretary Ingrid Coenradi acknowledges the situation is "very tense" and that "teething problems are unavoidable".

In the participating municipalities — including Arnhem, Tilburg, Breda, Almere, Groningen, Heerlen, Nijmegen, Maastricht, Zaanstad and Voorne aan Zee — coffeeshops will from 7 April only be allowed to sell cannabis that has been cultivated by designated growers. Hashish is for now exempt from this requirement, as legal production has not yet started.

Coffeeshop owners point to substantial concerns about the availability, quality and price of regulated products. They warn that customers will easily turn back to the illegal market if products are not competitive or sufficiently available. Operators are also struggling with administrative obligations and the costs of preparing for a new chain.

Local administrators and mayors of participating municipalities echo these concerns. They warn that the transition could affect public order, especially if street dealing increases. The government has nonetheless decided to maintain the timeline, on the grounds that further postponement would erode confidence in the experiment and create new uncertainty for growers.

Coenradi stresses that the start is a learning phase. The cabinet will continue to monitor closely and intervene where necessary. An independent evaluation will report on the effects of the experiment on public health, crime and safety, and will feed into political decisions on cannabis policy after 2028.

Bond van Cannabis Detaillisten (BCD) continues to support its members during the transition, with attention to the practical, legal and financial challenges of the start of the experiment.