Netherlands Cannabis Law

The Netherlands has the world's longest-running cannabis tolerance policy — the gedoogbeleid — which has allowed coffeeshop retail since the 1970s without addressing supply. The "closed coffeeshop chain" (gesloten coffeeshopketen) experiment launched in 2023 is the first attempt to license regulated cultivation to supply the Amsterdam and Breda coffeeshop markets, marking a historic shift toward regulated supply chains.

Bob Hoban has advised European and US investors evaluating the B-permit (teler) license opportunity under the closed chain pilot, analyzing the Opium Act compliance framework and the experiment's eventual extension to all 79 participating municipalities. The Netherlands' position as a logistics hub for Europe amplifies its regulatory significance for international cannabis trade flows.

Advisory focus areas include the B-permit application process, coffeeshop operating agreements, CBD/hemp product regulations under Dutch and EU food law, and the strategic significance of the Netherlands as a distribution hub for licensed European cannabis operators.