{"id":3744,"date":"2026-11-04T09:25:28","date_gmt":"2026-11-04T08:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/verkeer.site\/?p=3744"},"modified":"2026-11-04T09:26:44","modified_gmt":"2026-11-04T08:26:44","slug":"rijden-onder-invloed-drugs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/verkeer.site\/en\/rijden-onder-invloed-drugs\/","title":{"rendered":"Driving under the influence of drugs: what are the limits and what are the consequences?"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Tom Meevis, criminal defense lawyer at Law & More \u00b7 Published and content reviewed: 4 November 2026<\/p>\n

Since July 1, 2017, fixed limits for drugs in traffic apply in the Netherlands: if you drive with more than the limit for, for example, cannabis, cocaine, or amphetamine in your blood, you are liable to prosecution (Article 8, paragraph 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1994). If you use multiple drugs or drugs together with alcohol, much lower limits apply, which in practice amount to the lowest measurable quantity.<\/p>\n

For other drugs and medicines, there are no limit values. For these, Article 8, paragraph 1 of the Road Traffic Act 1994 applies: you may not drive under the influence of a substance which you know or reasonably ought to know can impair your driving ability. Below you can read how both rules work, how the police test, and what penalties and CBR measures may follow.<\/p>\n

What is the difference between Article 8, paragraph 1 and paragraph 5?<\/h2>\n

Article 8, paragraph 5, works with fixed limits: above the limit, you are punishable, regardless of how you drove. Article 8, paragraph 1, requires proof that you were under the influence to such an extent that your driving ability could have been impaired, and that you knew or ought to have known this.<\/p>\n

Paragraph 5 applies to twelve substances designated in the Decree on Alcohol, Drugs and Medicines in Traffic. For all other substances, such as many medicines, prosecution falls under paragraph 1. The Public Prosecution Service then substantiates this, for example, with driving behavior, physical characteristics, and test results.<\/p>\n

What limit values apply per substance?<\/h2>\n

The limit values are set out in Article 3 of the Decree on Alcohol, Drugs and Medicines in Traffic and are measured in the blood. The decree specifies a value for the use of a single substance and a lower value for combined use.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Dust<\/th>\nLimit value for a single substance<\/th>\nLimit value for combination<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Cannabis (THC)<\/td>\n3.0 \u00b5g\/l<\/td>\n1.0 \u00b5g\/l<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Cocaine<\/td>\n50 \u00b5g\/l<\/td>\n10 \u00b5g\/l<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Amphetamine, methamphetamine, MDMA, MDEA, MDA<\/td>\n50 \u00b5g\/l<\/td>\n25 \u00b5g\/l<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Heroin and morphine (measured as morphine)<\/td>\n20 \u00b5g\/l<\/td>\n10 \u00b5g\/l<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
GHB, GBL and 1,4-butanediol (measured as GHB)<\/td>\n10 mg\/l<\/td>\n5.0 mg\/l<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Alcohol in combination with drugs<\/td>\n\u2013<\/td>\n0.2 per mille<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

For amphetamine-like substances, when multiple substances are used, the sum of the concentrations also counts. The table provides a simplified picture; for your case, the text of the decree as it applied on the day of the arrest applies.<\/p>\n

What applies to combined use?<\/h2>\n

When drugs are combined with other drugs or with alcohol, the lower limit values set out in Article 3, paragraph 2 of the Decree apply. According to the explanatory notes, these are analytical limit values: the lowest reliably measurable quantity, because the risk increases significantly with combinations.<\/p>\n

For alcohol in combination with drugs, a limit of 0.2 per mille applies, even if you are an experienced driver. The national government refers to this as a zero limit. Combined use is also punished more severely than the use of a single substance, as shown below.<\/p>\n

How does the police determine drug use?<\/h2>\n

The police may require you to cooperate with a saliva test or an examination of your psychomotor functions and your eye and speech functions (Article 160, paragraph 5 of the Road Traffic Act 1994). In the event of a positive indication, a blood test will follow (Article 163 of the Road Traffic Act 1994).<\/p>\n