This city is one of the most desired and popular among tourists. This city is one of the top 10 cities with the world’s best-looking people (both, men and women). And the Netherlands is also classified as one of the top 10 “happiest” country. Amsterdam has a lot of synonyms: free city, alternative Amsterdam, coffee shops capital, crazy city…
Some tourists may have noticed an unusual reaction when they tell people they are travelling to Amsterdam. They get that nosy look and a half-smile on their faces. “Amsterdam” – they repeat with a wily grin, – “lucky you”. What are their thoughts at that time? May be they think about Rembrandt and Van Gogh? Or may be about Anne Frank House and Dutch beer? Or about beautiful tulips and the flowing canals? There are many thoughts and facts about Amsterdam but the main point is that place is perfect for forbidden things.
Dutch drug policy is the most liberal in the whole world. The main idea that every man may decide about the matters of his own health. The Dutch consider this rule as fundamental. Another idea which guides Dutch laws in their drug policy is a conviction that hiding social negative phenomena does not make them to disappear – on the contrary makes them worse, because when concealed, they become far more difficult to influence and control. The sale and use of soft drugs has been tolerated for years. There are even special places for using – coffeeshops (in Dutch written as one word). Prostitution is legalized too. The Netherlands has allowed same-sex marriage since 2001, the first country to do so. Holland was also the first country in the world where euthanasia was legalized. There are several reasons of such pragmatic tolerance. One of them is historical. Amsterdam is traditionally a city of immigrants. Jews from Spain and French Protestants found a safe haven, centuries ago. And one more important moment that is Amsterdam is a city where trade has always been more important than ideology or religion – overly strong views would only hamper relations. That attitude is still visible today. Moreover, being not very big and internationally-orientated, the Dutch quite simply had to be able to connect with different cultures, sail the seas, learn other languages and accept differences.
The Dutch have divided drugs into two groups, depending on their influence on human health – soft drugs and hard drugs. Hard drugs as cocaine, LSD, morphine, heroin are forbidden in the Netherlands as in any other country.
Soft drugs as cannabis in all its forms (marijuana, hashish, hash oil) are legal under condition of so called “personal use”. As a result smoking of cannabis even in public, is not prosecuted. You will know when someone is smoking it because the smell is very pungent and has a recognizable odor.
More details about unusual but popular coffeeshops. These are special establishments in Amsterdam and Netherlands where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated (in Dutch called gedoogd) by the local authorities. Coffeeshops are no longer allowed to sell alcohol. Dutch coffee shops often fly green-yellow-red flags (Ethiopian), other symbols of the Rastafari process, or depiction of palm leaves to indicate that they sell cannabis, as a consequence of the official ban on direct advertising. This aesthetic attracts many public artists and ordinary tourists. You will be handed a “menu of drugs” selling items such as space cakes, space brownies, space cookies, space muffins, space tea and etc that contain a dose of cannabis.
A greater number of coffeeshops are situated in the Red Light District De Wallen. This place is the major tourist attraction in Amsterdam and you would not be surprised to see crowds of tourists. If you are alone and want to visit this district – be careful or stay at home better. There are a lot of sex shops, peep shows, sex theatres, a cannabis museum here.
As you can see, Amsterdam is very interesting and unusual city. But the main aim of the most tourists is not drugs and prostitutes, but canals, bridges, museums and beautiful landscapes.
Good luck and have a good impression of this magic city!