All About Coffee Shops
Compiled by Clint
Everything you wanted to know about the beloved coffeeshops in Asmterdam: Rules, regulations and tolerance
Coffee shop (as opposed to a cafe) in the Netherlands is synonymous with a special kind of coffee shop. These places do sell coffee and have tables to sit and drink it but, their primary business is cannabis. They are licensed by the local council and subject to regulation. A strict minimum age of 18 is enforced.
Coffee shops are not allowed to advertise, so you won't see a big sign outside saying "Weed for sale". Go up to the bar (or the dealer's booth if you recognize one) and ask to see the 'menu'. You will be given a menu of the various types of weed and hash available. In some places it is sold by weight (in grams; 28g=1oz), in others by value. For a list of average prices click here.
General rules
International treaties prevent the Netherlands from legalising cannabis, but the selling of cannabis is tolerated by officials.The law is not enforced following these nationwide general rules:
-
no advertising
-
no hard drug sales on the premises
-
no sales to minors
-
A maximum quantity of 5 grams sold to each customer (The possession of up to 30g is permitted, but due to this restriction, you could be asked to explain if you are carrying more than 5g)
-
No exporting outside of the Netherlands
-
no public disturbances
-
A maximum of 500 grams of stock
With the exception of advertising, alcohol and the 500 gram stock rule (which is routinely broken by the busier shops) these restrictions are strictly controlled. An owner can have his business closed temporarily or even permanently for some offences. There is an ongoing contradiction, as a coffee shop is allowed to sell, but not to buy, cannabis ("The frontdoor is open, but the backdoor is illegal"). There is as of January, 2006 proposed legislation to remedy this.
Some coffee shops are also licensed for liquor, with the sale of cannabis made at a different counter (though it may be smoked at the bar). Most coffee shops advertise, although many of them respect the amusing requirement to keep the cannabis menu below the counter, even when the cannabis itself is in plain view. Coffee shops often fly red-yellow-green Ethiopian flags or other Rastafari symbols to indicate that they sell cannabis, due to the ban on direct advertising. This aesthetic attracted many public artists to create murals in the coffee shops for commissions, and use the Rastafari and reggae related imagery to provoke public discussion about racial and multicultural issues.
Any shop selling soft drugs to minors or selling hard drugs at all is immediately closed. These institutions provide non-contaminated (and hence relatively safe) cannabis products, which may not be true of dealers acting illegally.
Municipal policies
Each municipalitiy has a coffee shop policy. For some this is a "zero policy", i.e., they do not allow any. Most of such municipalities are either controlled by strict Protestant parties, or are bordering Belgium and Germany and simply do not wish to receive "drug tourism" from those countries. A March 19, 2005 article in the Observer noted that the number of Dutch cannabis coffee houses had dropped from 1,500 to 750 over the previous five years, largely due to pressure from the conservative coalition government. The "no-growth" policies of many Dutch cities affect new licensing. This policy slowly reduces the number of coffee shops, since no one can open a new one after a closure.
For a history of Coffee shops click here.
Rate:
(3.6)
(3.6)
Surfers Feedbacks
01. Hash / aeolus Crowlaw (25/08/2007)
Add Feedback