This overview contains 10 interesting drugs facts from the Netherlands that reflect the liberal Dutch drug policy. Alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, ecstasy, heroin, magic truffles and other things are part of this sheet with drugs facts, statistics and sources.

1 | Number of Coffeeshops in Amsterdam: 164

People often ask: How many coffeeshops are in Amsterdam?

Amsterdam has currently 164 coffeeshops. In the Netherlands, coffeeshops are businesses where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the Dutch authorities.

In Amsterdam, coffee shops are well-known for selling weed. Customers can purchase weed in the form of hash, weed grinders, and edibles. The coffee shops also typically sell clothing and other items with weed-themed designs. In addition to weed, coffee shops also sell food and drinks. While some coffee shops only sell non-alcoholic beverages, others also sell beer and wine. All of the coffee shops in Amsterdam are required to post signs that indicate that smoking weed is only allowed inside the coffee shop.

The number of coffeeshops in Amsterdam has drastically decreased. In 1993 there were more than 400 coffeeshops in Amsterdam. This decreased from 283 in the year 2000, from 222 coffeeshops in 2011, to 174 at the end of 2015 (a decrease of 39% ). At present there are 164 coffeeshops in Holland’s capital. (Source)

In the Netherlands it is illegal to grow cannabis for (commercial) sale. It’s only allowed to have a maximum of 5 cannabis plants for own use. Because of this Dutch opium law, coffeeshop owners in the Netherlands are forced to buy their cannabis illegally from criminals.

2 | Low Cannabis Use In The Netherlands

With cannabis easily available a lot of people expect that the Dutch are heavy cannabis users. But research from 2016 by Holland’s most preeminent drug addiction treatment authority showed that 1,6% of the Dutch population smoke on a daily basis.

This around 270,000 persons on a population of around 17.2 million. 4,1% indicated that they had used cannabis in the last month. Overall 23,7% of the Dutch have used cannabis at least once in their life. (Source)

3 | The Netherlands Is Biggest XTC Producer In The World

The Netherlands holds the global top spot when it comes to the production of XTC. In 2017, research estimated that a total of 1 billion XTC pills were produced each year in the Netherlands. In total Dutch criminals produced at least € 18.9 billion of ecstasy and amphetamines in 2017 (Holland’s defence budget is around € 11 billion). (Source)

This position can be explained by, among other things, the great location and infrastructure of the Netherlands. The Dutch tolerant attitude towards the use and production of synthetic drugs also plays a major role. There currently is a shortage of detectives, as a result the chances of getting caught are small. And the penalties for drug crimes are relatively low in the Netherlands.

Drug Prices in the Netherlands

The production cost of a single XTC pill is around 0,20 euro cents in the Netherlands. One XTC pill can easily bring in around 25,- euros in Australia. You can get XTC comparatively cheap in Amsterdam. In the Netherlands, the average market price is 4 Euro for a high quality XTC pill. (Source)

4 | There Are 31 Drug Testing Centers In The Netherlands

In the Netherlands there are 31 drug testing centers where people can get their illegal drugs tested. Most of these drug testing centers are located in the major cities in the country. Amsterdam has a few. These legal businesses test the content of illegal drugs (XTC/MDMA, amphetamines, cocaine, LSD etc.) and it’s 100% legal.

These drug tests + advice cost around 2,5 euro per test. These organisations share their knowledge, the content of the drugs, the effects and risks.

Harm Reduction Model

The use of drugs is not without risks. It is therefore good to inform yourself about the effects and health risks of a substance. Fortunately that is possible in the Netherlands. Therefore it is recommended you always gets the drugs tested so that you know what and how much is in it.

This is the Dutch approach on informing people about drugs: harm-reduction. In Amsterdam there are two official drug test labs called GGD and Jellinek. These drug testing centers are mostly visited by locals. For 2,50 euro per drug sample one can get illegal drugs tested legally in Amsterdam. In other Dutch cities – Hilversum, Amersfoort and Utrecht – these drug testing services are even free. (Source)

XTC pills can sometimes be recognised on the spot in the drugs-database of GGD/Jellinek. In that case one immediately gets a test result. Unrecognised XTC pills and all other types of drugs must be sent for a lab analysis.

5 | Free Addiction Treatment Programs In The Netherlands

Addiction care falls under everyone’s health insurance policy in the Netherlands. If one need help getting rid of any addiction, the costs will be fully reimbursed by Dutch health insurers. This also applies to clinic admissions.

A large part of the treatments at Holland’s largest and most known institute for addiction care – Jellinek – are based on cognitive behavioural therapy. One can also follow treatments based on the Minnesota-model. Jellinek offers all types of addiction treatments; alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, gaming, gambling, tobacco, sex, etcetera. All are fully reimbursed by Dutch health insurers.

There are even (Dutch) addiction-clinics in South Africa that are also fully reimbursed by Dutch insurance. A person only needs to pay its deductible amount – usually between 300 and 450 euro. (Source)

6 | Low Heroin Use In The Netherlands

According to a latest estimate in 2012, there are 14.000 problematic opiate users in the Netherlands. In addition to opiates, this group uses almost all also crack cocaine. In 2009, there were an estimated 3.023 problematic opiate users in Amsterdam.

At the start of the 1970’s there were 0 heroin addicts in the Netherlands, in 1980 there were 10,000 heroin addicts in Amsterdam alone and 30,000 in the Netherlands. A true public health crisis!

Most heroin addicts in the Netherlands use a method whereby heroin is burned on aluminum foil and the vapour is inhaled. The heroin users who inject the drugs is 30% in the Netherlands. (Source)

7 | Alcohol Consumption In The Netherlands

Alcohol is also a drug and should therefore be mentioned in this sheet with 10 drugs facts.

In 2017, 79,5% of all Dutch adults had drunk alcohol in the past year. That’s 11 million people. In the general population (15 years and older), the Netherlands is one of the EU member states where the least liters of alcohol per head are consumed. Alcohol consumption is more common among the highly educated than among the lower educated. 88.4% of highly educated Dutch people say they sometimes drink alcohol, compared to 67.3% of those with a low educational level. (Source)

Research done in between 2007 – 2009 showed that the Netherlands had almost 400.000 alcohol abusers and 82.400 alcohol addicts. In 2015 a total of 29.374 people were registered with addiction care in the Netherlands, with alcohol consumption being the primary problem. (Source)

9 | High Cocaine Use In The Netherlands

In 2017, approximately 1.8% of the Dutch population aged 18 and older had used cocaine in the past year. Approximately 250,000 people. This percentage is only higher in the United states, United kingdom and Australia. (Source)

The percentage Dutch that had ever used cocaine rose from 5.2% in 2017 to 5.62% in 2018. The number of young users at festivals and in clubs is increasing. However, the number of problem users is decreasing. Daily cocaine consumption in the Netherlands amounts to around 8-10 kg per day. Amsterdam alone takes up 4 kg of that. (Source)

Dutch Cocaine Factory

From 1870 till 1919 cocaine was legal in the Netherlands. In the 1910’s the Netherlands was actually a global market leader in the production of cocaine. The Dutch Cocaine Factory was located in the South-West of Amsterdam and people could even invest in this cocaine factory via stocks. Even though cocaine became an illegal substance in 1919 due to the Dutch Opium Law, it could still be produced for export and medical purposes. In the early 1920’s the Dutch Cocaine Factory produced 20% of the world’s cocaine. (Source)

Learn more about the Dutch Cocaine Factory and get many interesting drugs facts during our exciting Amsterdam Drugs Tour.

10 | Drug Smuggling In The Netherlands

A lot of drugs is smuggled into and from the Netherlands. In 2019, the amount of seized cocaine in the port of Rotterdam doubled. 38,000 kilos cocaine was intercepted in 2019, compared to 19,000 kilos in 2018. A 100% increase! In the ports of Rotterdam and Antwerp combined a record amount of almost 100,000 kilos of cocaine was intercepted. In 2018 the total was 74,000 kilos. Almost all cocaine that enters via Belgium’s harbours is first transported to the Netherlands before being distributed to Europe. (Source)

It’s estimated that only 10% of the drugs that enter the Netherlands are actually consumed here. The vast majority goes to the rest of Europe.

Amsterdam Drugs Tour

Hear more drugs facts during our super interesting audio tour called: Amsterdam Audio Stories. Learn everything you should know about the Red Light District, drugs, history and the liberal Dutch culture.

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The post 10 Jaw-Dropping Drugs Facts From The Netherlands You Didn’t Know appeared first on Tours in Amsterdam.

The number of jobs in the tourism in the Netherlands sector increased by 27.000 in 2018 to a total of 79.,000, according to the CBS (Dutch Statistics Office) on Wednesday following an investigation done at the request of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Tourism spending in the Netherlands amounted to a total of 87.5 billion euros, which is 6.4 percent higher than the previous year, 2017.

Tourism Industry in the Netherlands

The economic importance of tourism for the Netherlands continues to expand. Tourism share of the Dutch economy grew to 4.4%. An increase of 0.1 percent in 2018.

The added value of the sector totalled 30.4 billion euros in 2018, 7.1 percent more than the prior year. Adjusted for inflation, that increase was 5 percent, while the Dutch economy grew by just 2.6 percent in 2018. The hospitality industry in particular contributed to the added value of the sector with an increase of more than 12 billion euros.

Dutch Tourism Statistics

Spending growth was due to spending by both foreign and domestic tourism. For Dutch tourists in their own country, spending was 2.7 billion euros higher than the prior year, with a total of 51.9 billion euros. This means an increase of 5.5 percent, which was mainly due to the lengthy hot summer. The Dutch mainly spent more on drinks and food in the hospitality industry. Spending on fuel, sports and entertainment are the next major spending categories.

Dutch people who travel abroad often first spend their money on accommodation and transport in the Netherlands. Spending amounted to 6.6 billion euros, a 5.9 percent higher amount than in 2017.

Foreign Tourism in the Netherlands

Foreign tourists increased their spending in the Netherlands by 2.5 billion euros compared to the prior year, which resulted in a total amount of 32.5 billion euros. Spending growth of this group was 8.2% higher than that of Dutch tourists. This increase is mainly due to the large number of overnight stays, but also to a growing number of foreign tourists who booked their stay or a ticket through Dutch companies. “A large proportion of these tourists did not actually travel to the Netherlands, but Dutch companies did make money from these bookings,” states the CBS.

Increase In Tourism Jobs In the Netherlands

The number of jobs in the tourism sector increased by 3.6 percent to 791.000. The tourism in the Netherlands sector now covers 7.5 percent of the total number of jobs in the Netherlands.

Amsterdam Tourism Statistics

In 2019, the Amsterdam tourism sector accounted for 69,424 jobs. In 2018 there were 69,195 jobs in the tourism-industry which was 5% more than in 2017.

In Amsterdam, 11% of all jobs are in tourism (source). In other words: 1 out of 9 jobs in Amsterdam are in the tourism sector.

This growth is due not only to the increase in the number of tourists, but is also attributable to leisure activities among Amsterdam residents. Example: in 2018, attraction park the Efteling had 5.3 million visitors. The Red Light District was visited by 3.1 million people (source). The Rijksmuseum had 2.3 million visitors and the Keukenhof attracted 1.3 million visitors. (source)

The hospitality industry is the most widely represented, followed by sectors such as aviation, travel mediation, art and culture, sports, recreation and gambling. Retail, public transport and taxi services are the last to follow. The tourism in the Netherlands sector offers many part-time jobs. If those hours are converted to full-time jobs, the sector would account for a total of 474,000 jobs in the Netherlands in 2018.

Others who read this article also read: Rembrandt Paintings Explained and The Five Best Canals in Amsterdam.

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