Description

The Report on the Drug Situation in the Netherlands 2006 has been written for the European
Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA). Each year, national centres of
expertise on drug-related issues in the member states of the European Union (‘Focal Points’)
draw up a report on the national drugs situation, according to guidelines provided by the
EMCDDA. These reports form the basis of the “Annual Report on the State of the Drug
Problem in the European Union” compiled by the EMCDDA. In line with the guidelines, the
report focuses on new developments in the reporting year.
This 2006 national report was written by the staff of the Bureau of the National Drug Monitor
(NDM) at the Trimbos Institute and staff of the Scientific Research and Documentation Centre
(WODC) of the Ministry of Justice. The NDM was established in 1999 on the initiative of the
Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports. The Ministry of Justice also participates in the NDM.
The NDM carries out the functions of the Focal Point.
The NDM relies on the contribution of a multitude of experts and input from registration
systems and monitors in the Netherlands. In particular, the authors would like to thank the
members of the Scientific Committee of the NDM and other expert reviewers for their
valuable comments on the draft version of the report.