Drugs and Coffee shops
A coffee shop can best be described as a café, which does not sell alcoholic beverages, and in which, under certain circumstances, soft drugs may be sold. Although the sale of soft drugs is an offence, low priority is given to the prosecution of coffee shop owners, provided they sell small quantities only and meet the following conditions:
- no more than 5 grams per person may be sold in any one transaction;
- no hard drugs may be sold;
- drugs may not be advertised;
- the coffee shop must not cause any nuisance;
- no drugs may be sold to persons under the age of 18, nor may minors be admitted on the premises.
The mayor of a city has authority to close coffee shops, which do not meet these conditions.
Drugs policy
The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport coordinates Dutch policy on drugs. The main objective is to prevent drug use and to limit the risks associated with it. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for combating drugs trafficking. The justice authorities and care agencies cooperate at both national and international level.
Dutch policy on drugs makes a distinction between cannabis and hard drugs (e.g. heroin, cocaine and sythetic drugs), based on the different health risks. The number of drug-related death in the Netherlands is the lowest in Europe, as emerged from a study performed by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction in Lisbon.
More detailed information about Dutch policy on drugs can be found in the booklet 'Q&A Drugs', published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is available on the ministry's website: www.minbuza.nl/drugspolicy.
For more information on the topics discussed in this article, contact the Ministry of Heals, Welfare and Sport: www.minvws.nl.
