Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Dutch Approach to Marijuana
Amsterdam, Europe's counterculture mecca, thinks the concept of a “victimless
crime” is a contradiction in terms. h e city—and all of the Netherlands—is
famous for its progressive attitude about marijuana. Regardless of your
views, it's fascinating to try to understand the Dutch system that, in 1976,
decriminalized the personal recreational use of pot. I travel to Amsterdam
frequently, and on each visit, as a part of my guidebook research chores, I
talk to various locals about marijuana—from the guys who run shops that
sell pot, to pot-smokers and non-smokers, to police oi cers who deal with
drug problems face-to-face. Here's what I've learned.
First of , marijuana is not actually “legal” in the Netherlands—Dutch law
still technically dei nes marijuana use as a crime (any country experimenting
with treating drugs as a healthcare rather than a criminal issue knows it risks
costly trade sanctions from the US). But for more than 30 years, the nation's
prosecutors have made it a policy not to enforce that law under their guid-
ing principle of expediency: It makes no sense to enforce a law that is more
trouble than it's worth.
h
e Dutch are justly famous for their practice of
gedogen
—toleration.
h
ey believe that as soon as you criminalize something, you lose any abil-
ity to regulate it. So they tolerate
recreational pot smoking in order to
regulate it (the same way we tolerate
and regulate alcohol and tobacco).
But Dutch tolerance has its limits.
h e moment you hurt or threaten
someone else, the crime is no longer
victimless—and no longer tolerated.
Dutch laws against driving under
the inl uence—whether alcohol or
marijuana—are extremely tough.
h roughout the Netherlands,
you'll see “cof eeshops”: pubs selling
marijuana. The minimum age for
purchase is 18, and cof eeshops can
sell up to i ve grams of marijuana per
person per day. As long as you're a
paying customer (for instance, you
In a Dutch cof eeshop, the menu features
service with a smile—but no cof ee.
