Evaluating the closed coffeeshop chain cannabis experiment in the Netherlands
Since the 1970s, there has been a tolerance policy in the Netherlands for the sale of cannabis products in so-called “coffeeshops”. However, while cannabis sales are tolerated, the cultivation of cannabis and its delivery to coffeeshops has been prohibited. To provide a solution to the alleged health risks and public order issues that can arise from this so-called “back door” problem, the Dutch government proposed to conduct an experiment in ten municipalities to explore the effects of cultivating and delivering quality-controlled cannabis through a closed supply chain for coffeeshops.
