What are the coffeeshop policies and what rules do they have to follow?

Essay by jeffreyravenA, April 2007

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Everybody talks about the Netherlands and what a “loose” country it is due to its drug policies, as you can just walk in a shop buy the amount of Marijuana you want and enjoy it wherever. Many believe that this is a “cool” thing and yet don’t really understand why the Netherlands have this policy. Is it really that easy to open or run a coffeeshop? So my question is: What are the rules that the coffeeshops have to follow and what policies come with it?Politicians in the Netherlands believe that the illegalization of soft drugs such as marijuana is unstoppable, you can illegalize it, but there will still be many users so the Dutch society decided that if a problem is proved to be insolvable it is better to control the problem by law. Other countries such as America find the Dutch view upon drugs negative and therefore decide that the use of these substances should be outlawed even though they fail to eliminate drug use.

That’s why some other countries are experimenting whether to take over the Dutch drug policy or not, countries such as France, Germany and Belgium.

The Dutch drug policy is founded on the own personal opinion of the body. Meaning that it is not illegal to hurt yourself if that what your choice is although you still follow consequences of your actions, therefore you can not be charged of small amounts of soft drugs used for personal use. You can be charged due to persons actions under the influence of drugs such as driving in public. This although is nevertheless forbidden as one may endanger another from their actions under the influence of drugs or alcohol.

In the Dutch drug policy there is a big difference between the hard drugs and the soft drugs,