Amsterdam considers legal crack distribution to reduce harm and crime among users
Amsterdam is allocating over 100,000 euros to study a pilot program that would provide crack cocaine to users in a controlled, legal setting, aiming to reduce public nuisance, NOS reported.
Crack, a smokable form of cocaine, reaches the brain almost immediately, producing intense effects that fade within roughly 15 minutes, driving users to consume more.
“Medical distribution could ensure stable access to a safe product, reduce dependence on dealers, and, importantly, increase contact with support services,” a municipal spokesperson said.
Use of the drug is reportedly rising in the Netherlands, particularly among homeless populations, according to emeritus professor of addiction care Wim van den Brink, who is leading the study alongside the city. “Street outreach workers increasingly encounter crack addicts,” he told NOS. “This happens in major cities but also in places like Deventer and Zwolle.”
The initiative mirrors past Dutch approaches to heroin addiction. In the 1980s and 1990s, widespread heroin use in large cities prompted a government pilot program beginning in 1996, in which addicts received free heroin under medical supervision. That program led to declines in crime, public nuisance, user numbers, and fatal overdoses.
Sikko Riedstra, who has been addicted to crack for more than 30 years, expressed support. He told NOS that street-bought crack is often tampered with and unsafe. “If the drugs are controlled, I know what I am smoking,” he said. Riedstra previously financed his addiction through theft and served time in prison but now earns money by returning deposit bottles.
