Cannabis Pilot Program In The Netherlands Continues To Experience Delays
Cannabis pilot programs are becoming more popular in Europe. For those that are unaware of what an adult-use cannabis pilot program entails, it’s a public policy concept that allows certain cities to allow limited adult-use cannabis sales, and for approved entities to cultivate the cannabis that is eventually sold via those pilot programs.
Pilot programs are ramping up in Switzerland, and Demark is working towards expanding its pilot program to several more cities. The Netherlands is another European country that is pursuing plans to launch pilot programs, however, the program has experienced a series of delays and the setbacks appear to keep coming.
The pilot program in The Netherlands was originally slated to begin in 2021, however, the launch date was pushed back previously, and per recent reports out of The Netherlands, it’s likely to be pushed back yet again. Per excerpts from Dutch News:
Marijuana growers who have been selected to take part in the government’s controlled cultivation trials have told the cabinet that they will not be ready to start early next year as the government intends, the NRC reported on Thursday.
Nine of 10 firms have written to ministers about the problems and some have spoken to the paper directly about the issues, the NRC said.
The experiment should have begun to 2021 but is now due to start in the second quarter of 2023. But the growers now say the end of next year is a more likely date.
It is obviously no secret that The Netherlands has served as a top international cannabis tourism destination for decades, with cannabis consumers coming to The Netherlands from all over the globe to partake in coffeeshop offerings, particularly in Amsterdam.
The nation’s pilot program would not be nationwide and would not be open to everyone, however, it would serve as an intermediary step towards finally getting some level of regulation in place which would hopefully then be adopted at the national level and include provisions for allowing sales to tourists.
The Netherlands, particularly Amsterdam, is well-suited to become the undeniable top legal international cannabis tourism destination and to reap the related economic rewards. Yet, the longer the nation drags its feet the more it concedes ground to other cities and countries around the world, and there is clearly an opportunity cost involved.