The Netherlands, which for two decades exported state-supplied medical cannabis across Europe, is closing that door. The Office of Medicinal Cannabis (OMC, BMC in Dutch) is no longer serving foreign buyers, Bedrocan has entered suspension of payments, and the first market to feel it has already spoken: on 2 October, Danish company Stenocare warned that its supply of Bedrocan product is uncertain from 2027.
What has changed in the Dutch system
The model was simple: Bedrocan grew under a state contract and the OMC sold and exported. In February 2025 the health minister told Parliament the OMC would stop delivering to foreign customers during 2026. The contract between the state and Bedrocan ended on 1 January 2026, and on 10 September Bedrocan itself asked international buyers to stop placing new orders with the OMC and move to direct commercial routes.
The problem is timing. The Opium Act amendment that will let Dutch producers supply pharmacies directly is not expected until 1 July 2028. In the meantime, the OMC will supply the domestic market with imported cannabis through a European tender during 2027.
Bedrocan in suspension of payments
In late September, Bedrocan Nederland B.V. and Bedrocan International B.V. applied for suspension of payments (surseance van betaling), which the Northern Netherlands District Court granted on a provisional basis; the creditors’ meeting is scheduled for 22 December. According to Business of Cannabis, around 70 full-time roles at the Dutch sites are affected. The Danish and Canadian subsidiaries are excluded from the proceedings.
The company says deliveries will not be affected, as reported by MMJ Daily. Its Køge facility in Denmark, GMP-certified and licensed to cultivate since January 2025, has an annual capacity of 2,300 kilos and does not depend on the OMC. The Dutch ministry has also agreed to help build a reserve covering roughly one year of patient demand.
Denmark, the first warning
The Danish case shows the risk of relying on a single source. In Denmark all medical flower comes from Bedrocan, which held 69.6% of the market in 2025. Stenocare, which acquired CannGros in November 2025, says it will keep supplying for the rest of 2026 and is working with Danish and Dutch authorities on a transitional solution. But if the export channel closes at year end and the direct route only arrives in 2028, there is a gap someone will have to fill.
What it means for business
- Distributors and pharmacies that bought through the OMC need to review contracts and find alternative suppliers or direct routes before 2027.
- EU-GMP certified producers outside the Netherlands (Portugal, Denmark, Germany, Spain) have an opening: the OMC import tender and the markets losing their main supplier.
- Importers should plan for import and export licence lead times: switching origin is never immediate in a regulated market.
- Investors get a clear reminder: a model built on a single public contract is fragile when policy shifts.
We will discuss it in Bilbao
The reshaping of European supply, with new origins, tenders and distribution deals, is exactly the kind of conversation that gets closed at a table. At Spannabis B2B Bilbao 2027, on 11 March in the VIP Hall at BEC, producers, laboratories, distributors and investors will have a transition year ahead to plan for. Book your ticket or request a B2B table to meet the people who can fill that gap.