Drug use in Amsterdam nightlife stagnating after post-Covid spike

Drug use in Amsterdam’s nightlife crowd spiked after the pandemic, but that peak is over. Partiers in the capital are slowing down, according to the annual drug monitor Antenne. Drug use has simply become too expensive for many, and the new generation - Gen Z - is more moderate in their use, Parool reports.

The researchers spoke to key figures in the nightlife, like club owners and frequent partiers. They also looked at samples submitted to drug testing services, sewage water analyses, and drug dealers’ menus.

They found that the popularity of party drugs like ecstasy and cocaine is leveling off, festivals are no longer automatically sold out, and bingers are falling out of favor. “Anyone who is still drunk on the couch on Monday is no longer cool,” a researcher said. “Partiers show less dedication to a party cult that is time-consuming and costs a lot of money.”

Drugs are expensive. And the prices of entrance tickets and drinks at clubs have also risen, along with everything else in life. “Young people want to continue living in Amsterdam and already spend a lot of money on their rent and groceries,” Ton Nabben, a drug researcher at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, told Parool. “That means you have to make choices, also when going out.”

Another shift is that Gen Z has entered the nightlife crowd, and they tend to be more moderate, Nabben said. “We are gradually seeing a generational change. Gen Zers in the Randstad are often more socially committed, and their priorities are different. They limit their partying so that they have energy for other things that matter to them, such as fighting the climate crisis or a better world.”

According to Antenne, while the use of ecstasy and cocaine are leveling off, these party drugs are still popular. The researchers also noticed a growing interest in other substances, like the cheaper designer drug 3-MMC. Test points checked six times more samples of this drug than in 2021 when it was banned. Mushroom drops are also rapidly gaining ground. They typically contain the same substance as mushrooms and truffles and in small quantities, they can cause fits of laughter and feeling high. Both mushroom drops and 3-MMC have less severe hangovers than the traditional party drugs.

For the first time, the researchers also surveyed members and visitors of football clubs. In this specific group, ecstasy is still the most popular drug, with 42 percent using it occasionally. Cocaine came in second (31 percent), followed by speed and ketamine (both 21 percent). Nearly 20 percent had used 3-MMC in the past twelve months, and 13 percent had tried mushrooms. Only a few had used mushroom drops.

Alcohol use remains persistent, the Antenne monitor showed. Almost all respondents drink sometimes. Alcohol-free alternatives are increasingly popular, but more as an alternative to soft drinks than alcoholic ones. The monitor also noted that the party crowd was getting in more and more nicotine. “Cigarette smoking has been successfully reduced in recent decades. But the technologization of nicotine products and the rise of vapes are taking us back to square one.”