By Timothy S. Donahue

Top Takeaways:

• Cannabis expansion: Altria’s investment in Cronos has given the tobacco giant an indirect stake in Dutch cannabis producer CanAdelaar
• Expert concerns: Addiction and tobacco researchers warn Big Tobacco’s marketing and lobbying tactics could influence the cannabis sector
• Dutch experiment: CanAdelaar is the largest grower participating in the Netherlands’ regulated cannabis pilot program

Altria Group’s indirect entry into the Dutch cannabis market is raising concerns among public health and tobacco control experts as the Netherlands continues its closely watched cannabis legalization experiment.

According to reports from Dutch outlets Investico, De Groene Amsterdammer, and NU.nl, Altria’s investment in the Canadian cannabis company Cronos Group has given the tobacco company an indirect ownership stake in Dutch cannabis producer CanAdelaar, the largest regulated grower participating in the Netherlands’ cannabis trial.

The connection stems from Altria’s 2019 acquisition of a 45% stake in Cronos Group. In December 2025, Cronos announced plans to acquire CanAdelaar for €57.5 million, bringing one of the Netherlands’ largest legal cannabis producers under the umbrella of a company heavily backed by Altria.

CanAdelaar plays a significant role in the Dutch cannabis experiment, which is testing a regulated supply chain for cannabis sales. The company reportedly produces about 20,000 kilograms of cannabis annually and supplies dozens of participating coffeeshops.

The development underscores the continued diversification of major tobacco companies beyond traditional combustible products.

“Internal company documents show that they viewed it as a potentially lucrative product as early as the 1970s,” said Rachel Barry of the University of Bath, referring to tobacco industry interest in cannabis. “The growing legalization of cannabis, combined with stricter regulation and criticism of cigarettes, has given momentum to the tobacco industry’s hunt for alternatives.”

Researchers interviewed by Dutch publications argued that cannabis is part of a broader strategy by tobacco companies to expand into adjacent nicotine and cannabinoid categories, including vaping and cannabis products.

The report also examined scientific publications involving Aspeya, a subsidiary of Philip Morris International. According to the investigation, researchers affiliated with Aspeya have published multiple papers on potential cannabis-related benefits over the past two years.

Kevin Jenniskens of Cochrane Netherlands told the publications that industry-funded research warrants scrutiny. “There is no blatant fraud with results, but those results are presented in a more positive light,” Jenniskens said.

After reviewing the publications, Jenniskens said the papers were largely literature reviews rather than original studies and warned that “cherry-picking is a real risk.” Several addiction and tobacco experts also expressed concern that tobacco companies could apply tactics historically used in cigarette and vaping markets to cannabis.

“We know how the tobacco industry operates,” said Marc Willemsen of the Trimbos Institute. “This isn’t just some kind of charity that thinks: ‘we are going to help the government prevent people from using cannabis long-term.’”

Tom Bart of the Jellinek addiction institute raised concerns about future marketing efforts. “The question now is: how are they going to tap into new target groups to recoup their investments?” Bart said. “With vapes, we already saw how the tobacco industry deployed influencers, social media, and subsidiaries for that purpose.”

Dutch officials are expected to assess the progress of the cannabis experiment in the coming months, with the role of large international companies likely to remain a point of debate.