The first chapter answers a number of basic questions on Dutch drug policy. It advises that drugs have not been legalized in the Netherlands, since legal sanctions are mandated for trafficking in, selling, producing, or possessing either hard or soft drugs. The use of drugs, however, is not an offense. Both policy and legislation distinguish between hard drugs and soft drugs, based on the health risks involved in their use. The possession of soft drugs (up to 30 grams) for personal use is a summary offense rather than an indictable offense. One of the primary aims of policy is to separate the markets for soft and hard drugs, so that soft drug users are less likely to come into contact with hard drugs. Toward this end, "coffee shops" are permitted to sell soft drugs. Although, strictly speaking, coffee shops are illegally engaged in the sale of drugs, low priority is given to their prosecution so long as no more than 5 grams are sold to any customer at any one time, no hard drugs are sold, drugs are not advertised, no nuisance is caused, and no drugs are sold to persons under 18 years old. The aim in allowing coffee shops to sell soft drugs is to separate the primary source of soft drugs from sources of hard drugs, such that soft drug users will not be enticed to hard drug use. The second section of the booklet examines the link between the policy on investigations and prosecutions on the one hand and prevention and care on the other. Appended comparative statistics, with figures on various European countries