Coffeeshops
You probably know that in Holland coffee is not the most popular thing sold in a coffee shop and that sometimes you cannot even buy coffee there. Coffeeshops sell cannabis, a so called 'soft drug'.
Amsterdam has about 230 coffeeshops, most of them located in the city center. If you're in Amsterdam you won't be able not to see them. Research shows that almost 30% of tourists who visit Amsterdam smoke at least one marijuana cigarette or 'joint' during their visit. For almost 10% of the tourists visiting a coffeeshop is the main reason of going to Amsterdam.
History
The first Dutch coffeeshop "Mellow Yellow" was opened in the early seventies in Amsterdam, when the Dutch started to distinguish 'soft' and 'hard' drugs. The Dutch wanted to fully legalize soft drugs but were stopped by international law. Since then a lot has happened but in effect soft drugs are 'tolerated' by policy. The reasoning behind this policy is that making soft drugs illegal will create bigger problems then when tolerating them. By tolerating soft drugs the government can keep a better eye on things then when the dealing of it disappears to an illegal and underground scene. Many countries object to this policy but statistics show that Holland has much less drugs addicts than other western european countries.
The letter of the law
Regarding you
If you read the last paragraph carefully you will note that possession of marijuna is in effect illegal in The Netherlands. Although posession is illegal, it is tolerated that a person carries 5 grams or less as this is regarded to be for 'personal use'.
Regarding the coffeeshop
A coffeeshop has to have a license, in Amsterdam there are around 230 coffeeshops that can be recognized by the green and white window sticker. No new licenses are being given, meaning that the number of coffeeshops is 'frozen'.
A coffeeshop owner is not allowed to serve alcohol (this used to be different, but has been changed since april 2007). The minimum age of a client is 18, a maximum of 5 grams may be sold to each client. The owner is not allowed to advertise, the marijuana stock of a shop may not be more than 500 grams.
What shop to go to?
There are so many shops, some you might have heard of as they have international fame (e.g. 'The Bulldog' or 'The Grasshopper'). However, not all the shops are the same regarding quality of products and service, prices and general atmosphere. A famous shop does not need to be a good shop.
Try to find a shop where you feel comfortable and where you can get some good advice, if the dealer is pushing his most expensive product then you might want to leave as he clearly is not thinking about you but about his wallet. Especially in the center there are many tourist oriented cofeeshops that try to rip you off.
To help you out there is an on-line directory in which coffeeshops are listed and rated by visitors, we picked out some popular ones that did not have any negative comments:
- Het Ballonnetje
- Dread Rock
- Homegrown Fantasy
- The Old Church
- Picasso
- Pink Floyd
- Rusland
- Sheeba
- Stones Café
- Tweede Kamer
Coffeeshop how-to
If you enter a coffeeshop you'll have to go to the bar and ask for the 'menu'. There might be a special bar-area where the dealer works. The menu will show you several choices and the prices, the menu will eather display price per gram or the amount of grams you get for for a certain price. A gram equals 28 ounce b.t.w.
Prices vary heavily, depending on the the shop location and the product, roughly a gram will be anywhere inbetween 5 euro and 12 euro.
Usually you can buy pre-rolled joints and other stuff as well, if you do not want to roll your own joints. Instructions on how to roll a joint can be found here.
Hash Marihuana Hemp Museum
In the heart of the Red Light District you'll find an interesting museum that educates you about all the aspects of marijana. It is located at 130 Oudezijds Achterburgwal. There is a small entrance fee, but it is well worth it!
A word of warning
Although not available in coffeeshops and only in 'smart shops', be careful with mushroom products. In 2006 over one hundred sick tourists were treated in the hospital after consuming hallucinative mushroom products. In the past years several tourists have died in mushroom related accidents.
Never buy drugs from people (dealers) on the streets. In tourist areas there are always persons that might ask you to buy drugs from them (they might whisper stuff like 'hash, coke', etc. to attract your attention). Just ignore them. They will probably sell kitchen herbs in stead of the real thing, also it is dangerous and highly illegal.
Don't mix drugs and alcohol, consuming both alcohol and drugs tends to make you feel really sick and you'll end up enjoying neither of both.
Dutch marijuana might be stronger then you are used to. Research shows that the percentage of THC in Dutch marijuana can be up to 5 times higher than 'imported' marijuana. Inform in the shop or get something 'light' from the menu.
Every year tourists die as a consequence of taking drugs. Don't be the dumb ass that falls out of the hotel window or drowns in one of the channels. Watch out for yourself and others. If you're new to it, then let somebody of your group stay sober and take care of the rest.
There is more and more information about the use of marijuana and its effect on health, researchers say "People who want to smoke cannabis ought to be aware that it has equal effects to cigarettes on the body and worse effects on the mind." If you want to read more then go to this article on the BBC web site.