typically.nl

Drugs are bad for you m’kaaay? That’s why they’re legal in Nederland! Well, not quite legal. Illegal, in fact. But there is something to say for this ‘gray area’ (or gedoogzone). We have a very low number of potheads, compared to other European countries for instance. Still, the scene is surrounded by some dos and don’ts.

So, yes. You can in fact come to Amsterdam and buy pot. Not from some shady dealer, but from a shop with a front door and a PIN machine. For some reason unknown to me, these are called coffee shops. Some even sell coffee. All of ‘em sell weed, marihuana and pot (err wait, these are the same thing). And they sell space cake: cookies or cake baked with THC butter. THC is the active ingredient in marihuana.

This how it works. You gather the courage to walk into a coffee shop. Don’t worry, all staff speak English and see hundreds of customers every day, especially in the city center. Once inside you should see a price list fairly quickly. The various species of weed will be listed, from cheapest (often weakest) to most expensive. It goes without saying that the expensive stuff has the strongest effect. This might often be called “super skunk” or something catchy like that. You order a dose of your choice (“mag ik vijf gram super skunk alstublieft” / may I have five grams of super skunk please) and after paying you are done.

All of this is illegal according to Dutch law. Even so, it is allowed. This odd juxtaposition is called gedoogbeleid and appears to be typically .nl. Our governement acknowledges that (young) people wish to occasionally use marihuana, but is also forced to ‘ban’ the stuff according to European rules. So while legally not allowed, people can buy it just fine.

A few caveats though. You cannot buy more than 30 grams; this is the limit for what is considered personal use. You might like to know how the coffee shop is ever able to have more than this amount in stock, and this is indeed a puzzling affair. Somehow they manage though (wink wink *looks other way*). Also, you can be denied the stuff by the staff. You must be 18 years or older as well. And part of the whole deal is that coffee shops are not allowed to advertise their wares at all. And here we have the explanation as to why they’re called coffee shops. Calling it a marihuana shoppe would be illegal! And we can’t have any of that.

Once you have the little baggie in your posession, you either roll a joint in the coffee shop or put it in your purse. In any event you do not light up outside and puke and make us clean up after you. That is just gross. Believe it or not, someone smoking weed in public is a fairly rare occurance. Some Nederlanders do smoke grass, but they do it in private. You would do good to make it a private affair as well, especially considering that our weed is much, much stronger than any other weed you know.

In the early 21st century, the powers that be have become quite a bit oppressive towards the whole marihuana thing. It will probably never disappear, but more coffee shops are now closing than opening.