Imagine running a shop for years, paying your bills, employing staff and still having to knock on the city council's door every few years just to stay in business. Welcome to coffeeshop De Palm on Asselsestraat in Apeldoorn. The owners have had enough and want their open-ended permit back. They used to have one, until the city changed the rules. Now they're hoping the Council of State, the Netherlands' highest administrative court, will force Mayor Ton Heerts to restore that certainty. Running a business is hard enough without an expiry date hanging over your head.
The dispute has been dragging on for years. Apeldoorn allows a maximum of five coffeeshops and doesn't want those spots permanently tied to the same operators. So the city changed its policy. De Palm, which previously had permission to operate indefinitely, was given a three-year permit instead. In June 2025, the owners lost their case at a lower court. Under the revised policy, coffeeshops can now receive permits for up to five years before having to apply again. The city says this allows regular checks on whether businesses are following the rules. De Palm's owners see something else: uncertainty for their shop, their staff and any plans they might have for the future.
And that's where the two sides clash. The city wants control over who gets to sell cannabis, while the business simply wants to know whether it'll still be there in a few years. A renovation, hiring more people or making a serious investment? Those decisions are a lot easier when you're not constantly wondering whether your permit will be renewed. De Palm wants the country's highest administrative judges to settle the argument. Whether that will bring the coffeeshop a permanent permit remains to be seen. For now, the biggest headache in Apeldoorn isn't the weed. It's the paperwork.
