ABSTRACT
Deviating from international drug conventions since the late 1960s, the Netherlands has been simultaneously praised and criticised for its pioneering spirit, liberal attitude, tolerant drug policies and harm reduction measures. This chapter is based on an analysis of the available literature on five decades of Dutch drug policy (DDP), complemented by interviews with key stakeholders in its recent history. Built for the wealthy during the height of the Dutch Golden Age, the picturesque canal district fuelling Amsterdam's prospering tourist industry is also living proof of the long and economically fruitful relationship of the Dutch with psychoactive substances. In the 1960s and 1970s, the Netherlands transformed from a rather closed society, organised along religious and ideological lines, to a more secular and individualised social order. Since the regulation of coffee shops, sales of small quantities are exempt from prosecution. Before 1972, growing opium use among native Dutch youth raised considerable concern among authorities and combating opium trade became a policing priority.
