Starting April 9, coffee shops in ten cities are finally saying doei to shady supply chains and lighting up with legally grown, government-approved cannabis.
That’s right: after decades of tolerated but illegal supply, your joint can finally puff its chest out with a government seal of approval. 🌬️
From backdoor to official front desk
The cities jumping on the legal weed bandwagon are Almere, Arnhem, Breda, Groningen, Heerlen, Hellevoetsluis, Maastricht, Nijmegen, Tilburg, and Zaanstad.
About 80 coffeeshops in these spots are now only allowed to stock up from ten state-approved growers. Bye-bye mystery growers, hello legal green. 🌱
READ MORE: We tried out the Netherlands’ new LEGAL weed in Almere: Here’s what we thought
As the NOS reveals, this is part of the Dutch government’s weed experiment — a trial to see what happens when you regulate not just weed sales but the entire supply chain.
The mission? Better quality, less crime, and fewer health risks..
Shortages already?
Sounds smooth, right? Well, don’t light that celebratory joint just yet, because only five of the ten legal shops are fully up and running. 😬
That means popular strains are MIA, hash is scarce, and coffee shop owners are sweating over supply.
In a last-minute twist, the government is letting shops keep (illegal) Moroccan hash on shelves just a little longer to avoid customers wandering back to street dealers.
Legal weed’s on a roll, but growers say patience
Rick Bakker of Hollandse Hoogtes, a legal grower scaling up from 15 to 140 employees, says they’re currently producing 200 kilos a week. Not bad, but nowhere near enough.
“We sometimes have to say no,” Bakker admits.
Still, there’s a glimmer of hope on the horizon, as shops can tap into other legal growers.
Once all ten approved growers are running at full speed, you expect shelves stacked with every strain your heart desires.
So, for now, maybe ration that rolling paper — we’re in for a slightly bumpy, but promising ride.😎
Are you in one of the test cities? Tried the legal stuff? Light up the comments — we want to know what you think! 💬
A heady article.
I was recently in the Netherlands and stopped in at Speak Easy in Arnhem. I was very happy and impressed by the quality of the Indica joint that I enjoyed and pleased that I chose this location to imbibe rather than in Amsterdam. I live in USA in Massachusetts where we have regulated products too and appreciate knowing I get clean grown and tested weed. As a regular user of marijuana since the 1960s I have had plenty of good and bad and this was very very good.