Drug Dealers in the Netherlands Now Selling Marijuana

A few months ago, I discussed the tourist drug ban in the Netherlands, with a focus on my town, Maastricht. NPR just ran a story on the intermediate term effects of the new regulations. Some of the “coffee shops” (places where one could buy a pre-rolled or roll-you-own joint for €3) have reopened, as I predicted; others have not. Unsurprisingly, what has happened is that drug dealers, who previously had dealt only in hard drugs, are now also selling marijuana illegally. While total consumption of weed has probably dropped, buyers are worse off, as are coffee-house owners, with the main beneficiaries being drug dealers. As always, something that raises price in a legal market will increase demand in the illegal market.