The Dutch government has announced a start date for the cannabis pilot program

The Dutch government recently confirmed that it plans to launch its pilot program later this year on December 15th. “Recent planning shows that two legal producers are expected to be ready for delivery to coffee shops in the fourth quarter of 2023,” the Dutch government wrote. “This is enough to start the initial phase of the experiment in Breda and Tilburg. During this phase, participating coffee shops from these communities can offer both legally grown and tolerated products. The next two producers are expected to start supplying coffee shops in Breda and Tilburg in February 2024.” Breda and Tilburg are in the southern part of the country, close to the border with Belgium.

The schedule for this program begins with a “start-up phase” that will last up to six months. “The initiative for the start-up phase was initiated by the mayors of Breda and Tilburg and was welcomed by Minister Ernst Kuipers of Health, Welfare and Sports and Minister Yeşilgöz-Zegerius of Justice and Security as an opportunity to start the experiment on a small scale.” around a legalized production and distribution chain,” the government wrote.

The start-up period is described as a kind of warm-up period for companies to adapt to the program. However, the government notes that it will terminate the program early if “public order or security is seriously threatened.” “The findings will be shared with all participating municipalities and used to improve processes and systems for a smooth transition phase,” the government said.

After the start-up phase, the “transition phase” begins. “It is expected that all participating municipalities will not be able to begin the transition phase until the end of the first quarter of 2024 at the earliest,” the government wrote. “During this transition phase, coffee shops in the participating municipalities are allowed to offer regulated products in addition to tolerated products.”

According to Forbes, there will be a six-week period during which coffee shops can continue to source their cannabis products from illegal sources “while the new legal suppliers are phased in.” Following the transition phase, the experimental phase begins. “From this moment on, participating coffee shop owners will only be allowed to sell regulated cannabis,” the government added.

The Netherlands announced its plans for the pilot program years ago. The launch was supposed to take place in 2020, but was postponed to 2022. In March 2022, the program was postponed again and it is expected that the program will begin in the second quarter of 2023. “Unfortunately, this has happened. It now appears that a start in 2022 is no longer realistic,” says the letter from last year. “The selection process of the remaining growers is taking longer than expected and some growers are having difficulty securing a site.”

Breda Mayor Paul Depla expressed disappointment that the program continued to be delayed. “It is clear that everyone who supports the cannabis test is disappointed,” said Depla. The mayor of Tilburg, Theo Weterings, also expressed his frustration. “Delay again – how much more can you delay? We assume that some MPs will now be scratching their heads and asking themselves: What is happening here?”

The Netherlands has never legalized cannabis, although it has long been associated with the so-called “Gedoogbeleid” “soft drugs” policy, which allows cannabis entrepreneurs to sell their products in coffee shops without being prosecuted. “The Dutch coffee shop policy has long been the subject of public debate. At the heart of the debate is the unclear status of cannabis: while the sale and use of cannabis for recreational purposes is tolerated, production and distribution are strictly prohibited,” the Dutch government said. “Under the current toleration policy, sales and use are still criminal offenses under Dutch law, but the authorities choose not to pursue or prosecute violators of the law.”

Because of this policy, the number of coffee shops increased dramatically. In 2007, according to data from Statista, there were an estimated 229 coffee shops in the city of Amsterdam. The latest data shows that 166 stores were operational in 2020. The Dutch government estimates that 570 cafes operate in the country’s 102 municipalities.

Amsterdam banned public consumption of cannabis in April 2018, and a ban was also introduced in the Red Light District in May. The Amsterdam city council approved the ban in early 2023. “The residents of the old town suffer greatly from mass tourism and alcohol and drug abuse on the streets,” explained the city council. “Tourists also attract street dealers who in turn cause crime and insecurity. The atmosphere can become gloomy, especially at night. People who are under the influence of alcohol stay there for a long time. Residents cannot sleep well and the neighborhood becomes unsafe and uninhabitable.” The city council added that the ban would “reduce nuisance.”

The Netherlands is not the only country starting to implement cannabis pilot programs. EU member country Luxembourg, which recently legalized cannabis for personal use in June, launched a pilot program to test legal access to cannabis. Switzerland, which is not part of the EU, launched its own cannabis pilot program in January 2023.