Netherlands medical cannabis reform delayed after Bedrocan bankruptcy

NewsNetherlands

By Spliff NewsroomPublished 10 November 2026 at 14:31·3 min read

The Netherlands medical cannabis reform, planned for 1 July 2028, has been postponed indefinitely. Health Minister Sophie Hermans announced the delay on 10 November 2026, after producer Bedrocan went bankrupt on 8 October 2026.

The change to the opioid law for medical cannabis will not enter into force on 1 July 2028, according to cannabisindustrie.nl. No replacement date has been announced. The reform is meant to end the state monopoly on the medical cannabis trade.

For background on the failed producer, see our report on the search for a Bedrocan buyer.

Minister cites bankruptcy workload

Sophie Hermans, the VVD health minister, said the government is not in a position to set a new date. In her view, handling the Bedrocan bankruptcy takes up too many resources, according to cannabisindustrie.nl.

She also rejected a request from D66 to change the Beleidsregel Opiumontheffing on 1 January 2027. She is expected to inform Parliament again in spring 2027 about the date of the law change.

Bedrocan and the state blame each other

Bedrocan, the main Dutch medical cannabis producer for years, went bankrupt on 8 October 2026. The company and co-founder Tjalling Erkelens say the cause was the end of government purchasing and the failure of the new legislation to materialise.

The minister sees it differently. She said the last order should have been delivered in November 2026, so the financial problems were not caused by the end of the contract, per the same outlet.

What the state did and refused to do

The contract between the state and Bedrocan ended on 1 January 2026, because of tendering and state aid rules. The state declined to give financial support during the suspension of payments and after the bankruptcy.

• It refused to pay invoices before quality checks.
• It refused to take over the remaining stock.
• It did cooperate in selling part of the reserve to an unnamed foreign buyer.

Supply runs out during 2027

Existing strains will not all last equally long, according to the fiche’s source. Bedrocan, Bediol and Bedica can be delivered until the middle of the third quarter of 2027. Bedrolite can be delivered until early in the third quarter, and Bedrobinol until early in the second quarter.

Some Bedrolite harvests were cut by more than 50%. The UK imports Bedrocan products and will also feel the shortages, as covered in our piece on Bedrolite supply at risk.

New tender planned for December

The Bureau Medicinale Cannabis (BMC) will publish a European tender in December 2026. It plans to select a supplier in May 2027 and hopes to deliver from September 2027.

Medical cannabis currently costs €7 per gram. The market consultation suggests the new product could be cheaper, but no price is fixed. Regulatory oversight after the end of the monopoly still has to be worked out, and the outcome of the Erkelens family’s export plan for a restart is unknown.

Ce que ça change pour toi

If you follow cannabis laws in the Netherlands, nothing changes in the rules that apply to you today. The delay concerns the medical system, not consumer products.

Patients and importers could face gaps in supply from 2027 if the tender slips. Broader Dutch market context is covered in our look at a Dutch cannabis acquisition. For hemp-derived options, you can browse our CBD flower collection.