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(statistical figures quoted in the article entitled "There's Nothing Wrong with the Kids, Today." are figures for city of Amsterdam only, as reported by the Dutch Ministry of Justice to author in early 1995.)

To see an official page about Dutch drug policy from the government itself, click here.

Is Amsterdam Really the Drug Capital of Europe ?

or

How To Make up to $2500 a Month while living it up in so-called 
Drug Crazed Holland

or

Observations of the Netherlands
by the web maintainer. 

NOTE : THIS 1996 ARTICLE IS OUT OF DATE. In Holland, "Hard Drug" distribution (at little or no cost to the addicts) to addicts has begun in a few places. Street dealers now have more competition, and addicts who so desire can save their money and get their lives together in many cases. At least, that's the trend. 

Despite the fact that there are hundreds of coffeshops selling marijuana in an incredibly small geographical section of Amsterdam, the area near the Central Station to be precise, in most areas of that same city, there are literally none (i.e., no coffeeshops selling marijuana and hashish) to be found among the hundreds and hundreds of cafe's, pubs, restaurants, grocery stores, ethnic shops, wine shops, filling stations, etc.

A closer examination of the persons frequenting these Amsterdam establishments is that a high proportion of them are from other countries like the United States, England, Ireland, Scotland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, South Africa, Israel, etc., etc.

In the towns near the Dutch border, many, if not most, of the patrons are not Dutch. They are attracted to Holland by the quality and price of the available "product".

Most really Dutch cities have only a handful of marijuana coffeeshops, and even in Rotterdam and the Hague, the coffeeshops are quite difficult to find unless you know the city well (which I don't). Out in the boonies, even close to Amsterdam, there are none. The so called "drug culture" is mostly confined to Amsterdam and the large cities. Most visitors find most of Holland peaceful and sedate.

Yes, there is the occasional neighborhood coffeeshop, here and there. These are relatively quiet hangouts frequented, mostly by younger working people, or students (or dropouts, some on welfare). It is also the place where many people come in only for a moment, to buy their marijuana. I have rarely seen busy coffeeshops in any place except downtown central Amsterdam, during the tourist season.

Sensi-seed in Rotterdam usually has only 7 or eight patrons at a time, and it's the "largest" and most publicised in that city. The pubs next door are almost always overflowing with 40 or 50 beer drinkers, even on week days !

In Ledien, where I lived or frequented for about 11 months from 1991 - 1994, the students there are hardly ever found in sizable groups in coffeeshops. There are about 15 - 25 coffeeshops in "metro - Leiden", but in the centrum, there are about 7 or 8. By contrast, there are probably 100 - 200 pubs and bars in the same geographical area. Pubs and bars on any evening in Leiden are almost always overflowing with patrons, while coffeeshops are relatively sedate and less densely packed. Around Leiden in Noordwijk, Katwijk, Oestgeest, Rijnsburg, Wassanar, Waermond, etc., there is no coffeeshop selling marijuana to be found at all.

In Utrecht, I have only limited experience, but in the centrum, especially along the "oude gracht" (the old canal), there are only 4 or 5 marijuana dispensing shops, one run by a devout Catholic, and they did seem busy. But again, there were ten times that many pubs and bars in the same area, all usually doing a brisk business. (Utrecht has a large university.)

In most non-university Dutch towns, other than large cities, there is no coffeeshop whatsoever. In the majority of towns which have a coffeeshop, there is one, two or three at the most. Most small towns do not have any marijuana dispensing coffeshops, but even the smallest of villages will always have a pub.

In my neighborhood at the south end of Vondel Park in Amsterdam, which is considered still part of the centrum (though the "outer centrum"), there is only one coffeeshop selling marijuana (coffeeshop Sancho Paz), and there are usually about 4 or 5 patrons in there when I pass by.

Is Amsterdam really the drug center of Europe and the whole world ?

The sad, sad, truth for the aspiring Dutch (or foreign resident) who wants to make "BIG MONEY" growing pot over here in "drug crazed Netherlands" is that there isn't much profit in it here.

In fact, if you want to make big money here, try a micro-brewery, or open a fast food joint in a prosperous neighborhood (or not so prosperous). There the youth can be coralled into doing cocaine, crack, and heroin since there is no soft-drugs alternative. (Some mayors and city councilmen want more cannabis coffeeshops in Holland in order to lure kids off the street, away from hard drugs.) 

This writer spoke personally with a former grower who told me the following story.

He built a large sophisticated hydroponic growing system cnsisting of at least the following :
  • twenty (20) one thousant watt (1000 watt) high pressure sodium grow lamps with reflectors. (20,000 watts of electicity).
  • 2 or 3 rooms filled to capacity with tanks, flow tables, timers, pumps, fans, etc.
  • cloning room, etc.
  • 3 full time attendants (paid helpers).
  • Guaranteed market for harvest
Within a year, the guy was making a profit of $ 2500 per month within a few months (start up headaches, etc.).

WOW GEE, let's call the NATIONAL GUARD IN.

WOW, like this guy is a BIG TIME criminal. He can even afford a NEW BICYCLE in Amsterdam !
He is now involved in other more lucrative, legal, businesses.

There is a youth drug problem in Holland, just as in Canada, America, England, etc., but it is substantially smaller in Holland.

I believe that Holland would have NO drug problem any longer if other nations would allow their government to actually regulate drug dispensation (dispensing of "illegal" drugs to drug users) using doctors and ordinary pharmacies. There would no longer be any dealers, and the entire youth drug problem could be totally solved since addicted kids who go for "help" from the authorities would be assured of no "jail" or punishment, other than regulated use of "safe" dosages of the associated substance. The entire drug culture would be instantly clinicized, de-glamorized, sanitized, and de-black-market-profitized.). Addicted kids could be weaned off the sustances under careful regulation, rather than failed repression.

What is rarely understood about Holland is that marijuana was made "semi-legal" in the early '70's more as a "damage control" measure, rather than as an attempt to make it more popular. By tolerating drug users and limited dealing in downtown Amsterdam, they succeeded in greatly reducing the popularity elsewhere. Those who want drugs go to Amsterdam. Those who don't want drugs, don't go there (so often).

Media types from America are baffled the moment they pass beyond a one kilometer circle around Central Station in Amsterdam. Beyond that, there's not much to see of "drugs" in Amsterdam (or Holland for that matter, to a great extent), especially compared to the daily dose of evening news, from America. (YES, there is a drug problem in Holland but not everywhere. See below.)

Ask most of the Dutch people outside that 1 kilometer circle what they think of "drugs" and so forth. They will throw up their arms in dismay and complain emphatially that Amsterdam is such a sinful and horrible place, and is totally "lost", etc.

But,

If you ask them if they think people who use drugs should be put in jail, most will just say :

NO !

But there is a drug problem in Holland.

I have heard stories that "ecstasy" or mdma, is quite popular, and totally tolerated. What percentage of young people in Holland have done ecstasy once or twice ? What percentage uses it once a week, or once a month ? But then, what about America ? A lot of kids there are doing ecstasy, speed, LSD, and worse things, also.

There are "bad" neighborhoods in Holland where crime, murder, and hard drugs can be found ; I have heard that the "Bijlmermeer" area is quite notorious for having gangs, cocaine, murder, etc.

But downtown Amsterdam seems quite sedate these days. Even the "Zeedijk" area which used to be saturated with Heroin dealers ten years ago, is now nice and peaceful for the most part, with a plethora of trendy shops, cafe's and small hotels and offices. The nearby "red light district" is also full of trendy cafe's, cannabis coffeeshops, coffeeshops without cannabis, boutiques of all types, as well as ordinary washateria's, grocery stores, offices, apartments, schools, and even a church or two. Lots of red lights, also.

In the town of Heerlen, a small city in extreme southeast Holland in Limburg, I could find no coffeeshop. People I encountered on the street told me that there was none there which sold "soft drugs".

In Heerlen I noticed shady looking criminal appearing types transacting business in their cars in the parking lot of the train station. I had happened to befriend two students in the train a few moments before, and was with them as I noticed the "dealer seeming" types in the cars. The guys told me that they were selling heroin. They told me that the local police just ignored it, or "shooed them away" occasionally without arrests.

On my next visit to Heerlen, (I was going to a chiropractor nearby) I was shocked to see one of the Dutch guys I had met the week before lying on the pavement near the parking lot, groaning and moaning.

I helped the fellow up, and noticed that he could barely walk. He staggered along and was unable to coherently say what had happened.

He looked at his watch, moaned, then staggered off back into the station. I never saw him again.

I am fairly certain that he had just done Heroin.

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