Dampkring Coffee shops - Amsterdam

Cannabis is the third most popular recreational drug in the world, behind only alcohol and tobacco. Cannabis is far less dangerous than alcohol or tobacco. By comparison, cannabis is nontoxic and cannot cause death by overdose. According to the prestigious European medical journal, The Lancet, "The smoking of cannabis, even long-term, is not harmful to health. It would be reasonable to judge cannabis as less of a threat than alcohol or tobacco." As with alcohol consumption, cannabis smoking can never be an excuse for misconduct or other improper behavior. For example, driving or operating heavy equipment while impaired from cannabis should be prohibited. Most importantly, cannabis smoking is for adults only, and is inappropriate for children.

There is no conclusive evidence that the effects of cannabis are causally linked to the subsequent use of other illicit drugs. Many successful business and professional leaders, including many elected officials, admit they have smoked cannabis. For those minority of cannabis smokers who do graduate to harder substances, it is cannabis prohibition which forces users to associate with the illicit drug black market rather than the use of cannabis itself, that often serves as a doorway to the world of hard drugs.