Before we start, it`s good to know which drugs are legal in the Netherlands. The Dutch do not see their policy of tolerance towards limited use of soft drugs as a miraculous solution. They try to prevent drug abuse through educational measures, closely monitor the scene of drug abuse and combat the consequences of abuse through health measures such as the free test of ecstasy pills, the free needle exchange programme and the free methadone care programme (heroin surrogacy) for heroin users. Today, hundreds of these programs operate daily in 60 Dutch cities and have a strong impact on life in the country. At the same time, Dutch authorities are trying to eliminate deadly illicit drugs by combating drug trafficking. On the other hand, they hope to be able to better control the social phenomena of drug addiction through their policy of tolerance towards soft drugs. For example, statistical data confirms that among 28-year-olds in the Netherlands, only 16% have ever smoked marijuana. Soft drugs, when widely used, seem to lose much of their appeal. The Netherlands is one of the few countries to lead in drug testing.
Jellinek or GGD Amsterdam`s drug testing service are two organizations that work to reduce harm by testing drugs for you. If you have to buy illegal drugs, testing is the only way to know exactly what you`re taking. This can be done anonymously and for a small fee and you can read more about these services here. For alcohol, the legal limit is 0.5. Men reach this level by drinking two beers/wines. Women reach the 0.5 level even earlier. Below are the legal amounts of medication you are allowed to have in your bloodstream while driving. In the case of soft drugs, there is no need to test the content, as the quality of cannabis in the Netherlands is generally good. Otherwise, someone could simply go to another coffee shop and legally buy cannabis from another vendor. This is the advantage of coffee shops: they all compete with each other and try to offer the best possible quality. Source: Jellinek Hard drugs are illegal, but the Dutch government believes in the so-called “harm reduction model”.
People will use drugs anyway, so it is best to provide adequate information and testing to reduce potential harm to society as much as possible. Drug users can go to a drug testing laboratory in Amsterdam and have their illegal drugs tested legally. Hard drugs – such as cocaine, XTC, amphetamines – are tested by laboratory analysts for their content (ingredients, size/quantity, etc.). Around the corner from Eerste Schinkelstraat/Schinkelkade in Amsterdam was the Dutch cocaine factory, where cocaine was produced from Indian coca leaves. Completely legal from the 1900s to the early 1960s. Intended for medical purposes, but it`s not hard to imagine that it was quickly abused. Possession of hard drugs is illegal in the Netherlands, but drug laws allow possession of small amounts without legal consequences. For hard drugs, the maximum amounts are: half a gram of cocaine, speed/amphetamine, MDMA, methamphetamine. 1 tablet XTC and less than 5 ml of GHB. If you are caught with these amounts, the police may confiscate them, but you will not receive a fine. If you have more, you will be fined. Depending on the amount you carry, you can even get jail time.
Source: Jellinek Gedoogbeleid supporters argue that such a policy practices more consistent legal protection than without. Opponents of Dutch drug policy call for full legalization or argue that laws should punish morally reprehensible or deviant behavior, whether enforceable or not. However, it has long been established by Dutch courts that institutionalized non-enforcement of laws with well-defined limits constitutes de facto decriminalization. The statutes are maintained in force mainly due to international pressure and in compliance with international treaties. [17] A November 2008 poll showed that a majority of 60% of the Dutch population supports the legalization of soft drugs. The same poll found that 85% of them were in favour of closing all cannabis cafes within a 250-metre walk of schools. [18] Other drugs such as cocaine, XTC, DMT, acid and virtually everything else are not legal in the Netherlands. However, most of them are still readily available in major centers such as Amsterdam and Rotterdam, and drug use is not punishable.
Police are looking for big drug dealers, not someone taking a pill at a house party. However, if you are caught buying or taking drugs, your drugs will be confiscated and you could be fined. There has been a lot of talk about cocaine in the Netherlands lately, partly because of the gang wars raging in the big cities and partly because of its growing social acceptance (at least in some classes). Cocaine, along with other non-medical drugs, is illegal in the Netherlands. This has been the case since 1912, when the Opium Act was passed. However, as the Dutch government considers the idea of a drug-free country unrealistic, the use of most drugs is tolerated in the Netherlands – hence the country`s reputation as a drug-tolerant country. While the legalisation of cannabis remains controversial, the introduction of heroin-assisted treatment in 1998 has been hailed for significantly improving the health and social situation of opioid-dependent patients in the Netherlands. [12] Other common colloquial languages include coke, coca, snow, bubbles, Charlie Sheen, whisky nose, powder Soft drugs such as cannabis in all its forms (weed, hashish, hash oil) and hallucinogenic mushrooms (called magic mushrooms or paddos – from Dutch: paddestoel – mushroom) are legal under the condition of so-called “personal use”.
As a result, smoking cannabis, even in public, is not prosecuted and the sale of cannabis, although technically illegal under the opium law still in force (from 1919, cannabis was added as a drug in 1950), is widely tolerated, provided it is done in a limited and controlled manner (in a café, small portions, 5 grams maximum transaction, Not many portions in stock, sale only to adults, no minors on the premises, no advertising for drugs, the local community did not give the order to close the café). Only two types of shops are allowed to sell drugs in the Netherlands. Smart stores where you can buy truffles and other legally compatible drugs, and cafes where you can buy cannabis and smoke. If you have any questions or concerns, the staff at these places can help and you shouldn`t be afraid to ask for advice. If the store isn`t a coffee shop or a smart store, they won`t sell anything with active ingredients – many gift shops sell “weed cookies”, brownies, etc., but these don`t contain THC – no matter how much you eat, you won`t smell anything. With regard to the question of where to buy drugs legally, it is important to address the problem of “street traffickers”. Buying hard drugs on the street is not only illegal, but also dangerous. In areas like the Red Light District, street traffickers are very common, selling mainly substances other than cocaine. In most cases, you buy a mixture of sugar and lidocaine. More dangerous substances such as levamisole (a dewormer) are often included, and sometimes people have died after ingesting cocaine that they thought was cocaine but was actually heroin.
They`re not your new best friend – and you won`t get what you`re looking for 99% of the time. While the recreational use, possession and trafficking of non-medical drugs described in the Opium Act is technically illegal under Dutch law, the official policy since the late 20th century has been to openly tolerate all recreational use, while the other two are tolerated under certain circumstances. This pragmatic approach was motivated by the idea that a Dutch drug-free society is unrealistic and inaccessible and that efforts should be better spent to minimise the harm caused by recreational drug use. [1] Following this, Gedoogbeleids (lit. The Netherlands is generally considered to be much more tolerant of drugs than most other countries. [2] Soft drugs such as marijuana and hashish are less harmful to health than hard drugs such as ecstasy and cocaine. But soft drugs are also illegal in the Netherlands. This means that those who sell, produce, market or possess these drugs can be prosecuted. In short, no. Magic mushrooms were banned in the Netherlands a few years ago after a series of high-profile cases in which people died tripping. Magic truffles (which grow like magic mushrooms underground and not on top) are tolerated by Dutch law and can be purchased legally in licensed smart stores.
There is a wide choice of truffles in all varieties and strengths. Always ask the people who work there and they will be able to help you choose a strength and type that reduces the likelihood of a bad trip – they are there to help you have the best experience possible and know what they are talking about. More than a hundred years after the first legal cocaine factory, much has changed in 2019: in the Netherlands, a distinction has been made between hard and soft drugs, where hard drugs (such as cocaine, XTC and amfetamines) are illegal, but soft drugs (such as cannabis and magic truffles) are tolerated.