Research report on international cannabis policy presented to the House of Representatives

4 NOVEMBER 2024 | PARLIAMENTARY PAPERS

On 8 October 2024 the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC), on behalf of the Ministries of Justice & Security (JenV) and of Health, Welfare and Sport (VWS), presented the report "International developments in cannabis policy for recreational use" to the Dutch House of Representatives.

The study provides an overview of the policy choices made by various countries on the regulation of cannabis for recreational use, with attention to public-health outcomes, crime, market structure and the role of supervision and enforcement. The aim is to inform the Dutch political debate with international evidence and experience, including examples from Canada, Uruguay, Germany, Malta, Luxembourg, several U.S. states and other jurisdictions.

Key themes in the report:

Regulatory models — fully legalised commercial markets, non-profit cannabis social clubs, public-health-oriented frameworks and hybrid approaches.
Public-health outcomes — effects on use, perceptions of risk, addiction care and youth protection.
Crime and the illegal market — the extent to which regulation displaces illegal supply and the conditions under which displacement occurs.
Supervision and enforcement — the role of national and local authorities and the tools used in different jurisdictions.
Tax and market structure — the impact of pricing, taxation and market design on the success of regulation.

The report is intended as a building block for Dutch decision-making on the future of cannabis policy, including the evaluation of the Closed Coffeeshop Supply Chain Experiment. The Bond van Cannabis Detaillisten welcomes the publication and emphasises the importance of evidence-based policy when shaping the post-2028 framework.

For the full report (Dutch), see the publications of the Research and Documentation Centre (WODC) and the central government website.