Netherlands Coffee Shops Granted Access to Legal Marijuana Supply

Jun.19.2024
Netherlands Coffee Shops Granted Access to Legal Marijuana Supply
A historic cannabis supply chain experiment in the Netherlands allows coffee shops to legally obtain marijuana from licensed suppliers.

As reported by Mjbizdaily on June 17th, starting from Monday (the 17th), up to 80 coffee shops in ten cities in the Netherlands can now obtain cannabis from three licensed suppliers participating in the country's "wietexperiment" historic trial of a legal supply chain.


For years, the Netherlands has been a destination for global marijuana users, thanks to its famous marijuana cafes. However, cultivating marijuana in the Netherlands has always been illegal, posing risks for producers and uncertainties for consumers.


The ongoing licensed and regulated supply chain experiment, which was delayed several times, was launched in December of last year. Growers are now able to operate legally for the first time. Customers at coffee shops can use a QR code to access information about legally grown products, such as the production company and production date.


As of Monday the 17th, three growers have been supplying marijuana to cafes in Breida and Tilburg.


Currently, coffee shops in eight cities are also eligible to participate in the pilot project.


The pilot project in Almere, Arnhem, Groningen, Haarlem, Maastricht, Eindhoven, Nijmegen, Utrecht, Amersfoort, Enschede, Leiden, and Zaandam (formerly known as Hellevoetsluis) will continue until 2028, with the country's largest city Amsterdam being denied participation in the trial.


In the early stages of the project, issues such as limits on the amount of product a coffee shop can hold (e.g. maximum of 500 grams) were addressed. Now, mayors in various cities will establish specific restrictions.


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