Amsterdam Dance Event Allows Punters To Legally Possess Up To Five Ecstasy Pills

Amsterdam Dance Event may not have the most imaginative name doing the rounds on the international festival circuit, but the city's annual electronic-music celebration has definitely kept an open mind when it comes to drug policy, allowing its attendees to legally possess five or fewer ecstasy pills at any given time over its duration.

Having kicked off only a few hours ago for the festival's first night, it's probably a safe bet that more than a handful of guests are taking early advantage of the event's liberal drug rules — as local paper NL Times notes, the usual legal possession limit is one pill — but not everyone is thrilled with Amsterdam's exceptional approach.

On Dutch TV station AT5, People's Party for Freedom & Democracy (VVD) chairman Marja Ruigrok said: "It is strange that we are so much more generous in Amsterdam in that policy."

"I find five pills too much for one person," he said. "You could perhaps be well off with just one. But we actually believe that you should not do it at all. It is dangerous, you do not know what it contains. It is forbidden."

Despite the objections, Amsterdam and ADE have pushed forward with the relaxed limit for the duration of the event, which runs till Sunday, as well as teaming up with a raft of local institutions invested in more responsible, better educated and safer drug use, including the public health service, police, public prosecutor, drug advisory board and local drug testing centre Jellinek, which will extend its hours as well as setting up a pop-up location in the CBD to help out with pill-testing services. There will also be medical staff on-site constantly throughout the festival, whom attendees will be able to seek out if they feel ill without any risk of prosecution for narcotics.

Somewhat ironically (or just coincidentally and unfortunately), the festival's liberal ecstasy policy comes not long after the publicising of an "extremely dangerous" batch of ecstasy tablets — branded with the ADE logo, no less, not the festival itself has anything to do with it — recently found across the Netherlands that have "an increased rick of overdose" and have been linked to a handful of deaths. Additionally, according to the NL Times, at least three deaths during last year's ADE were linked to drug use.

Still, the City of Amsterdam has been relatively measured in its response despite the dangerous batch, simply issuing a reminder and warning to party-goers to pay close attention to their drugs and how many they're taking; you know, embodying a policy of education and harm minimisation in tune with the mantra: "Drugs do not belong at parties, but [the city is] not banning the use in practice."