Is Cannabis / THC legal in Netherlands?

What sentences have courts imposed for Cannabis / THC in Netherlands?

Prosecutions recorded in Netherlands, each checked against the official document cited below it. Individuals are never named, and these are examples of what has happened, not a prediction of what will. How we verify a court case.

Across 6 verified cases, one sentence of 12 months is recorded. 5 cases state no single comparable term.

• A separately numbered co-accused case was heard at the same time without joinder. For the repeated joint import of a large quantity of cannabis, the court chose the maximum-length task order and a six-month custodial term that was entirely suspended.

  2023medeplegen; repeated import of a large quantity

  convicted of jointly importing a large quantity of cannabis; 240 hours community service plus six months fully suspended imprisonment

  Substances recorded cannabis

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• The reciprocal judgment identifies this accused by a different parketnummer from the co-accused. The court found repeated joint import and onward dealing in a large cannabis quantity and imposed 12 months, with three months held back conditionally.

  2023medeplegen; repeated import and trade of a large quantity

  convicted of jointly importing and trading a large quantity of cannabis; 12 months' imprisonment, three months suspended

  Substances recorded cannabis

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• This co-accused's combined header string is distinct from both reciprocal co-accused strings. The court treated the 2019 possession and dealing conduct together with a later cannabis transport count, but only the 2019 conduct carried the joint-participation finding.

  2019medeplegen; possession and commercial dealing; later individual transport

  convicted of cannabis possession, commercial dealing and transport; 120 days' imprisonment, 110 days suspended

  Substances recorded cannabis

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• The judgment itself corrects the metadata risk by showing the current parketnummer string in its header and separately listing the two co-accused case-number strings. Two 2019 cannabis counts were proved; the later 2020 allegation was acquitted.

  2019medeplegen; possession and commercial dealing

  convicted of joint cannabis possession and commercial dealing; 100 days' imprisonment, 90 days suspended

  Substances recorded cannabis

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• The third reciprocal Limburg judgment produces a different sentencing shape: the 2019 joint cannabis counts received a 40-hour task order that was wholly conditional. A later cannabis offense was separately declared guilty with no punishment.

  2019medeplegen; possession and commercial dealing; fully suspended task order

  convicted of joint cannabis possession and commercial dealing; 40 hours community service, fully suspended

  Substances recorded cannabis

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)

• The court preserved the lesser participation form rather than treating the accused as a principal. The operative conviction was complicity in joint large-scale cannabis cultivation, punished with 80 hours of community service.

  2018medeplichtigheid aan medeplegen; large-scale cannabis cultivation

  convicted of complicity in joint large-scale cannabis cultivation; 80 hours community service

  Substances recorded cannabis

  Source Rechtspraak.nl (Raad voor de rechtspraak)