The Netherlands follows a policy of separating the market for illicit drugs. Cannabis is primarily purchased through coffee shops.
Coffee shops offer no or few possibilities for purchasing illicit drugs other than cannabis.
Thus The Netherlands achieve a separation of the soft drug market from the hard drugs market - and separation of the 'acceptable risk' drug user from the 'unacceptable risk' drug user. Based on total U.S. population in 1997 of 267,636,000 as per the U.S. Census Bureau. Statistical Yearbook 1998, p. 434, table 53. The FBI reported that the homicide rate in 1995 was 8 per 100,000 people, for a total of 21,597 homicides. In both 1995 and 1996, the Netherlands recorded 273 homicides, which is a homicide rate of 1.8 persons per 100,000 inhabitants.