Dutch pass new lwws today to close 6 out of 10 cafes that sell the weed.

www.eurad.net/en/news/cannabis/Cannabis+Shut+Down.9UFRnI1U.ips

Cheers app.

But alcohol establishments are ok eh....

psketti wrote: I'm very disappointed by this because I love Amsterdam and it just seems completely unnecessary. Cannabis causes no problems whatsoever. It's such a peaceful place. As you say, alcohol causes more than its fair share of problems.

Very true. It seems a bit odd too that they're willing to take such a big loss on what must be a lucrative money maker. The tourist industry alone will take a huge dunt due to this. Maybe there's more to this than first appears.

psketti wrote:
Aye sket, like I said in an earlier thread, the give the fizzy pop brigade a 100 a week, so they drink the profits back to their share holders making the brews.

psketti wrote: Well, I don't anticipate it will have a huge influence because you can still smoke it in a few dozen places openly, which is more than virtually anywhere else in the world. Plus if 70-80% of the market is closing down, someone will always come along and see that there's money to be made, and open shops where they are still permitted.

I just find it daft. Are they going to ban all shops near schools from selling beer and cigarettes? Are they going to ban all supermarkets near schools from selling chocolate cake and pizza? I don't smoke, but let people make their own decisions.

I hope the coffee shop owners on this condemned list all join together to claim compensation for the loss of their legitimate businesses.

The thought of being able to go to a cannabis selling coffee shop blows my mind, it would be on my wish list .

go to rocky mountain state rick

Here's a report on this issue:

www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-20880914

Watch the video. Who makes more sense - some bloke in a cafe in Amsterdam who comes on at 1:08, or the prestigious BBC 'journalist's' (completely nonsensical) summing up statement at the end? I think you'll be surprised!

I went to a coffee shop in Utrecht once. It was the worst one I've ever been in.
Had to show passports to get in - which they wrote down all the details of. They weren't very friendly inside.
Then to have a smoke, you had to stand inside these really cramped plastic bus shelter like specially designed rooms - presumably to keep the smoke away from the staff. I envisioned if that's what the whole coffee shop industry turned into people would just buy their weed & then fuck off!
It was awful.

I don't understand the relevance of having coffee shops closed down near schools. Kids aren't allowed in for a start, but just like anywhere else - if they want weed they will be able to get it one way or another. Cannabis decriminalisation in Holland has actually seen cannabis use decrease, so something's not quite right here.

Space Bandit wrote:
It's been many years since I last went to the 'dam and I have been told that whilst smoking of tobacco is not allowed in coffee shops they will sell you a 'herbal mix' to add to your weed if you want to smoke onsite. Not sure if that is true as I don't know anyone who's been recently.

They have been cutting back on the amount of new coffee shops being allowed to open, I dread to think of the amount of tourist cash they are kissing goodbye to.
Seems daft.

hugorune wrote:
It depends which coffee shops you go in. Most are still ok with smoking tobacco - as long as you're smoking weed with it!
They give you the herbal stuff for free - it's actually alright - I brought a load of it home & I managed to stop smoking fags for a while. I think it's aloe vera.

If they really clamp down on tourist weed they'll be massively shooting themselves in the foot. It will only lead to more street dealers again and they've managed to clean most of that up these days.

Space Bandit wrote:
It always spoilt the buzz being hassled by guys looking for some bloke called Charlie Speed.
Novocaine peddling bastards.

I must go back again this summer. During the week to avoid the pissed-up Brit stag parties.

hugorune wrote:
That was the case when I first started going about 18 years ago. The Dutch authorities really clamped down on hard drugs though, and you don't see the shady guys hanging around on bridges anymore. It always puzzled me why they tried to sell hash when you could just go & buy it from the shop!
pssst. hashish, cocaine, ecstacy.

Yes it's heaving around that time - always seems to be full of Chelsea fans!
I only go for a quick browse around the windows in the red light whenever I go these days - everything's too expensive there now. I got charged 13euros for a bottle of cider & that was the last straw! There are better places away from there.