Coffeeshop etiquette in Amsterdam
If you are planning a visit to Amsterdam soon and intend to smoke marijuana, read this before you go into a coffeeshop!
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Puffit, the guide
Coffeeshop etiquette in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Thinking of visiting a coffeeshop and smoking marijuana there, or tasting truffles?
In this piece you will find what to do and what not to do when you are in a coffeeshop. If you have not been to Amsterdam before, I imagine you are not used to smoking weed in public. So it is worth learning the unwritten rules and making sure your first visit goes as smoothly as it can. There are a few basic rules to follow in a coffeeshop. You may buy up to 5 grams of marijuana a day. You must be over 18, and it matters a great deal that you carry an ID card, a licence or a passport. In a coffeeshop you can buy marijuana in various forms (ready-made, that is pre-rolled, weed (flowers), hash, and edibles such as hash cakes. At Puffit we call them space cakes.) You will not find magic mushrooms or hard drugs.
Here is a list of the basic rules in a coffeeshop:
Always carry identification
As said above, you must be over 18 to buy weed in a coffeeshop. So one thing you cannot forget when you go out to smoke is your ID. Without it you may well not be served anything at all.
Ask where you may smoke
Yes, in most coffeeshops you may smoke weed, but it is still worth checking. Some coffeeshops are for buying only. Others have a dedicated room where you may smoke, and sometimes you may smoke anywhere in the place. What also matters: if you buy a joint of marijuana mixed with tobacco, you really do need to ask whether you may smoke it, since the rules on smoking tobacco tend to be far stricter in a coffeeshop. If you want to smoke an ordinary cigarette inside, ask the staff whether that is all right, and do check with the people around you as well.
Always buy a drink
You do not have to buy weed in every coffeeshop, but you do have to buy a drink or some snacks in order to enjoy the place in peace. It is useful to know that coffeeshops have coffee, juices and snacks. Some also sell food such as burgers and chips. You must not bring in food from outside and eat it there, unless you have asked the staff first. We would suggest avoiding that altogether.
Do not take the menu off the counter
In most coffeeshops you will not see menus on the tables; the menu is usually on the wall or hanging up. If you spot a menu on a table you can forget all this, but where there is only one hanging up or sitting on the counter, it is better to leave it there.
Do not take your party outside
Remember that in the Netherlands smoking marijuana is not legal. It is decriminalised, and the difference between those two terms is one you really do need to understand. Yes, you may buy 5 grams of marijuana a day and keep up to 500 grams for personal use. But it is not legal: if you keep to the rules, you will not be arrested. Smoking marijuana for personal purposes is tolerated, no more than that. If your party stays inside the coffeeshop you can be confident no one will trouble you (as long as you cause no problems, of course). If you decide to take the party out into the streets … that would not be a good idea.
No photographs
Clearly smoking and taking a selfie can be fun, but avoid taking photographs inside a coffeeshop; the owner does not like it. And if you do decide to take one, check carefully that there are no strangers in the frame. Some people would really not like the idea that they happen to appear in your photo, which then goes up on Instagram or Facebook with the place tagged. To avoid that sort of reaction, simply take your photographs outside the coffeeshop, or ask the staff first.
Do not wear a hat and sunglasses
When you walk into a coffeeshop you will need to come in without a hat or sunglasses. If you do walk in wearing them, the staff will ask you to take them off.
Remember that a coffeeshop sells cannabis, hash and so on, so they stay alert at all times, just in case.
Do not touch the weed
This matters a great deal. When you talk to the person serving you, they will very likely show you what you are about to buy so that you can look at it and smell it. But you are not going to touch it. You may touch it only once you have paid for it.
You do not have to tip
In a coffeeshop you are not obliged to tip. And that is not only in coffeeshops, it is the Netherlands generally. It is different from what you may be used to, but behave as you would at home and leave a small tip only if you feel like it. (One euro is always welcome.)
Keep to the rules, respect the place and the people around you.
If you have not been to Amsterdam before, I imagine you are not used to smoking weed in public.
So it is worth learning the unwritten rules and making sure your first visit goes as smoothly as it can.
PUFFIT
Puffit was started by a group of friends who decided to build a thorough guide to every coffeeshop in Amsterdam.
We visited a great many places, looked at the menus, smoked, celebrated, wrote down what we thought of each coffeeshop in terms of crowd, prices and weed, and photographed the place. We have built a thorough coffeeshop guide for you. We would be glad to hear from you in the comments.