Enjoy Amsterdam. Know the rules.

Amsterdam is relaxed about cannabis, but it isn't an anything-goes city. Know the basics before you light up.

Reviewed 5 September 2026

18+

Coffeeshop minimum age

Personal-use tolerance limit

No street smoking

Restricted in parts of the centre

Don't smoke and ride

Drugs and traffic don't mix

Feeling too high?

Move somewhere calm and ask for help if you need it.

Cannabis can cause panic, nausea, dizziness, heart palpitations and poor coordination, particularly when someone has taken more than they are used to.

Move somewhere quiet and stay with someone you trust.

If you're in a coffeeshop or venue, tell staff that you're feeling unwell.

For serious medical symptoms or an emergency, call 112.

Be honest with medical professionals about what you've taken so they can help you properly.

112emergency services

Safety guide

Enjoy Amsterdam. Know the rules.

Feeling too high?

The rules

Using cannabis

Around Amsterdam

Feeling too high?

The rules

Tolerated doesn't mean fully legalDutch cannabis policy is more nuanced than the usual tourist shorthand.

18+ and small quantitiesCoffeeshops operate under strict limits.

Don't assume you can smoke on the streetParts of central Amsterdam prohibit public cannabis smoking.

Using cannabis

Stronger than you're used to?Cannabis potency varies considerably.

Edibles are slowThe delay is what catches people out.

Hash is different from flowerIt is cannabis resin, and strength varies.

Be careful mixing substancesCombining cannabis with alcohol or other drugs can make effects less predictable.

Around Amsterdam

Don't smoke and rideAmsterdam bikes are traffic, not an attraction ride.

Truffles are not cannabisTreat psychedelics as a completely different experience.

Ignore street dealersTourist hotspots attract illegal street sellers.