THC edibles

THC edibles are edible products that contain cannabis. Did you know that? Probably not, because THC edibles are not really known in our country yet. Spacecake is probably the only THC edible that most Dutch people can name. Some may also be familiar with cannabis tea, but that's about it. How different is the situation in the United States of America.

THC edibles in America

In the US there are numerous cannabis shops with a wide range of THC edibles such as cookies, candies, brownies, THC cannabis oil and soft drinks. In fact, it seems that THC edibles are more popular than the classic joint and why not? Everyone is familiar with the health risks of smoking. So no wonder many Americans prefer THC edibles.

THC edibles in the Netherlands

Now you may be thinking: The Netherlands is known for its coffee shops, so it is inevitable that many coffee shops also sell THC edibles.

Unfortunately, the reality is different. At a small number of coffee shops in the Netherlands you can buy space cake or cannabis tea, but other forms of THC edibles are not available. Even the famous THC oil is not for sale in the coffee shop.

You ask: Why not? Surely there must be a large market for THC edibles? Why don't coffee shops sell THC edibles?

The short answer is: The Netherlands has become more conservative. We give the long answer below.

Tolerance policy has stagnated

The reason why you cannot buy THC edibles in the coffee shop is related to the way in which the Dutch government has decriminalized cannabis use. For this there is a toleration policy implemented and this is fundamentally different from legalization.

It is tolerated that the authorities look the other way if they do something that is not allowed according to the law. The sale of cannabis, for example, is prohibited under the Opium Act, but the government has decided not to intervene when coffee shops sell cannabis, as long as the sale complies with certain rules.

The problem is that our policy of tolerance dates back to a time when cannabis was only consumed in the form of a joint or, less frequently, space cake. The American example shows that there are other options for using cannabis today, but the Dutch government is not open to these innovations.

This seems to be because the Netherlands has become more conservative and this is also reflected in our policy of tolerance. For example, the number of coffee shops has been declining for years due to a government discouragement policy.

The remaining coffee shops have therefore become super careful and blame them for once. Why be the first coffee shop to sell THC soft drinks if the authorities can use that as an excuse to close the business?

I don't want to smoke!

The fact that we as Dutch people cannot buy THC edibles is thanks to the government. It has even become less.

For example, I remember that fifteen years ago in Amsterdam I could still order cannabis tea in the coffee shop, but that is no longer possible these days. In any case, I don't know of any coffeeshops where I can still drink cannabis tea. It is also increasingly difficult to find coffee shops that sell space cakes.

As a non-smoker, I think that's awful. I'd like to use cannabis every now and then, but I refuse to put such a disease-causing smoke stick in my mouth.

Call to politics

If the government is serious about discouraging smoking, it should simply allow coffee shops to sell THC edibles.

It would be best if the House of Representatives finally legalized cannabis. Shouldn't coffee shops have the freedom to decide for themselves what they sell?

Come on, gentlemen and ladies politicians, legalize that bite! You can do this!