Regional adult-use cannabis commerce pilot trials are permitted by European Union law since they are research-based. Pilot trials involve allowing local recreational cannabis sales to help national lawmakers and regulators gather information to be better informed when crafting national policies and regulations.
The Netherlands officially launched its first pilot trials in Breda and Tilburg back in December 2023, and since that time the research projects have expanded to Groningen, Zaanstad, Almere, Arnhem, Nijmegen, Voorne aan Zee, Heerlen, and Maastricht.
Starting in April 2025, all licensed cannabis shops in those jurisdictions will be required to only sell regulated cannabis products. Currently, shops participating in pilot trials can sell a combination of regulated cannabis products and ‘tolerated’ cannabis products.
“All coffee shops in all 10 participating municipalities are allowed to sell regulated products, in addition to tolerated products, to consumers. After almost a year of regulated supply, 70 of the total of 75 participating coffee shops have sold regulated weed and hashish.” the Netherlands government stated in a recent news release (translated from Dutch to English).
