Smartshops in Amsterdam
January 2017Amsterdam is known for its liberal drugs policy and most famously for its cannabis coffeeshops, which openly sell buds, hashish and space cake - an edible form of cannabis. These are all categorized as Soft Drugs in Holland.
Coffeeshops also sold cannabis extracts once upon a time. But in 2014 extracts (a.k.a. concentrates, wax, etc.) were made illegal in the country.
Hard drugs (i.e. cocaine and heroin) are strictly illegal.
However another class of drugs exists - Smart Drugs - which can be purchased in retail stores known as Smartshops.
Smart Drugs are so called because these substances stimulate the mind, supposedly improve memory and provide other cognitive benefits.
Smart Drugs can be sold in Holland provided they are all-natural and haven't been banned.
Such products include vitamins, herbal supplements, herbal stimulants like guarana, aphrodisiacs and psychedelics.
Smartshops famously sold Magic Mushrooms for many years.
But after several high profile incidents, Magic Mushrooms were made illegal in 2008.
Following the ban, they were simply replaced by Magic Truffles. So nothing was really lost.
Peyote and other cacti can also be found at some of Amsterdam's Smartshops, which also sell items such as cannabis seeds, mushroom grow kits, and smoking paraphernalia. And they stock a good deal of literature on the subject of Smart products in order to educate the public.
Smartshops have been around in Amsterdam since the early 1990's, compared to cannabis coffeeshops which first sprung up in the late 60's and early 70's.
Although cannabis coffeeshops are quite plentiful in Amsterdam with around 200 establishments, Smartshops are much less so, with only a dozen or so stores around the city.
