COFFEESHOPS

 

Since the seventies The Netherlands have a so called 'gedoog'policy towards the use and sale of small portions of hash, marihuana and weed. Since then a lot of 'coffeeshops' were established in Amsterdam. Coffeeshops are places where you can buy and smoke your hash or weed in a cosy surrounding. Although some say easy availability of soft-drugs would increase the number of hard-drugs users the evidence in Holland does certainly not confirm this. Amsterdam has not more heroine or cocaine addicts as other big cities in Europe or the USA. The coffeeshops attract a lot of young foreigners, which certainly influences the atmosphere of the city.

 Below you see a picture of a coffeshop: