Marijuana Laws
As recorded December 15, 2025 · not verified as current law. Netherlands law
Cannabis laws in Maastricht follow Netherlands’s national law. Local cities generally do not set separate marijuana rules, so penalties are determined at the jurisdiction level.
Under the law, recreational cannabis is illegal. In practice, possession of small amounts (up to 5 grams) is decriminalized, and sales in licensed coffeeshops are tolerated. Medical cannabis is available with a prescription. Legal risk may still exist outside these tolerated contexts.
Quick facts
- Recreational: Illegal (tolerated in limited contexts)
- Medical: Available with prescription
- Possession: Up to 5g tolerated
- Buying/Selling: Tolerated in licensed coffeeshops
- Tourists: Generally permitted in coffeeshops
Practical guidance
Avoid cross-border transport of cannabis products. Do not assume informal tolerance equals legality.
Legislative Background
The Netherlands has maintained a formal tolerance policy (gedoogbeleid) since 1976, decriminalizing possession of up to 5 grams for personal use and allowing regulated sales in licensed coffeeshops despite cannabis remaining technically illegal under national law. Medical cannabis has been available through pharmacy prescriptions since 2003, with a state-regulated supply program for approved conditions.
Law Enforcement
A 2007 Associated Press report described proposed fingerprinting, photos and ID scans to check age and enforce a 5 g daily limit per shop. Marc Josemans, speaking for the shops, said they feared losing customers but also feared closure. Sites in Rotterdam and other border cities were said to be considering similar steps. Shops argued the records would stay local and the prints were too poor for police use. A Reuters report also described police powers to turn away suspected drug tourists. These were reports from that period.
Where to Buy Marijuana
Coffeeshops were the usual choice for price and quality. People remembered Café That’s It, Take It Easy and Café Easy. There were conflicting accounts about whether beer was served, alongside a description of a city rule against alcohol sales in coffeeshops.
Marijuana Prices
- Flower: from about US$4 for 1 g, given as a dollar equivalent.
- Hash: from about US$6 for 1 g.
Pollen, Double Pollen, Moroccan and gold or red Lebanese hash were among the names. One shop scene had young people drinking sodas, watching TV and sharing shop bongs and chillums. Another visitor remembered being able to go straight across the street from the hotel for a smoke, with the staff especially friendly.
Compared with bustling Amsterdam, Maastricht felt quiet and clean, with French and German influences from its position between Belgium and Germany. Carnaval was the four-day blowout. Outside that, there were the tunnels on the west side of town and the Vogelstruys on Vrijthof.
The Dutch tolerance policy was described as an effort to separate the soft- and hard-drug markets. Maastricht officials had a different concern: estimates of 600–1,000 visitors arriving daily for drugs, including people seeking heroin, had left the deputy mayor feeling the city was “under siege.”