Netherlands/Drugs policy

The Dutch drugs policy is based on two principles:

1. A distinction between hard drugs such as cocaine? and heroin, and soft drugs such as the cannabis products hashish? and marijuana
2. Drugs usage is not considered a criminal issue but a public health issue.

Because of this, drug users are not being prosecuted for either possession or use of drugs, while small-scale dealers are dealt with only when they disturb public order. Large-scale dealers, and especially production, import and export, are being prosecuted.

For soft drugs, toleration goes even further, and so-called coffeeshops are being permitted to sell them openly, and to have a market store much larger than that officially allowed by law for own usage. A problem is, that whereas the sale of soft drugs by coffeeshops is allowed, there is no official allowance for buying the products, so in the end the drugs still come from the illegal circuit. Production of hashish and marijuana is allowed only in amounts that are meant for 'own use'. In practice the limit is set on four cannabis plants per person.

Note that cannabis is an illegal substance in the Netherlands. Legally you could in principle be arrested and convicted of drug possession, but in practice you are not. The Dutch Ministery of Justice simply uses an intentional facility in dutch law to institute a "gedoogbeleid?" with regard to softdrugs. "Gedogen" is a common Dutch practice: an official tolerance of a forbidden activity. It is used to keep control of activity which is considered harmful to society by the Dutch government.