Opium Law

Origin and history

In 1911, the First International Opium Conference took place in The Hague, where agreements were made about the trade in opium; this initiated the introduction of the Opium Law, which took place 7 years later. In 1919, the first Opium Law (later known as List I of the Opium Law) was introduced, and on 12 May 1928 the second Opium Law (later known as List II of the Opium Law) was introduced. The first Opium Law was created to regulate drugs with a high addiction or abuse factor, or that are physically harmful. As the name indicates the main reason for introduction was to regulate the Opium trade and later to control various other addictive drugs like morphine, cocaine, heroin, barbiturates, amphetamines and several decades later, benzodiazapines, which were used both medically and recreationally.

Except for the addition of new drugs to List I and II of the Opium Law, the Opium Law remained unchanged until 1976. After the rise of a new youth culture which revolved much around the use of drugs like cannabis and LSD, and with hashish being openly used, a change of law was needed by the government, to properly control all drugs, but with a clear definition between drugs with an unacceptable degree of addictiveness or physical harm (known as hard drugs), and drugs with an acceptable degree of addictiveness or physical harm (known as soft drugs). In 1976 these changes officially took effect, and the Opium Law was edited to include the changes in the law. In the same year, a decision was made by the Dutch government discontinue prosecuting cannabis and hashish offenses, provided the person did not sell hard drugs, did not advertise and carried less than a specified maximum amount of cannabis or hashish.

In 1980, the decision to not prosecute cannabis and hashish dealers, under certain conditions, was publicly announced by the Dutch government. Many people thereby concluded that this decision would also allow the sale in coffee shops, and coffee shops began selling cannabis and hashish. This led to an enormous rise in the number of coffee shops in the 80's and 90's, and because of this, new regulations were demanded by the government to regulate the sale of cannabis products by coffee shops. In 1996 the laws were changed again to include new regulations for coffee shops. The terms coffee shops had to follow were:

No advertisement

No hard drugs

No entrance to coffee shops by persons under the age of 18

No sale of more than 5 grams of cannabis products per person, per day

Coffee shops are not allowed to have more than 500 grams of cannabis in stock at any time

Since 1996, no new changes have been made to the Opium Law. New guidelines for coffee shops have been made, but they are not covered by the Opium Law.

List I drugs

The following drugs and intermediates are classified as List I drugs of the Opium Law:

acetorphine

acetyl-alpha-methylfentanyl

acetyldihydrocodeine

acetylmethadol

alphacetylmethadol

alphameprodine

alphamethadol

alphamethylfentanyl

alphamethylthiofentanyl

alphaprodine

alfentanil

allylprodine

amphetamine

amineptine

anileridine

benzethidine

benzylmorphine

betacetylmethadol

beta-hydroxy-3-methylfentanyl

beta-hydroxyfentanyl

betameprodine

betamethadol

betaprodine

bezitramide

bolkaf (all parts of the papaver somniferum plant, after harvesting, excluding seeds)

brolamphetamine

cathinone

2C-B (2,5-dimethoxy-4-bromophenethylamine)

2C-I (2,5-dimethoxy-4-iodophenethylamine)

2C-T-2 (2,5-dimethoxy-4-ethylthiophenethylamine)

2C-T-7 (2,5-dimethoxy-4-(n)-propylthiophenethylamine)

clonitazene

coca leaf (leaves of the plants of the species Erythroxylon)

cocaine

codeine

codoxime

concentrate of bolkaf (the material obtained by subjecting bolkaf to a treatment for the concentration of its alkaloids)

desomorphine

dexamphetamine

dextromoramide

dextropropoxyphene

diampromide

diethylthiambutene

DET (N,N-diethyltryptamine)

diphenoxide

diphenoxylate

dihydrocodeine

dihydroetorphine

dihydromorphine

dimepheptanol

dimenoxadol

DMA (2,5-dimethoxyamphetamine)

DOET (2,5-dimethoxy-4-ethylamphetamine)

DOM (2,5-dimethoxy-4-methylamphetamine)

dimethylthiambutene

DMT (N,N-dimethyltryptamine)

dioxaphetylbutyrate

dipipanone

DMHP (1,2-dimethylheptyl-delta-3-THC)

drotebanol

ecgonine(3-hydroxy-2-tropanecarbonic acid)

MDEA (N-ethyl-3,4-methylenedioxyamphetamine)

ethylmethylthiambutene

ethylmorphine

eticyclidine

etonitazene

etorphine

etoxeridine

etryptamine

fentanyl

fenethylline

furethidine

GHB (4-hydroxybutyric acid)

hemp oil (concentrate of plants from the Cannabis species (hemp) obtained by extraction of hemp or hashish, if not mixed with oil)

heroin (diamorphine)

hydrocodone

hydromorphinol

hydromorphone

MDOH(N-hydroxy-methylenedioxyamphetamine)

hydroxypethidine

isomethadone

ketobemidone

levamphetamine

levophenacylmorphan

levomethamphetamine

levomethorphan

levomoramide

levorphanol

lysergide

mecloqualone

mescaline (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine)

methamphetamine

methamphetamine racemate

metazocine

methadone

methadone-intermediate (4-cyano-2-dimethylamino-4,4-diphenylbutane)

methaqualone

methcathinone

MMDA (2-methoxy-4,5-methylenedioxyamphetamine)

4-methylaminorex

methyldesorphine

methyldihydromorphine

MDMA (3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine)

methylphenidate

3-methylfentanyl

MPPP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-4-piperidinol propionate ester)

4-MTA (4-methylthioamphetamine)

3-methylthiofentanyl

metopon

moramide-intermediate (2-methyl-3-morpholino-1,1-diphenylpropane-carbonic acid)

morpheridine

morphine

morphine-methobromide

morphine-N-oxide

myrophine

nicocodeine

nicodicodine

nicomorphine

noracymethadol

norcodeine

norlevorphanol

normethadone

normorphine

norpipanone

opium (the harvested milk, obtained from the plant Papaver somniferum)

oxycodone

oxymorphone

para-fluorofentanyl

parahexyl

PMA (para-methoxyamphetamine)

PMMA (para-methoxymethamphetamine)

PEPAP (1-fenethyl-4-fenyl-4-piperidinolacetate ester)

pethidine

pethidine Intermediate A (4-cyano-1-methyl-4-phenylpiperidine)

pethidine Intermediate B (4-phenylpiperidine-4-carbonic acid ethylester)

pethidine Intermediate C (1-methyl-4-phenylpiperidine-4-carbonic acid)

phenadoxone

phenampromide

phenazocine

phencyclidine

phenmetrazine

phenomorphan

phenoperidine

pholcodine

piminodine

piritramide

proheptazine

properidine

propiram

psilocine

psilocybine

racemethorphan

racemoramide

racemorphan

remifentanil

rolicyclidine

secobarbital

sufentanil

temazepam^†

tenamphetamine

tenocyclidine

tetrahydrocannabinol

thebacon

thebaïne

thiofentanyl

tilidine

TMA-2 (2,4,5-trimethoxyamphetamine)

trimeperidine

TMA (3,4,5-trimethoxyamfetamine)

zipeprol

The esters and derivatives of ecgonine, which can be turned into ecgonine and cocaine;

The mono- and di-alkylamide-, the pyrollidine- and morpholinederivates of lysergic acid, and the thereby introduction of methyl-, acetyl- or halogengroups obtained substances;

Fiveworthy nitrogen-substituted morphinederivates, of which morphine-N-oxide-derivatives, like codeine-N-oxide;

The isomeres and stereoisomeres of tetrahydrocannabinol;

The ethers, esters and enantiomeres of the above mentioned substances, with exception of dextromethorphan (INN) as enantiomere of levomethorphan and racemethorphan, and with exception of dextrorphanol (INN) as enantiomere of levorphanol and racemorphan;

Formulations which contain one or more of the above mentioned substances.