In the 1990s, meanwhile, much is also changing when it comes to the drug issue. In order to curb the AIDS epidemic, the government's drug policy takes the pragmatic approach of harm reduction. This puts it on the same track as The Regenboog. Drug possession for personal use has not been punishable in the Netherlands and Germany since 1992. This decriminalization of drug use made it possible to open three user rooms in 1998. The open use of drugs on the streets and the associated nuisance are decreasing as a result. There are fewer drug deaths and the physical condition of drug users is generally better. The number of hard drug users is decreasing, especially those who inject. This is not only due to the AIDS epidemic, which is killing many of these users. It is mainly because there is less new recruitment.
User rooms approved
One of the user rooms resides in AMOC's new building and will receive official approval plus funding from the municipality as of February 1998. In the space, users can exchange their syringes for sterile syringes. They can also get information about drugs, health and medical and social assistance. The user space meets a great need and should be expanded soon. De Regenboog is also setting up a users' room on March 1, 1998. This will be located in the Princehof on the Oudezijds Voorburgwal, on an experimental basis for the first year. The third user space is set up by HVO-Querido in the Nieuwmarkt neighborhood.
New countries, other drugs
At AMOC, staff are starting to feel the effect of Germany's changed drug policy. In the first years, one hundred percent of visitors came from Germany. Since the late 1990s, fewer Germans and more drug users have been coming from other Western European countries. These are particularly France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, England, Ireland, Scotland and Scandinavia. Changed, too, is drug use itself. Heroin has given way to base coke (crack). Users become aggressive with this. And they become prone to psychosis, making them harder to approach.
European networks established
For foreign drug users in Amsterdam, the situation is still difficult. They are not entitled to benefits and are excluded from almost all social and medical services. Clients usually also see for themselves how hopeless their situation is. If they are offered treatment and rehabilitation in their home country, they often end up preferring to go back. In order to offer that perspective, AMOC works intensively with authorities and institutions in various countries. Thus, the organization deliberately contributes to the discussion in other countries about drug policy. To be able to exchange knowledge and experience in a targeted way, AMOC set up two European networks in 1997 with a grant from the European Commission. The first is the European Network on Boy Prostitution (ENMP), which aims to improve assistance to boys in prostitution. AMOC also initiates a European network of non-governmental organizations, which provide assistance to drug users. In 2005, the two networks are united in the Correlation network.