The Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport coordinates Dutch policy on drugs. The main aim of Dutch policy is to reduce both the demand for and supply of drugs, and to minimise any harm to users, the people with whom they associate, and the public in general. The authorities therefore take different approaches to cannabis and hard drugs. The Ministry of Justice is responsible for combating drugs trafficking. The justice authorities and care agencies cooperate at both national and international level.

Dutch policy on drugs makes a distinction between cannabis and hard drugs (e.g. heroin, cocaine and sythetic drugs), based on the different health risks. The number of drug-related death in the Netherlands is the lowest in Europe, as emerged from a study performed by the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction in Lisbon.

More detailed information about Dutch policy on drugs can be found in the booklet 'Q&A Drugs', published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which is available on the ministry's website: www.minbuza.nl. For more information on the topics discussed in this article, contact the Ministry of Heals, Welfare and Sport: www.minvws.nl.