Drugs in the Netherlands

[ajaxfetish]

I'm looking for input mostly from our Dutch members, but others are of course free to contribute as well. This is for a class assignment, comparing laws and attitudes toward drug use in several countries and analyzing the US 'War on Drugs.'

For those familiar with it, how would you characterize Dutch attitudes toward drug use? Why are the Dutch more open to legalizing (at least in part) soft drugs than other nations? How do you feel about the distinction between 'hard' and 'soft' drugs? Have Dutch attitudes about drugs changed in recent years as a result of either changing laws or other causes?

Thank you in advance for any perspective you could help provide.

Ajax

[Ice]

I'm looking for input mostly from our Dutch members, but others are of course free to contribute as well. This is for a class assignment, comparing laws and attitudes toward drug use in several countries and analyzing the US 'War on Drugs.'

For those familiar with it, how would you characterize Dutch attitudes toward drug use? Why are the Dutch more open to legalizing (at least in part) soft drugs than other nations? How do you feel about the distinction between 'hard' and 'soft' drugs? Have Dutch attitudes about drugs changed in recent years as a result of either changing laws or other causes?

Thank you in advance for any perspective you could help provide.

Ajax

Well I'm not Dutch, but I've been to Amsterdam twice.

From my experience, all Dutch don't love drugs, but they tolerate them. I think the theory behind the law is, like protestation, that since it will always be there, they might as well regulate and tax it. It makes it safer and brings government revenue.

As for hard/soft drugs, I was told to never try to buy illegal hard drugs (which I wouldn't anyway. I don't really have an passion to try them). I believe they are much more strict on those.

As for laws changing, I don't think they are issuing any more coffee shop permits, so those are getting rarer. I know they just banned mushrooms in Amsterdam.

Hope that helps.

By the way, I plan on returning to Amsterdam many more times now that I actually know a little bit about "wacky tobacky"

[Fragony]

Mushrooms weren't banned, they should be though. As fot the destinction, mixed feelings, because with technological adavcements you have to wonder how soft soft is. Fact remains that we have the lowest cannabis (and other)usage in Europe so we must be doing something right. With harddrugs, there is this other destinction, if you have a small amount it is for 'personal use' and they just take it from you, if you have a lot it's for dealing purposed and they are less lenient.

[Mikeus Caesar]

Why pay to go Amsterdam when it's just a case of having the right (or as some people would think, wrong) friends?

I've enjoyed...'researching' wacky tobaccy many times for free thanks to my friends, rather than spending a small fortune going to another country and then spending a small fortune getting the research material.

[Ice]

Why pay to go Amsterdam when it's just a case of having the right (or as some people would think, wrong) friends?

I've enjoyed...'researching' wacky tobaccy many times for free thanks to my friends, rather than spending a small fortune going to another country and then spending a small fortune getting the research material.

It's actually more fun to go to Amsterdam than to stay here.

There is also more a selection and it actually costs less.

[Fragony]

There is more to amsterdam then coffeeshops and hookers you know.

[Adrian II]

Thank you in advance for any perspective you could help provide. Ajax

Hi Ajaxfetish, great assignment you have there. I am not going to debate drug policies with you or anyone else because of the 'been there, done that' factor. But I would love to help you out of course. So I have been looking for some good English language sources.

You are probably aware that this issue is an ideological minefield where most mines are stacked against the Dutch drug policy based on tolerance, individual liberty and emphasis on the health aspects of drugs versus the criminal aspects. Nearly all reading materials must be treated with extreme care, particularly if they pretend to contain the magic bullet that solves all drug problems. Furthermore, no policy or issue can be studied in isolation from the wider context of a country's health and education policies, its type of society (religious, communist, etcetera), its neighbouring countries, international agreements and aggressive propaganda campaigns.

Even UN institutions are highly biased toward the repressive view. The UNODC for instance like to hold up Sweden as a prime example of a repressive drug policy resulting in low substance use. However, if you look at the statistical measures they use, you will find that they refer only to drug use among army conscripts and 15 year old schoolchildren. Hence the promising Swedish statistics.

For that reason I have looked for decent sources that explain the background and motivation for present Dutch drug policy. Treat them with equal care. As always, in the end you will have to judge for yourself.


The American-based Drug Policy Alliance have a decent overview of Dutch policy here. For detailed analyses we have the Dutch Center for Drug Research, subsidized but not overseen by the Dutch Department of Health. They have a nice online English-language library. In particular this article does a nice job of explaining the influential "Baan Commission" report which essentially shaped Dutch policy for decades to come.

Hope this is useful to you.

[Geoffrey S]

In general, soft drugs are considered fine as long as it interferes with no-one else: keep within regulated shops or homes, much like smoking in general. I, and I think quite a few others, don't really see any harm but also don't see the point. Hard drugs are a bit double. In theory they're illegal, in practice only combated in the most visible places. Most disapprove.