The number of coffeeshops in Dutch municipalities has barely changed in 2024 compared to previous measurements from 2017 onwards. Municipal policies on coffeeshops have also remained largely unchanged. However, almost half of coffeeshop municipalities indicate they intend to revise their policies this year or next. Nearly a third also plan to adjust their procedures for allocating operating permits for coffeeshops. This is evident from the monitoring report “Coffeeshops in the Netherlands 2024.”
These figures come from the seventeenth survey of the monitoring study on the number of tolerated cannabis sales outlets (coffee shops) in the Netherlands and municipal coffee shop policies. Topics such as tolerance criteria, supervision, monitoring, and enforcement are also covered by the monitor. The influence of external factors, such as the Closed Coffee Shop Chain Experiment (regulated production, distribution, and sale of cannabis) and new cannabis legislation in Germany, were also examined. Research agency Breuer & Intraval conducted the study on behalf of the Research and Documentation Center (WODC). The key findings of this survey are clearly summarized in the attached fact sheet.
Number of coffee shops
By the end of 2024, 103 of the 342 Dutch municipalities will have a total of 563 tolerated cannabis sales outlets. In approximately two-thirds of coffeeshops, customers can not only purchase cannabis but also consume it (without tobacco). In over a quarter, only cannabis can be picked up. Seven coffeeshops were temporarily closed in 2024 due to penalties for a violation. For the first time since 2010, a new municipality has been added to the list of “coffeeshop municipalities.”
Municipal coffee shop policy
Of the 342 Dutch municipalities, 233 (68%) have a zero policy: no cannabis sales outlets are tolerated. Six municipalities (2%) have no policy on coffee shops, one fewer than in the previous survey.
Almost all coffee shop municipalities apply a maximum number of coffee shops. And in almost half (47%) of these municipalities, the Bibob Act was used in the 2023-2024 period, which allows municipalities to screen permit applicants and thus prevent permit abuse.
Fifty coffee shop municipalities plan to implement policy changes in 2025 and 2026. In 29 of these municipalities, the plans are not (yet) fully developed and/or are still confidential. The other 21 coffee shop municipalities indicate that planned changes are related to updating their policies, and two of them are awaiting the results of the Closed Coffee Shop Chain Experiment.
Distribution of operating permits
A new aspect of this survey was the question of whether municipalities plan to adjust their procedures for allocating operating permits for coffee shops in the future, by allocating them periodically. A total of 32 coffee shop municipalities indicate this intention. Most of them (28) want to implement a completely new allocation procedure. This often involves establishing a clear and objective system for allocating operating rights, for example, when a permit becomes available or a new coffee shop is permitted.
About the research
The study replicates previous measurements and was conducted in virtually the same way as in previous years. This allows for accurate and reliable comparisons with the results of previous measurements. From April to June 2025, civil servants from all Dutch municipalities responsible for local coffeeshop policy were surveyed about the number of coffeeshops and their respective policies. The response rate among the three categories of municipalities (coffeeshop municipalities, municipalities with no policy, and municipalities with a zero policy) was 100%.
The WODC wrote this supporting document for this report .
