Amsterdam (Rough Guide) - Martin Dunford [13]
Wherever you’re from, a good source of information if you’re planning a long-term stay is a non-profit organization called Access (020/423 3217, www.access-nl.org). They operate a very useful English-language information line on everything from domestic services to legal matters, as well as running courses on various aspects of Dutch administration and culture.
Travel essentials | Entry requirements |
Drugs
Thousands of visitors come to Amsterdam just to get stoned. This is the one Western country where the purchase of cannabis is de-criminalized, and the influx of people drawn to the country by this fact creates problems: many Amsterdammers, for instance, get mightily hacked off with “drug tourism”. The Dutch government’s attitude to soft drugs is more complex than you might think: the use of cannabis is tolerated but not condoned, resulting in a rather complicated set of rules and regulations that can be safely ignored as long as you buy very small amounts for personal use only – which means possession of up to 30g and sales of up to 5g per purchase in coffeeshops, though in practice this is pretty relaxed, and many places will happily sell you much more than this (as they will space cakes, although these are also technically illegal).
Current prices per gram of hash and marijuana range from €10 for low-grade stuff up to €25 for top-quality hash and as high as €60 for really strong grass. Buy in bulk, or sell to other people, and you become liable under Dutch criminal law. Never, ever buy dope on the street – if you do, you’ll likely become a magnet for some pretty unsavoury characters, plus you may find yourself not buying dope at all; in any case there’s really no need with the delights on offer in the city’s many coffeeshops. Since July 2008, smoking tobacco is no longer permitted in bars, restaurants and coffeeshops. You can, however, smoke pure joints or use tobacco substitutes, which are widely available.
Needless to say, the one thing you shouldn’t attempt to do is take any form of cannabis out of the country. A surprising number of people think (or claim to think) that if it’s bought in Amsterdam it can be taken back home legally; this story won’t wash with customs officials and drug enforcement officers, who will happily add your stash to the statistics of national drug seizures, and arrest you into the bargain.
As far as other drugs go, Dutch government has recently enforced a new law surrounding magic mushrooms, making them just as illegal as hard drugs after a series of serious incidents. You can still purchase the “grow-your-own” kits or buy truffles, which are claimed to have a similar effect. Despite the existence of a lively and growing trade in cocaine and heroin, possession of either could mean a stay in one of the Netherlands’ lively and ever-growing jails. Ecstasy, acid and speed are as illegal in the Netherlands as they are anywhere else.
Travel essentials | Entry requirements |
Dutch embassies abroad
Australia 120 Empire Circuit, Yarralumla, ACT 2600 02/6220 9400, www.netherlands.org.au.
Canada 350 Albert St #2020, Ottawa, ON K1R 1A4 1-877/388 2443, www.netherlandsembassy.ca.
Ireland 160 Merrion Rd, Dublin 4 01/269 3444, www.netherlandsembassy.ie.
New Zealand PO Box 480, Ballance/Featherston St, Wellington 04/471 6390, www.netherlandsembassy.co.nz.
South Africa 210 Queen Wilhelmina