Dutch Coffee

When telling others of my pending move to Amsterdam, I got the sense that people who have never visited the city think that it’s a pretty cool and fun place. And it is. However, I’m guessing that this impression is based on perceptions of rampant drug use and prostitution rather than the things that factor into day-to-day life here. The coffeeshops specifically seem to acquire mythic properties.

The 21 year old couchsurfers I hosted on Friday (one Australian and one Canadian; both studying abroad in Paris) both marveled at the fact that the coffeeshops aren’t “actually coffee shops” (some of them do sell coffee, but many of them do not), and they expressed concerns with the drug problems and addictions that must exist when marijuana is legal.

When I explained to them that the policy of not prosecuting a small amount of marijuana sales and consumption allows law enforcement to focus on violent crimes and drugs that have greater negative health consequences (e.g., heroin, cocaine), they expressed concern that marijuana is “the gateway drug.” I explained that the “gateway theory” is more of a political moto than anything firmly grounded in evidence (for a summary), that, even if marijuana does act as a “gateway,” it may do so by exposing people to the criminal element (so, it is only a “gateway” because it is illegal), and that there is no reason to suspect that it serves as a “gateway” any more than alcohol, which is a drug that, for some reason, is not demonized and feared to the degree that marijuana is.

They then expressed concerns regarding tourists “going crazy” when they smoked marijuana in the coffeeshops. I explained that, although hoards of stoned tourists walking around through the center of Amsterdam like zombies can be annoying if you’re trying to bike through that part of town, I was not familiar with marijuana causing people to become violent or unruly. In fact, it seems to pacify the young’uns who want to come to Amsterdam to “go crazy.” In contrast, alcohol seems to make people much more energetic and, potentially, aggressive.

So, in general, it felt like a bit of an after school special in reverse. While I wasn’t advocating marijuana use to them, I was explaining that a lot of perceptions about marijuana are either based on fictions or are inconsistent with perspectives on other drugs (e.g., alcohol, various pharmaceuticals).

As the conversation progressed, I tried to explain my understanding of how the coffeeshops actually work. It’s far from the smooth, “legal” process that I’d pictured before I moved here.

My understanding is that coffeeshops are allowed to sell, but not to buy cannabis. The Dutch government allows individuals to grow up to five plants for personal use, but the coffeeshops sell far more than this could produce. So, to sell cannabis (which is allowed if the shop has a license), the vendor has to illegally buy cannabis from a drug dealer. This does keep the criminal element in the system, and apparently there is some organized crime and violence centered around the cannabis trade.

There are several other issues regarding the cannabis business in the Netherlands. Recently, the Dutch government approved a law dictating that coffeeshops can only sell to Dutch residents. This was apparently designed to limit drug tourism from France, Germany, and Belgium –people from these countries would cross the border, buy cannabis, and take it back to sell or use illegally. Amsterdam is not planning on enforcing this rule. Recently, another law was passed dictating that coffeeshops could not operate within 200 meters of schools. I’ve also heard of laws either passed or being written to limit the “strength” of the cannabis that coffeeshops sell.

The existence and operation of coffeeshops is only a part of the unique Dutch (or, at least, Amsterdam) drug policy. There are also “smart shops,” which sell other “soft” drugs, though there is a bit of an arms race between the government outlawing certain drugs, and the smart shops replacing them with slight variations that have not yet been outlawed. There are also needle exchange programs for addicts, and I believe there are even programs that give addicts heroin in lieu of having them commit crimes to feed their addictions.

After the conversation, one of the young couchsurfers ordered some tea, which came with a little cookie. He looked at it suspiciously and asked me if it contained marijuana. I thought it was cute.

These are pictures of some of the coffeeshops that are within a half mile of my apartment:

This one apparently caters to the artistic. It's tucked away on a small street.

This one is on a busy street across from a grocery store.


This one is next to several trendy cafes.

This is next to the market.

Fall photo of Sarphatipark.

This is tucked away on a small, quiet street. I'm guessing this caters to locals rather than tourists.

The "themed" coffeeshops are more common in the center of town. This is one of the only ones close to where I live.

A man with his son outside of a coffeeshop. I'm not sure if the man works there, is a customer, or is visiting friends who are there.

A sketchy looking guy ran out of the coffeeshop and started yelling at me as I took this picture. I'm not exactly sure what the problem was, but I decided to not respond and quickly ride away on my bike.