Starting today: the Dutch Cannabis Experiment is officially under way — temporary exception for hashish

7 APRIL 2025 | NEWS

Today, 7 April 2025, the experimental phase of the Dutch Cannabis Experiment has officially begun. The experiment is intended to demonstrate whether a fully closed and regulated chain — from grower to coffeeshop — is feasible and whether it can help solve the structural problems of the current tolerance policy.

What changes today

In the ten participating municipalities — Arnhem, Almere, Breda, Groningen, Heerlen, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Tilburg, Voorne aan Zee and Zaanstad — coffeeshops may from today only sell cannabis cultivated by growers designated under the experiment. Every batch is traceable via the Track & Trace system, packaged in child-resistant, opaque packaging and accompanied by a digital leaflet via QR code.

Temporary exception for hashish

For hashish a temporary exception applies: until 1 September 2025, coffeeshops in participating municipalities may continue to sell hashish that does not yet come from designated growers. The reason is the limited availability of regulated hashish at the start of the experiment. After 1 September 2025 only regulated hashish may be sold.

Supervision and enforcement

In the first two months, enforcement on the sale of illegally produced hashish is suspended to give the chain time to settle. After that, supervision is in the hands of the Inspectorate for Justice and Security (IJenV), the NVWA and the mayors. Together they monitor compliance with the closed chain, product quality and safety, and the administrative obligations.

What it means for consumers

Consumers in the participating municipalities can recognise regulated products by their packaging, the QR code with the digital leaflet and the indication of THC and CBD content. The aim is for regulated cannabis to be competitive with the illegal market in terms of price, quality and diversity.

The road to evaluation

The experimental phase lasts four years and can be extended by up to 1.5 years. The independent evaluation must be delivered to the ministers by 7 August 2028, and the government position follows on 7 December 2028. After that, the political decision-making on the future of Dutch cannabis policy will start.

The Bond van Cannabis Detaillisten (BCD) is supporting members through the start of this new phase and will continue to publish updates on this platform.