In addition to the working girls within the Red Light district, you`ll no doubt notice the multilingual venders of hard drugs that will approach you with their own style of sales pitch.

This normally starts with a "psst", followed by a whispered list... "ecstasy, coke, speed and opium...." In reality what you`ll get is aspirin, baby laxative, drain cleaner and sugar. We`ve found the best deterrents to deal with these persistent salesmen:

• Option 1: Keep walking, look confident and say "nay" (no in dutch).
• Option 2: The trouble with Option 1, is that you won"t sound Dutch!

So for Option 2, look them in the eye and with a loud voice and your best Russian accent say "nyet!" (Russian for no). Very few speak any Russian, so they go looking for easier prey.

It’s still illegal to sell and buy hard drugs in Holland and the police have undercover offices on the street who will arrest both the vender and the buyer, a real nightmare if your only in town for a couple of days!!!

An extract from The Smokers Guide to Amsterdam