Are you considering using drugs in Amsterdam? Or do you want to learn how legal and illegal drugs are handled in the Netherlands? Then read this article with 10 Amsterdam Drugs Laws. This overview answers the most frequently asked questions about drug laws in Amsterdam which results into safer situations. Cannabis in all its forms is allowed in Amsterdam. Think of weed, hash and even different types of cannabis oils. In the Netherlands, magic mushrooms or paddos have been banned but replaced by truffels, which are basically the same thing.
The main difference is that magic truffles grow underground, while magic mushrooms grow above ground. Dutch coffeeshops maintain a minimum age of 18 years for going inside and buying cannabis. When police officers see a 16 year old smoking cannabis they will talk to him or her about their usage, and if they follow procedure, confiscate the cannabis. But there are usually no legal consequences. Source: Jellinek. The maximum amount of cannabis that you are allowed to have on you under current Amsterdam drug laws is 5 grams per person.
This drug law applies to the entire country. Yes, you can grow your own cannabis in the Netherlands. Every person in the Netherlands over the age of 18 is allowed to grow not more than 5 cannabis plants. If you do this under the age of 18 you can be prosecuted. List one is for hard drugs. List two contains soft drugs that are less harmful than hard drugs. Cannabis, sleeping pills, sedatives and Valium are all on list number two. Drugs on list two β soft drugs β are not illegal. Possession of hard drugs is illegal in the Netherlands but the drug laws allow for the possession of small amounts without legal consequences.
Depending on the amounts you carry you can even get a prison sentence. However this can of course vary greatly between different types of events, locations or the person who finds out about your substances. Not only in Amsterdam but in the whole country there are legal limits to how much drugs you can have in your system whilst sitting behind the steering wheel.
These limits apply to alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, MDMA and other drugs. Taking any of these drugs together whilst driving is a punishable offence. For alchohol the legal limit is a promillage of 0,5. Women reach the 0,5 level even sooner. Source: Dutch senate report: A nalytische grenswaarden voor drugs. Amsterdam police officers make an arrest. Drugs users can visit an Amsterdam drug test lab and get their illegal drugs tested legally.
