From 7 April, coffee shops participating in the weed experiment may only have legal cannabis on the shelves. But this date is not sacred and can still be postponed, says State Secretary for Justice, Ingrid Coenradie on Tuesday during the weekly question time in the Lower House.
Coffee shop holders in Tilburg and Breda, among others, are afraid that it is not feasible to go to a completely legal range in a little less than a month. In a fire letter, addressed to the ten mayors of the municipalities who participate in the weed experiment, they previously reported that they are on the right track, but that the “risk of chaos and a failed experiment is enormous.”
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According to the coffee shop holders, the legal growers do not have enough offer to provide all coffee shops with a legal range. Member of Parliament Joost faster (D66) asked the concerns of the coffee shop holders during the question time on Tuesday. “The risk of insufficient supply is that there will be empty shelves at the coffee shops, which the illegal trade is increasing as a result, and we again chase consumers illegality.”
“Will we continue with the start date?”
State Secretary for Justice, Ingrid Coenradie, says that the responsible ministers are sitting at the table on Wednesday with the ten mayors about the weed experiment. “To look on the one hand: do we continue with the start date as it is now? And what are the obstacles that we may encounter?” But according to the State Secretary, April 7 is not yet gone: “Everything is aimed at just starting it.”
The weed experiment
In the Netherlands we have a tolerance policy when it comes to cannabis. You can smoke a joint, but you cannot grow or transport it. Coffeeshops are therefore illegally supplied through the back door.
But with the weed experiment, the government wants to change this. Since December 2023, legal cannabis has been sold in coffee shops in Breda and Tilburg in addition to tolerated cannabis. This is part of the weed experiment, or as the government calls it the ‘experiment closed coffee shop chain’.
The aim of the experiment is to investigate whether it is possible to legally grow, transport and sell cannabis. Ten growers have been designated who can legally grow weed and deliver to the coffee shops in the experimentation municipalities. In June 2024, eight more experimenting municipalities were added next to Breda and Tilburg.
From 7 April this year, the coffee shops in the experimentation municipalities can only sell legal cannabis.
The coffee shop holders are also concerned about an ‘improper competitive position’ that the growers have already ready to deliver. For example, growers would make different price agreements with different coffee shops, so that smaller coffee shops could get into trouble.
“I am not so far to say that it must be postponed.”
Paul Depla, mayor of Breda, previously informed Omroep Brabant that he wonders whether these price agreements are indeed there. “If that is the case, the ministry must intervene. But if other interests play, then it is a different story.”
According to him, postponing is not necessarily the solution. “I see that there is an issue, but I am not so far to say that there are unreasonable market conditions and it must be postponed. Because you also get the growers who have invested a lot.”
Tomorrow Depla and his fellow mayor Theo Weterings (Tilburg) will be in The Hague for an administrative consultation. This must show whether the official start of the weed experiment is being postponed.
“We do not agree with the fire letter.”
One of the six legal growers who is already ready to deliver is Fyta, based in Waalwijk. They share the concerns of the coffee shop holders that there would be too little supply. “We don’t fear this and certainly have enough offer.”
A spokesperson says that Fyta looks very differently at the fire letter. “We do not agree with the fire letter and do not support the content. There is indeed enough offer for everyone.”
Curious how the tolerance policy in the Netherlands works and what the weed experiment entails? In the podcast series via the front door you get a look at the illegal weed sector, because what is necessary to supply that illegal back door? Listen the series here.
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