The Netherlands’ “coffee” shops are retail stores where the Dutch government tolerates cannabis sales for personal consumption. In our prior post, we explained the basic legal framework around cannabis in the Netherlands. Here, we will discuss how the country has implemented its coffee shop system. Through the Tolerance Policy we previously described, the government allows coffee shops to sell cannabis under strict conditions and will not prosecute them if those conditions are met. In order to open a coffee…

The Netherlands is famous throughout the world for its trailblazing attitude toward cannabis consumption. However, despite its reputation in popular culture as an open cannabis haven, the Netherlands still criminalizes aspects of the cannabis trade and has a strict regulatory structure for its famous “coffee” shops. As other countries, states, and municipalities legalize aspects of cannabis sale and consumption, they may look to the Dutch experience for an example of an existing system that tries to balance some of the…

Primary season is in full swing, with Democratic candidates crisscrossing Iowa and shaking every hand they can find across New Hampshire. New to this election is the prominence that cannabis legalization and related criminal reform have taken in the major candidates’ platforms. As the country has swung to the left on cannabis legalization, most Democratic politicians have pushed liberalization even further. The candidates have taken varying stances on how exactly to handle cannabis legalization at the federal level, but their…

Throughout Europe, cannabis remains broadly illegal and, in most European countries, selling the plant is a criminal offense. However, many countries have adopted their own laws to permit cannabis purchases, sales, and use for medicinal purposes. The current state of European law is similar to the United States – each country (state) has taken its own path to legalize aspects of cannabis, resulting in a complex regional set of laws and rules that apply to the cannabis business. Fortunately for…