The world’s first ‘ecstasy shop‘ will open to the public as a trial this Friday, July 15th in the Netherlands. While ecstasy is not currently legal in the Netherlands, the demo shop will not actually sell the substance, but will provide a simulation for potential future legalization models.
Located just outside Amsterdam, ‘De XTC Winkel’ (The Ecstasy Shop) will operate as an exhibition within the drug museum Poppi, and will provide an interactive experience of how an MDMA shop would operate if the substance were to be legalized.
Poppi describes itself as ‘a new museum retelling the story about drugs. We’re set on opening minds, breaking taboos and challenging assumptions. We envision a world with honest and responsible education about drugs.’
The demo shop aims to engage stakeholders to start a discussion on the potential for regulation, while proving its ability to aid harm reduction.
According to Senior Policy Analyst for Transform Drug Policy Foundation, Steve Rolles, the demo shop will present three different models for how a legal ecstasy shop would function:
- A low threshold nightclub retail model
- A more strictly regulated pharmacy-type sales model
- A ‘smart shop’ model (somewhere between 1 & 2)
The demo shop opens to the public this Friday and will remain open until mid-September. Tickets are priced at €10, or €8 for students and can be purchased here.