Amsterdam has plenty of examples of their progressive approach to subjects many people consider unsavory. And, with the local passion for tolerance, it's occasionally shocking. Prepare for some differences -- curbside urinals, prostitutes who are unionized, taxed, and regulated, and coffee shops that sell marijuana. Throughout the Netherlands, places selling marijuana are called "coffee shops." For decades now, the Dutch, like many Europeans, view marijuana as a soft drug, like tobacco and alcohol. Marijuana is tolerated, but hard drugs are strictly forbidden. A lot of people think marijuana is a gateway drug. They think if you smoke marijuana, you'll be smoking harder drugs. Marijuana here is soft drugs, like alcohol and cigarettes, and hard drugs are still strictly forbidden. What's the age limit for people buying marijuana? -18. -18. And how much can you buy in one visit? Five grams. How much is five grams of marijuana? This is five grams of marijuana.
STEVES
Okay, so that's five grams. And if you wanted to buy a smaller quantity, what is one gram of marijuana looking like? It's about like a bud of this size. Okay, so this is one gram. And how much would this cost probably? -11. -11 euros.
WOMAN
This particular strain, yeah.
STEVES
Now, you have a menu with a lot of variety. Yeah, we got all our sativa ones. Make you happy, giggly. We've got the indicas, that's more of a sleepy. Mm-hmm.
WOMAN
Got the organic ones, outdoor, and I got a whole bunch of pre-rolled ones.
STEVES
Okay, so you can get the loose leafs, or you can get pre-rolled joints. -Yes. -In the United States, we still have so many people in prison because of marijuana. Yeah, but here, we believe that it's better to tolerate than to put more people in prison. Another example of Amsterdam's creative approach to social challenges is its red light district. Practitioners of the world's oldest profession flirt and tease in windows as they have here for centuries. When it comes to prostitution, the Dutch figure, if it's going to happen anyway, rather than criminalize it, it's smarter to corral and monitor it. The intention -- women run a safe, independent business. If a prostitute needs help, she pushes her emergency button and the police come. For this spectacle, browsers are welcome. The Dutch call their approach to social problems like this "pragmatic harm reduction." They consider legislating morality to be counterproductive and remind me that we Americans lock up nearly 10 times as many people per capita as Europeans do.
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