1. THE DUTCH SMARTSHOP
AS A MODEL FOR EUROPE
IN THE SALE OF SMART
AND ECO DRUGS
Andrea Zangara1
, Francesco Rovetto2
,
Giovanni Forza3
, Jessica Goford4
&
Fabrizio Schifano5
1
Human Cognitive Neuroscience Unit, Northumbria University, UK
2
Universita’ di Parma, Italy
3
Universita’ di Padova, Italy
4
Cognitive Drug Research Ltd., Goring-on-Thames, UK
5
St George’s Hospital Medical School, London,UK
Human Cognitive Neuroscience UnitHuman Cognitive Neuroscience Unit

2. INTRODUCTION
Smart (SD) and eco drugs (ED) can be
considered a single category of psychoactive
substances including the following:
• Energy drinks: E.g. Red Bull (caffeinated drinks
with vitamins and glucose).
• Herbal ecstasy: Based on the herb ephedra.
• Herbs and herbal extracts: Variety of contents.
• Magic mushrooms: Psychedelic mushrooms.
• Psychedelic herbs: Cacti, herbs, seeds, roots.
• Smart nutrients: E.g. aminoacids, vitamins,
nutraceuticals often used to prepare/repair
before/after illegal drugs.
• Nootropics: Pharmaceutical products e.g.
Piracetam.

3. • The Netherlands was the first nation to tolerate the
sale of such substances in ‘smartshops’, provided no
adverse consequences were discovered.
• This provision made it advantageous for shops to
encourage its potentially dangerous products to be
used safely.
• This study aimed to test the hypothesis that such a
policy would be associated with high levels of safety-
related knowledge in users of SD and ED.
• The results have international relevance now that
similar shops are appearing all around Europe as well
as on the Internet.
• The European attitude seems to be moving towards
uniform ‘Dutch’ tolerance supported by the ‘harm
reduction’ approach, rather than blind prohibition.

4. METHOD
• An exploratory questionnaire was
administered to 75 smartshop customers
and 26 university students in Amsterdam.
• The questionnaire was formulated to identify
trends, preferences and motivations for the
use of smart/eco drugs, the customer
typology, knowledge and awareness of
potential harm, and relationships with other
drugs.
• The TRIMBOS Institute (Dutch Institute for
Mental Health and Addictions) and CEDRO
(University Department for Drug Research)
were consulted on the development of the
questionnaire.

5. RESULTS
Sample characteristics
• The average age of the interviewees was 24±5
years, 65 (64.4%) of whom were males, 36
(35.6%) females. Female smartshop customers
were significantly younger than males (22.6±3.6
vs. 24.9±4.7, p=0.014). The average age at first
visit to a smartshop was 20±3.8.
• 80.2% of the interviewees had bought energy
drinks from a smartshop, 76.2% magic
mushrooms, 58.4% herbs, 49.5% herbal XTC,
47.5% smart nutrients, 33.7% nootropics, and
20.8% psychoactive herbs.

6. Preferences of regular SD/ED users
• The regular SD/ED users (defined by the use of
a single class of substances at least once a
month) were distributed as follows: 41.6%
energy drinks; 35.6% herbs; 30.7% smart
nutrients; 25.7% nootropics; 21.8% psychedelic
herbs; 15.8% herbal XTC; 11.9% magic
mushrooms; 26.7% no regular use.
• The regular users of magic mushrooms were
significantly younger (average age 21.8 years),
and of nootropics significantly older (average
age 26.8 years) when compared with the regular
users of other classes.
• Regular SD/ED users tended to prefer an
average of two classes of substance (among
the various SD and ED products).

7. Associations between classes of substances
used by regular SD/ED users
A B C D E F G
A) Energy drinks 31.0* 52.4* 11.9 28.6 47.6* 33.3
B) Herbal XTC 81.3* 75.0* 18.8 25.0 62.5* 37.5
C) Herbs 61.1* 33.3* 11.1 36.1 52.8* 41.7*
D) Mushrooms 41.7 25.0 33.3 8.3 16.7 16.7
E) Psychedelic herbs 54.5 18.2 59.1* 4.6 54.6* 31.8
F) Smart nutrients 64.5* 32.3* 61.3* 6.5 38.7* 45.2*
G) Nootropics 53.9 23.1 57.7* 7.7 26.9 53.9*
* Chi-squared, p<0.05
Herbs
Nootropics Psychedelic Herbal Energy
Herbs XTC drinks Mushrooms
Smart nutrients

8. Motivations for use of SD/Eds
• Most smartshop customers (56.4%) desired
mood enhancement, which was significantly
associated with the regular use of smart
nutrients and herbs.
• Other motivations were to feel brighter (45.5%,
desired by regular users of herbs, psychedelic
herbs and smart nutrients), as an alternative to
other drugs (45.5%, herbal XTC and smart
nutrient users), for socialising (38.6%, herb,
smart nutrient and nootropics), to dance
(36.6%, magic mushrooms), for meditation
(31.7%, psychedelic herb and smart nutrients),
and for sex (21.8%, energy drink, herbal XTC,
herb, smart nutrient and nootropics).

9. Risk perception
• 37 interviewees (36.6%) considered SD/ED
potentially dangerous.
• 67 (66.3%) considered SD/ED less dangerous
than synthetic drugs.
• 31 (30.7%) considered SD/ED equally
dangerous; as synthetic drugs (no
interviewees considered SD/ED more
dangerous than synthetic drugs).
• 29 interviewees (28.7%) admitted not following
SD/ED instructions and dose
recommendations.
• 6 interviewees (5.9%) admitted combining
SD/ED’s often in order to increase the effect.
• 46 interviwees (45.5%) combine SD/ED’s rarely
and carefully.

10. The use of information by smartshop
customers
• The choice of product tended to be guided by
information (79.2% of products were chosen by
word of mouth, 55.4% experience, 48.5%
ingredients, 30.7% printed information) as
opposed to appearance or other factors (25.7%
name, 14.9% adverts, 9.9% packaging, 8.9%
brand).
• The main source of information was other
people (72.3%), followed by books (49.5%),
specialised shops (43.6%), journals (41.6%),
internet (38.6%), other media (34.7%), and
information services or helplines (29.7%).
• 85 subjects (84.2%) reported that they were
confident that they had sufficient information
about their purchases.

11. Links with illegal drugs
• Associations between classes of SD/ED and illegal substances used by regular
SD/ED users.
Tranquillisers
Heroin
Cocaine
Speed
Amphetamines
LSD
Ecstasy
DMT
Energy drinks 11.9 2.4 35.7 23.8 47.6 38.1 52.4 9.5
Herbal XTC 12.5 0 43.8 43.8 50.0 43.8 81.2 18.8
Herbs 19.4 2.8 33.3 22.2 47.2 33.3 52.8 13.9*
Mushrooms 0 8.3 75.0* 41.7 33.3 25.0 66.7 8.3
Psychedelic herbs 13.6 0 50.0 36.4 54.5 59.1* 68.2 18.2*
Smart nutrients 16.1 0 38.7 25.8 51.6* 35.5 51.6 6.5
Nootropics 7.7 3.9 34.6 19.2 46.2 30.8 46.2 7.7
* Chi-square, p<0.05

12. CONCLUSION
• Smartshops are a source of information and
literature on the contents, effect and safety of
SD/EDs, on which the customer’s choice of
product is based. This suggests that customers
are not using such substances indiscriminately or
to follow trends.
• Smartshops provide advice, safety and other
information about illegal drugs, therefore these
findings might have implications for the
distribution of information to users of illegal
drugs.
• It emerges a new generation of experimental drug-
shoppers willing to freely select according to the
desired effects on cognitive abilities,
‘psychopharmacological make-up’ or
phenomenological experience.