People associate Amsterdam with participation in all kinds of illegal things, like drugs and prostitution, the forbidden idea of freedom. However, few people are familiar with the actual laws, according to CNN.
Marijuana, prostitution and gay marriage are legal there, and have been for decades. Other countries had those same activities occurring, though the Dutch decided to deal with them by being pragmatic and making them legal. It then became a destination for tourists looking for a place to do the forbidden with tolerance.
It still pulls those who want to smoke pot on the street, even in front of the police, letting them feel naughty.
However, despite these freedoms, the picture of Amsterdam as a place for all hedonistic pleasures isn't exactly accurate.
For one thing, recreational drugs are illegal in the Netherlands. However, an official policy of tolerance emerged, resulting in parliament decriminalizing possession of less than five grams in 1976. This resulted in cafes, different from coffee shops, where a menu of cannabis products is available for customers to smoke indoors or at a sidewalk table.
In 2008, the Netherlands imposed restrictions on smoking in public places. Coffee shop owners were upset, concerned that the restriction would hurt their business, resulted in a compromise, where smoking is illegal in most public places, but smoking in a coffee shop is still illegal.
While non-medical drugs are illegal, though there are two categories. Cannabis and recreational mushrooms are in a separate class where they are still illegal but largely unenforced by police. A type of magic mushrooms that contain psilocybin was made illegal in 2008, though authorities say they won't prosecute anyone possessing very small quantities. Hashish is another open area, with each municipality able to make their own laws.
Ninety percent of the smokers in Amsterdam are foreigners.
Prostitution and brothels have been legal since 2000. Prostitutes need to have work permits and have protection under the country's labor laws.
This article is copyrighted by Travelers Today, the travel news leader
