Editing Drug prohibition (section)

=== European Union ===
In 2004, the [[Council of the European Union]] adopted a [[framework decision]] harmonizing the minimum penal provisions for illicit drug-related activities.<ref>{{Cite web |last=[[Council of the EU]] |title=Consolidated text: Council Framework Decision 2004/757/JHA of 25 october 2004 laying down minimum provisions on the constituent elements of criminal acts and penalties in the field of illicit drug trafficking |url=https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=CELEX%3A02004F0757-20220818 |access-date=2022-10-11 |website=EUR-Lex - Publications Office of the European Union |language=en}}</ref> In particular, article 2(9) stipulates that activities may be exempt from the minimum provisions "when it is committed by its perpetrators exclusively for their own personal consumption as defined by national law." This was made, in particular, to accommodate more liberal national systems such as the Dutch coffee shops (see below) or the Spanish [[Cannabis Social Club]]s.

==== The Netherlands ====
{{main|Drug policy of the Netherlands}}{{See also|Cannabis in the Netherlands}}
In the Netherlands, cannabis and other "soft" drugs are decriminalised in small quantities. The Dutch government treats the problem as more of a public health issue than a criminal issue. Contrary to popular belief, cannabis is still technically illegal. [[Cannabis coffee shop|Coffee shops]] that sell cannabis to people 18 or above are tolerated, and pay taxes like any other business for their cannabis and hashish sales, although distribution is a grey area that the authorities would rather not go into as it is not decriminalised. Many "coffee shops" are found in [[Amsterdam]] and cater mainly to the large tourist trade; the local consumption rate is far lower than in the US. 
[[File:Amsterdam - Oude Hoogstraat , De Wallen - panoramio.jpg|thumb|[[Coffeeshop (Netherlands)|Coffeeshop]] in Amsterdam]]

The administrative bodies responsible for enforcing the drug policies include the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, and the Ministry of Finance. Local authorities also shape local policy, within the national framework.

When compared to other countries, Dutch drug consumption falls in the European average at six per cent regular use (twenty-one per cent at some point in life) and considerably lower than the Anglo-Saxon countries headed by the United States with an eight per cent recurring use (thirty-four at some point in life).