How does the tolerance policy work?

Amsterdam, and therefore the Netherlands, has a unique policy regarding the legality of THC-containing products. These products fall under the category of soft drugs. Soft drugs are illegal in the Netherlands, but not as illegal as so-called hard drugs . Hard drugs are much more harmful to your health than soft drugs (which also include Amsterdam truffles).

Because cannabis products fall under the category of soft drugs, you will not be arrested in the Netherlands for carrying weed products. So you do not have to worry if you consume cannabis in the eyes of the police. However, there are a number of rules in Amsterdam that you can pay extra attention to:

• You may carry a maximum of five grams. Pay attention to this!
• There is a smoking ban in some parts of Amsterdam. This means that you are not allowed to smoke cannabis products at these locations. This often has to do with locations where either the local population or children can be bothered by the smoke that can come from these products. Stick to this.
• Although some nightclubs are okay with you having a little weed/hash on you, most of them are not okay with this at all. Beware of this

Growing weed?

To make things even more complicated, growing cannabis is not illegal in the Netherlands, provided you:

• You may grow a maximum of 5 plants per person at the same time.
• These plants are cultivated without any form of artificial light.
• The amount of weed that comes from five plants is of course more than the permitted 5 grams.

All in all, these laws are quite outdated. New legislation will probably be introduced soon to reduce the contradictions that currently exist in the coffee shop industry. Since the Netherlands has gone from a forerunner to a laggard in the field of weed innovation in recent years, this law will hopefully be assessed more realistically.

Can I carry or consume weed in Amsterdam?

Yes, as long as you don't have more than five grams of weed and/or hash and/or edibles on you, the police will turn a blind eye. But pay attention: there are "weed-free zones", this is indicated with a traffic sign in the region where it applies. Take this into account to do the locals a big favor :)!

Happy smoking!