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tables and benches huddle under chandeliers, and the hip, young waitstaff serve beer and
salads big enough for two (€5 sandwiches, €11 salads, €14-17 dinners, food served daily
9:00-22:00, on the corner of Plantage Kerklaan at Plantage Middenlaan 37, tel. 020/
320-0817).
AquarterofDutchpeoplesmoketobacco.Hollandhasalongtraditionasasmokingculture,
being among the first to import the tobacco plant from the New World. (For a history of
Since 2008, a Dutch law has outlawed smoking tobacco almost everywhere indoors:
trains, hotel rooms, restaurants, bars...and even marijuana-dealing coffeeshops.
Fortouristsfromlandswhereyoucandohardtimeforlightingup,theopenuseofmarijuana
herecanfeeleithersomewhatdisturbing,orexhilaratinglyliberating...ormaybejustrefresh-
ingly sane. Several decades after being legalized in the Netherlands, marijuana causes about
as much excitement here as a bottle of beer. When tourists call an ambulance after smoking
too much pot, medics just say, “Drink something sweet and walk it off.”
Marijuana Laws and “Coffeeshops”
Throughout the Netherlands, you'll see “coffeeshops”—cafés selling marijuana, with dis-
play cases showing various joints or baggies for sale.
Rules and Regulations:
The retail sale of marijuana is strictly regulated, and proceeds
are taxed. The minimum age for purchase is 18, and coffeeshops can sell up to five grams
of marijuana per person per day. It's also illegal for these shops (or anyone) to advertise
marijuana. In fact, in many places, the prospective customer has to take the initiative, and
ask to see the menu. In some coffeeshops, you actually have to push and hold down a button
to see an illuminated menu—the contents of which look like the inventory of a drug bust.
Shops sell marijuana and hashish both in pre-rolled joints and in little baggies. Joints are
generally sold individually (€3-5, depending on the strain you choose), though some places
sellonlysmallpacksofthreeorfourjoints.Baggiesusuallycost€10-15.Someshopscharge
per gram. The better pot, though costlier, is actually a better value, as it takes less to get
high—and it's a better high.
