Netherlands prepares legal recreational cannabis cultivation experiment
The Dutch lower chamber approved the experiment in January, but implementation is not imminent
Thursday, May 9, 2019
The Netherlands is laying the groundwork to become the first country in Europe to allow commercial production of adult-use marijuana – although initially the program would be considered an “experiment.” Under the Dutch plan, a limited number of companies would be allowed to legally grow marijuana to supply coffee shops in the country that would, in turn, sell the products to consumers. While Dutch authorities tolerate the sale of recreational cannabis in such shops under certain conditions, cultivation and wholesale for that market remains completely illegal. The government is looking to address the contradiction with the closed cannabis supply-chain experiment.