Coffeeshops and Coffeehouses

Upon their return home from Amsterdam many people recount colorful stories of how they ‘accidentally’ visited a coffeeshop (just like they ‘innocently stumbled into’ the infamous Red Light District).

If you don’t want to make the same mistake – or conversely, if you do – pay attention:

• Coffeeshop (or koffieshop)
  A place where you can legally buy soft drugs (marijuana or hashish), space cakes, coffee, tea, and sometimes freshly-squeezed juices and sandwiches. In the past some coffeeshops also served alcohol.
• Koffie Huis (‘Coffee House’)
  Same as above, minus the soft drugs.

Mind you, this is Amsterdam, Holland – a place where pragmatism rules. Like so:

• You can legally buy and use soft drugs at coffeeshops. (Note: you can have so-called ‘personal amounts’ of up to 30 grams on you without getting in trouble with the law).
• The coffeeshops are licensed to sell you the goods.
• Technically, it is not legal for people to supply the coffeeshops with soft drugs, nor is it legal for coffeeshops to purchase the stuff. [Yes, this stuff was thought up by politicians. No, we don't know what they're smoking]
• However, the authorities tolerate this system because it works…

The Drug Policy Alliance writes:

A key aspect of Dutch drug policy is the notion of market separation. By classifying drugs according to the risks posed and then pursuing policies that serve to isolate each market, it is felt that users of soft drugs are less likely to come into contact with users of hard drugs.

Thus, the theory goes, users of soft drugs are less likely to try hard drugs. Possession of small amounts of cannabis for personal use has been decriminalized in the Netherlands.

The sale of cannabis is technically an offence under the Opium Act, but prosecutorial guidelines provide that proceedings will only be instituted in certain situations.

An operator or owner of a coffee shop (which is not permitted to sell alcohol) will avoid prosecution if he/she meets the following criteria:

Coffee Shop, Amsterdam, Netherlands Buy From Art.com

• no more than 5 grams per person may be sold in any one transaction;
• no hard drugs may be sold;
• drugs may not be advertised;
• the coffee shop must not cause any nuisance;
• no drugs can be sold to minors (under age 18), nor may minors enter the premises; and
• the municipality has not ordered the establishment closed.

Separating the markets by allowing people to purchase soft drugs in a setting where they are not exposed to the criminal subculture surrounding hard drugs is intended to create a social barrier that prevents people experimenting with drugs like heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine, drugs deemed an “unacceptable risk.”

Decriminalization of the possession of soft drugs for personal use and the toleration of sales in controlled circumstances has not resulted in a worryingly high level of consumption among young people. The extent and nature of the use of soft drugs does not differ from the pattern in other Western countries.

As for hard drugs, the number of addicts in the Netherlands is low compared with the rest of Europe and considerably lower than that in France, the United Kingdom, Italy, Spain and Switzerland. Dutch rates of drug use are lower than U.S. rates in every category.
- Source: Drug Policy Around The World: The Netherlands, Drug Policy Alliance

• Marijuana and Hashish at Amazon.com
• One of the most popular coffeeshops is De Tweede Kamer.
• Coffeeshops are allowed to be open between the hours of 7AM and 1AM.

Recommended: Amsterdam Coffeeshop Directory

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