Cannabis in Flevoland

Flevoland's largest city, Almere, is one of the ten municipalities in the national controlled-supply experiment. The Rijksoverheid rules say every coffeeshop in a participating municipality must join, so since the experiment phase began on 7 April 2025, Almere's shops may sell only cannabis from the government-designated growers. The number of designated growers is capped at ten, and their products must be tested for heavy metals and other harmful substances, with the NVWA supervising quality, packaging and the ban on advertising.

For customers, the experiment changes what a purchase looks like more than who may buy. Products are sold sealed in neutral packaging with a QR code linking to an information leaflet, every package is registered in a track-and-trace system, and shops keep a limited trading stock. The national criteria stay in place: 18+ only, no more than 5 grams per purchase, no hard drugs and no alcohol.

Almere's coffeeshops include a branch of the Amsterdam company Boerejongens on Grote Markt, open daily from noon until 23:45, which shows how one operator can work under both regimes: its Amsterdam shops are outside the experiment, its Almere shop inside it. The experiment phase is set to last four years, after which the national government decides on next steps.