 |
 |
 |
Coffeeshops geteld Colophon
Summary
The Ministry of Justice (WODC) commissioned the research and advice bureau INTRAVAL to conduct research on the numbers of coffee shops and other points of sale of cannabis (marihuana, hasj, weed) in the Netherlands. In addition, this research devoted attention to the policies of the Dutch municipalities and the maintenance of the policy criteria.
1. Research design
The following three questions are addressed in this research:
a. How many coffee shops and other points of sale of cannabis were present in the Netherlands at the end of 1999?
b. In how many municipalities is evidence of the so-called zero option, no coffee shops at all?
c. To what extent are the AHOJ-G criteria and the 500 gram stock limit maintained?
The research consists of three parts:
The results of the surveys were compared with the data of the research project 'Cannabis in Nederland' (Bieleman et al. 1997). In that research, civil servants from 116 municipalities and police officers from 30 local authorities were surveyed. The information from these 116 and 30 municipalities was used to compare the results of 1997 with those of 1999.
2. Points of sale
In this research a distinction is made between the following points of sale:
Coffee Shops
According to the public prosecution service, a coffee shop is an alcohol free cafe establishment where soft drugs are sold and used. According to this definition, establishments where alcohol is sold are not labelled as coffee shops. This definition is not (yet) used by all local authorities. As was the case in the Cannabis in Nederland research, it was left to the local authorities themselves to decide which establishments they viewed as coffee shops. Increasingly more towns now use the same definition, based on the AHOJ-G criteria: no advertising (affichering), no hard drugs, no nuisance (overlast), no sale to youths under 18 (jongeren), and no sale of amounts exceeding 5 grams (grote hoeveelheden). The prohibition of the sale of alcohol is the only criterion that is not (yet) applied everywhere.
Similar Points of Sale
Similar points of sale are all establishments other than coffee shops (according to the local authority's definition) where cannabis products are sold and used. This category consists of other catering establishments (cafes, fast food shops and the like), shops and social cultural establishments. The sale of soft drugs does not form the main activity of these establishments.
Other Points of Sale
This category refers to all points of sale that are not in a public establishment, such as private houses, sale on the street, courier services and take away services.
Smart Shops
Smart shops are shops that sell so called eco-drugs (XTC substitutes, euphoric and relaxing substances), mushrooms, energy drinks and the like, and where there are sometimes facilities for the use of these drugs.
Grow Shops
Grow shops, also known as head shops, are shops that sell the equipment necessary for growing cannabis at home, and parapher-nalia for smoking cannabis (such as hash pipes).
Coffee Shops
Of the 538 municipalities in the Netherlands, 105 (20 per cent) have one or more coffee shops: a total of 846 coffee shops. Fifty-two per cent (443) of these coffee shops are located in the four largest cities. The number of coffee shops decreased between 1997 and 1999. In the 116 municipalities that were surveyed in 1997 there were 1,019 coffee shops. In 1999 there were 796 coffee shops in those municipalities: a decrease of 22 percent.
One of the toleration criteria applied by the public prosecution service is the prohibition of the sale of alcohol in the same premises where soft drugs are sold. Fourteen per cent of the coffee shops did not adhere to this criterion. These 119 coffee shops are spread across ten municipalities. One per cent of the Dutch coffee shops are also grow shops, and 20 per cent of the coffee shops also sell smart drugs.
Similar Points of Sale
At the end of 1999 there were 62 Dutch municipalities that each had a total of at least 145 similar points of sale. Three quarters (73 per cent) of these points of sale were cafe type establishments. Similar points of sale are found primarily in municipalities in which there are coffee shops. Forty-two per cent of the municipalities in which there are coffee shops also have similar points of sale, while only 15 per cent of the municipalities without coffee shops have similar points of sale. More than half (56 per cent) of the 147 similar points of sale are found in smaller municipalities (with less than 50,000 residents), while coffee shops are concentrated in the larger municipalities.
Like the number of coffee shops, the number of similar points of sale decreased between 1997 and 1999. In the 30 municipalities that were surveyed in 1997 there were 150 similar points of sale. In 1999 there were 36 similar points of sale, a decrease of 76%.
Other Points of Sale
There are at least 1,450 other points of sale of cannabis in the Netherlands. These points of sale are spread across 246 municipalities. Almost half (46 per cent) of the other points of sale are private houses, and a quarter (23 per cent) are street dealers. Municipalities in which there are no coffee shops often have other points of sale. Fifty-five per cent of the municipalities with no coffee shops have other points of sale, while this is the case in 24 per cent of local authorities with coffee shops. Other points of sale are usually found outside the urban conglomeration in the west of the Netherlands. The majority of Dutch municipalities on the vicimity of the national borders have one or more other points of sale.
The number of other points of sale seems to have declined since 1997. In the sample of 30 municipalities surveyed in the 1997 research there were then 295 other points of sale, while there were 180 other points of sale in the same municipalities in 1999: a decrease of 39 per cent.
In 117 municipalities there are other points of sale of soft drugs at which hard drugs are also sold: a total of 551 points of sale. In 85 per cent of these 117 municipalities this concerns the sale of cocaine, in 62 per cent heroine, and in 51 per cent XTC. In addi-tion, of the municipalities with other points of sale that also sell hard drugs, in 31 per cent amphetamines are sold, and in seven per cent cooked cocaine or crack.
Smart Shops and Grow Shops
At the end of 1999, 77 smart shops and 106 grow shops were found in the Netherlands. In the municipalities with less than 20,000 residents and in those with more than 200,000 residents there were hardly any smart shops or grow shops. Smart shops are found primarily in the municipalities with between 50,000 and 200,000 residents, and grow shops in municipalities with between 20,000 and 200,000 residents. 3. Policy
The majority of Dutch municipalities have developed a policy to regulate the number of coffee shops within their jurisdiction. The following types of policy can be distinguished:
Eight per cent of the 538 Dutch municipalities do not have any policy regarding coffee shops. The majority of municipalities (72 per cent) have a zero policy, while 15 per cent have a maximum policy. The number of municipalities with no policy decreased between 1997 and 1999. Of the 116 municipalities surveyed in 1997, 14 had no policy, while in 1999 there were three such municipalities: a reduction of 79 per cent.
Of all municipalities in the Netherlands, 12 per cent have one or more similar points of cannabis sale and 46 per cent have one or more other points of cannabis sale. In the municipalities that have a zero policy, these percentages are somewhat lower: nine per cent have one or more similar points of cannabis sale and 42 per cent have one or more other points of cannabis sale.
AHOJ-G Criteria
The public prosecution service has established a number of criteria that coffee shops must adhere to, the so-called AHOJ-G criteria: no advertising (affichering), no hard drugs, no nuisance (overlast), no sale to youths under 18 (jongeren), and no sale of amounts exceed-ing 5 grams (grote hoeveelheden). In addition, a maximum stock of 500 grams is recommended.
The AHOJ-G criteria are used in all 19 districts of the public prosecution service. Adherence to these criteria is monitored by carrying out checks in a sample of coffee shops. In addition, checks are carried out when there are reports of nuisance or when there is a suspicion that the criteria are not being observed. The criterion concerning the maximum stock of 500 grams is also used in all districts of the public prosecution service. Checks on adherence to this criterion are conducted in samples of coffee shops in almost three quarters of the districts. In addition, checks are carried out in almost two thirds of the districts when there are reports of nuisance or when it is suspected that the criterion is not being observed.
The local authority civil servants and police officers in the 105 local authorities that have coffee shops were also asked whether the various criteria are adhered to. In the majority of the municipalities this appears to be the case. No hard drugs and no nuisance are the criteria adhered to most: in 98 per cent of the municipalities these criteria are met. The criterion concerning the 500 gram stock limit is adhered to least: in 88 per cent of the municipalities with coffee shops. In 61 per cent of the municipalities where the 500 gram stock limit is adhered to, this is facilitated by conducting checks in a sample of coffee shops and by periodical checks. In eight percent of the municipalities, checks are carried out in response to a suspicion of a violation or in response to a report of nuisance.
4. Conclusion
This research demonstrates that the number of points of cannabis sale in the Netherlands decreased between 1997 and 1999. The decrease in the number of coffee shops has not, as is sometimes assumed, led to an increase in other points of cannabis sale. The zero policy, that is followed in three quarters of Dutch municipali-ties, also does not lead to a larger number of other points of sale than in other municipalities.
Between 1997 and 1999 the number of municipalities without a coffee shop policy decreased. In addition, in almost all municipalities, the police and the public prosecution service devote to the implementation of the AHOJ-G criteria and the maximum stock limit of 500 grams.
The Dutch policy of toleration appears to produce positive results regarding the regulation of the number of coffee shops and the discouragement of other points of sale. Through application of the guidelines and a clearer local policy, the number of points of sale has decreased. Less insight is available into the clientele and the supply of cannabis products and turnover in coffee shops. To obtain this information, the coffee shops themselves should be visited.
This site is maintained by De Poel Webdesign. |
