A Social History of Drug Use in the Netherlands: Policy Outcomes and Implications

Abstract

The Netherlands, a prosperous country with many ports, is an inviting place for trading and transporting illegal psychotropic substances. Moreover, because of the liberal climate, the country has a long tradition as a place where people like to reside. This article describes developments in the Netherlands with a focus on those issues that can be described as “typically Dutch”: the social welfare and health care systems, the history of drug use, the divergent Opium Act, the provision of methadone, and the governmental policy on aid and prevention. The author concludes that the Dutch have ceased to look for the “one and only” solution, but are learning how to cope with new developments by means of “normalization.”