Leiden, Netherlands
Last updated on October 4th, 2025 at 05:15 am
Cannabis Travel Guide
Tolerance for smokers
Table of Contents
Marijuana laws and legislation for Leiden
The Netherlands is known for its more lenient cannabis laws. Cannabis is tolerated for recreational use in small amounts (less than 5 grams) for personal use. The country allows the possession and sale of cannabis in licensed coffee shops. Medical cannabis is also legal, and patients can obtain cannabis through prescriptions. Cultivation for personal use is permitted up to five plants. The legal age for purchasing cannabis is 18 years old. The Netherlands is one of the most progressive European countries regarding cannabis regulation.
Criminal prosecution
There are plenty of them in the castle in the center, but there are also always stoner guards there who shout when the police come.
Where can you buy marijuana?
Anywhere, anytime, hahaha… but be careful not to get ripped off or receive inferior goods. Remember: Don't do drugs.
Comments
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Marijuana prices
Joop: 6,67 euros per gram
Shiva: 8 euros per gram
Leiden, Netherlands Stories
Cannabis users will be pleased to hear that Leiden has the same lenient drug laws as that other famous Dutch city. However, the marijuana tourism culture is not as prevalent, and the authorities are not as potent as in Amsterdam.
Leiden, the birthplace of the famous scholar Erasmus, survived the destruction of Nazi bombs and developed into a thriving industrial port and the most modern city in the Netherlands. Characterized by museums, imaginative architecture, and the 184-meter-high Euromast Space Tower, the city of 600.000 inhabitants also offers the same cannabis coffee shops that have made Amsterdam a haven for stoners. But Leiden is not Amsterdam. "Compared to Amsterdam, our capital, Leiden is not attractive to foreign tourists coming to the Netherlands," said Dutch magazine editor Erwin van der Zande.
He said Amsterdam was popular for its red-light district, its marijuana cafes, and the incredibly tolerant attitude of its locals. "Leiden, on the other hand, doesn't seem to have much to offer. It's simply a big city, the economic engine of the Netherlands," he said. "Just work, no fun." Van der Zande called Leiden "rough but honest" and said the residents weren't keen on opening their city to outsiders. "We have a T-shirt here in Holland that says, 'Amsterdam has it, but Leiden doesn't need it,'" he said.
This doesn't mean that Leiden doesn't share some of Amsterdam's more appealing qualities. The city is home to numerous coffeeshops where, as in Amsterdam, various strains of marijuana and hashish can be bought and openly smoked. Some of the better-known shops in Leiden include Contrabande at Van Speykstraat 194, Greenhouse at Nieuwe Binnenweg 154, De Poel at Eendrachtsweg 29, The Reefer at Oppert 1, De Kleine Ondeugd at Oostzeedijk 348, and De Nieuwe Wet at Nieuwe Binnenweg 154a. There are many other shops with names like Bambu High Tea, Spoenk, La Poule, and Parade. The hashish reportedly originates from Asia, the Middle East, and North Africa, primarily Morocco. The marijuana is originally from Colombia but also contains a significant proportion of Dutch-grown marijuana.
Prices are comparable to those in Amsterdam. A gram of marijuana costs from about four US dollars and increases with potency. Hashish costs at least six dollars per gram. There are also numerous dance clubs and bars where visitors can warm up or cool down after smoking.
Among the most popular nightclubs are Now and Wow, two techno hotspots at Lloydstraat 30, and the largest club in the Netherlands, the Hollywood Music Club at Delftsestraat 15. For classic rock and sushi to dance to, visit Crazy Pianos at Maasboulevard 300. After a joint of potent Nederweed, you can admire the aquarium at Blauwe Vis. The club at Weena 33 has a special species of fish that can withstand the booming sound system.
The area around the town hall or the theater square is ideal for a pub crawl, as many pubs are packed closely together. Those who prefer something quieter should explore the old harbor. There are numerous pubs there, but Locus Publicus at Oostzeedijk 364 offers two hundred different beers, while Quasimodo at Schiedamsevesthof 21 is a student pub with cheap beer.
Visitors should be aware that while the Netherlands is considered one of the world's cannabis capitals, marijuana and hashish are not legal. The use of soft drugs is merely tolerated by the authorities to curb the spread of dangerous narcotics and protect public health. Dutch Health Minister Els Borst stated that the country's tolerant smoking policy has resulted in 675.000 people nationwide regularly using soft drugs, but only 25.000 being addicted to hard drugs.
“These figures confirm our view that if the two markets are separated, it is possible for people to use soft drugs, sometimes experiment with them for years – and then stop,” she said. “Quitting (from using soft drugs) is also easier because there is no physical dependence. (Soft drug users) can do this without having to resort to hard drugs.”
Against this backdrop, the government permits certain coffeeshops to sell marijuana and hashish and allows smoking on their premises under strict conditions. "The 'coffeeshop rules' (enacted in 1991) allow individual municipalities to decide on their tolerance level regarding cannabis use," reports the pro-marijuana organization NORML. "The provisions of the rules prohibit advertising, sales to minors, and limit the amount of cannabis that may be sold at one time." A statement from the Dutch government says the system works. "Genuine coffeeshops have proven their worth," it reads.
This does not mean, however, that visitors can smoke on Leiden's streets or look for better deals. Drug use and purchase for personal use are not illegal. Possession, however, remains a crime in the Netherlands. Anything under five grams is acceptable in the eyes of Dutch courts, but Leiden police are far less lenient towards the public use of soft drugs than the Amsterdam authorities. Jaap de Vleiger, head of Leiden's drug enforcement unit, said the government should "end its policy of tolerance."