“A kind of McDonalds, but for cannabis.” If it is up to entrepreneur Leon Lichtendahl, it will happen. He dreams of a coffee shop with drive-through outside the center of Hoogeveen.
He would prefer to do this on the Buitenvaart industrial estate, along the A37 motorway on a piece of land that belongs to the municipality. The idea is that people can buy weed via a pick-up counter. This way, drivers do not have to get out of the car and employees can remain at a distance. That should be safer.
He is further developing the plans together with Hoogevener Arjan Vosseberg. The latter is the operator of catering establishments De Beurs in Hoogeveen and Boschzicht in Echten. The intention is to also build an eatery with a meeting room near the coffee shop.
The road to opening a coffee shop in Hoogeveen has recently become wide open again. There would be one in Grote Kerkstraat and the permit had already been granted. This was withdrawn after objections from other entrepreneurs and bumbling from the municipality.
Lichtendahl therefore sees his opportunity to compete for the permit now. Hoogeveen wants to set up a new procedure in the spring, so that new parties can also register.
Lichtendahl has followed the commotion surrounding the coffee shop gate with interest. The entrepreneur thinks that a location outside the center may be suitable.
“In addition to the fuss surrounding the permit, entrepreneurs in the center also indicated that they were afraid of nuisance from the coffee shop. There were also concerns about parking pressure, because there are already few parking spaces. You could build one on the Buitenvaart.”
But can criticism of a coffee shop at the Buitenvaart be avoided? Lichtendahl doesn’t think so. That is why he wants to talk to local residents and companies now, while participating for the permit can only be done in the spring.
Lichtendahl says he has worked in mental health and addiction care for decades. According to him, this gave him insight into substance use and addiction.
With his coffee shop, he hopes to provide customers with information about the consequences of cannabis use. He hopes to prevent abuse and educate people.
The entrepreneur is also participating in the government’s cannabis test with his company Leliholland. This means the company legally grows weed. If he is allowed to continue with this after the trial, he thinks it can combat crime to some extent by offering ‘state weed’.
The question, however, is how realistic his plan is. A coffee shop is only allowed in Hoogeveen in places where day and evening catering is allowed. This is around the center (at Schutstraat, Hoofdstraat-Noord and Grote Kerkstraat and some shopping centers in neighborhoods. Hollandscheveld is also mentioned as a place where a store may be opened.
Lichtendahl hopes to convince the municipality to look at locations differently. This also includes allowing a coffee shop on an industrial estate. He wants to open more locations with drive-through in the north of the country. A similar concept from another entrepreneur has already gotten off the ground in Hellevoetssluis.
It will become clear later this year who will be allowed to open the first coffee shop in Hoogeveen. In the spring, interested parties can submit their plan again to compete for the permit.
