Coffee shops used to be dark, dingy places where you wouldn't want to bring a date. But you don't have to smoke with memebers of the underwould anymore. These days, there are plenty of bright, airy, attractive coffee shops with friendly staff, pool tables and a variety of music.
The first official coffee shop license was given out in 1996. Finally, coffee shops were legal and not just tolerated as they had been in the past. Respectable coffeee shp owners cheered this apprach and welcomed the stability and securtiy of being legitimate, even if it meant paying more taxes. Amsterdam (and the rest of Holland which also has coffee shops, but fewer) decided that drug use is more of a health problem than a criminal issue. Coffee shops are seen as a way to spearate marijuana smokers from the underworld.
Even though Holland has fewer addicts per thousand than France, Holland has often been blaemd for drug problems in Europe. Due to international pressure, the Dutch government reduced the amount of soft drugs an individual can possess from thirty grams to five. No matter what the future holds, you can still go into any 'coffee shop' and announce to the bartender 'I want to buy some hashish, then I'm going to smoke it'. Most places will even have rolling papers and filter tips on the bar. The filter tip doesn't filter anything, but it gives you something to hold on to, and there's no wasted roach.
A bag typically costs €12 - the better the stuff, the less you get. There are several types of hash and pot that are bred to produce different highs. Don't let the big menu scare you (yes, they will have a menu!). Hash comes in two basic varieties - blond and black. The black hash hits harder and knowcks you out a little more. loocals smoke the lighter stuff. As far as marijuana goes, the local Neder-wiet is usually the strongest. By the way, if you buy a stickie (a join) from a coffee shop, expect it rolled with tobacco. However, expect it to be stronger than the stuff you get at home.
Any place that calls itself a coffee shop is saying three things:
- I have pot and hash for you to buy
- For the price of a coffee or beer, you may sit here and smoke your own as well
- You may also smoke on my outdoor terrace, even in front of the police.
If the place calls itself a café, that means stick to tobacco.
One final word on getting high in this country - no matter where you smoke, you won't get arrested. If you smoke in public, the worst you'll get is a funny look. But good manners say to stick to the out-of-the-way places and coffee shows. And steer clear of old ladies and children.
Most mind-altering substances are classified as either soft drugs or hard drugs. A third goup of so-called 'smart drugs', however, falls in neither category.
Consisting of herbs and natural ingredients, these legal drugs are said to either give you energy, relax you, or help with your sexual performance, depending on which one you take. Smart drug shops have sprung up around the world to satisfy this market.
The Amsterdam twist on smart durg shops is that they also legally sell hallucinogenic mushrooms! Mushrooms are avilable fresh and dried for eating or boiling in tea. They even sell mushroom joints. An oral and written explanation of the effects accompanies every purchase.
Although future restrictions of the sale of 'shrooms' are likely, the government is still confused about what to do with the trippy vegetables. There is some talk of regulating them so that only fresh mushrooms can be sold, since dried ones are technically processed. The irony is that fresh mushrooms produce a high equal to that of dried ones.
last updated: 05/07/2004
