While Germany Hesitates: Amsterdam Starts Legal Cannabis Sales on a Large Scale
By Dennis von BesserGrowen
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It is probably the most significant turning point in the almost 50-year history of Dutch drug policy: On November 18, 2025, the Amsterdam district of Oost officially joins the national "Wietexperiment". This ends the era of mere "tolerance" in the capital of cannabis culture. Coffeeshops are now selling state-regulated, lab-tested cannabis. While Germany is stuck in the bureaucratic swamp with its Pillar 2 pilot projects, the Netherlands is creating facts.
Key Points at a Glance
- Start in the Capital: Amsterdam-Oost is the first district of the tourist metropolis to participate in the state experiment for a closed cannabis supply chain (NOS).
- End of the "Backdoor": Coffeeshops can now legally purchase their stock from licensed wholesale producers. Previously, sales were legal, but purchasing was illegal (black market).
- Quality Leap: All products are lab-tested, free of pesticides and heavy metals. Packaging carries warnings and exact THC/CBD values (Het Parool).
- Germany Left Behind: While legal trade starts in Amsterdam, German cities like Frankfurt and Hannover are still waiting for the federal ordinance for their pilot projects.
- Economic Factor: Banks are hesitantly opening up to participating coffeeshops, as money flows are now transparent and legal – a massive advantage over the German club model.
Historical System Change: The End of "Gedoogbeleid"
Why the Experiment Was Necessary
For decades, the Netherlands lived with a legal schizophrenia, the so-called Gedoogbeleid (tolerance policy). The principle was simple but paradoxical: A customer was allowed to buy 5 grams in the coffeeshop (front door = legal), but the shop operator was not allowed to buy the goods legally anywhere (back door = illegal). The consequence was that coffeeshops were de facto forced to cooperate with criminal networks to fill their shelves.
The "Wietexperiment" (officially: Closed Coffeeshop Chain Experiment) ends this state. In participating municipalities – like now Amsterdam-Oost, as well as already Tilburg and Breda – the entire chain from seed to sale is monitored (Rijksoverheid).
In this model, there are no more points of contact with the black market. Ten state-licensed growers produce cannabis under strict conditions. A "Track & Trace" system (similar to medicines) tracks every plant to the flower sold in the shop. Transports are secured, money flows are digital.
Amsterdam-Oost: The Metropolis' Laboratory
That Amsterdam is participating was controversial for a long time. The city is too big and complex, they said from The Hague. The compromise: Only the Oost district participates. Mayor Femke Halsema (GroenLinks), a long-time advocate of regulation, called the start today a "victory of reason over moral politics" (AT5). Halsema had always emphasized that the market should not be left to criminals.
For the coffeeshops in Oost, this means: No more raids due to excessive stock (the 500g limit falls in the experiment), legal bank accounts, and legal certainty. In return, they must guarantee complete bookkeeping and strict youth protection.
The View to Germany: Stagnation vs. Progress
The contrast could hardly be sharper. While the first legal delivery vans are arriving in Amsterdam, stagnation reigns in Germany in the so-called "Pillar 2" (commercial supply chains in model regions) (we reported). The ordinance for pilot projects announced in the Cannabis Act (CanG) has been stuck in departmental coordination for months.
Cities like Frankfurt and Hannover are ready but are blocked by Berlin. Experts from the EKOCAN consortium warned back in October that without these model projects, a serious evaluation of the law is hardly possible (more on this). The Netherlands is now providing exactly the data that Germany actually wanted to collect itself: How does a legal market affect consumption behavior, youth, and crime?
Analysis: What Changes for Consumers
Customers in Amsterdam-Oost will notice changes starting today:
- Prices: Analysts expect stable to slightly falling prices, as the black market risk premium disappears, even if taxes are added. A gram of "state weed" costs on average 9-12 euros.
- Selection: The assortment is standardized. Exotic "Cali Packs" from the black market with unclear content disappear, instead there are tested standard varieties with reliable effects.
- Safety: The risk of adulterated weed (Brix, synthetic cannabinoids) goes to zero in participating shops.
Opportunities & Risks
- Opportunity (Health): Consumer protection reaches a pharmaceutical level. Impurities are eliminated.
- Opportunity (Crime): Organized gangs are deprived of millions in revenue. The "back door" is slammed shut.
- Risk (Displacement): Critics fear a "waterbed effect". Criminal structures could move to districts without the experiment (e.g., Amsterdam-West) or abroad.
- Risk (Tourism): Since only Oost legalizes, "cannabis tourism" could arise within the city, which could lead to burdens for residents.
📦 Archived Sources (Wayback Machine)
All external sources were secured on 22.11.2025 at the Internet Archive: