Amsterdam showed the way

[schmoak]

It was such a fantastic experience to enter into an Amsterdam coffeeshop. Especially if returning to an old favourite in a local neighbourhood, a familiar place to have a breakfast coffee. I knew of one smaller place which supplied a very diverse, authentic, potent, delicious and likable selection of well sourced and cured cannabis mostly to ordinary older working and retired locals, even remembering the place now instills a warm pleasant feeling for how they treated each other with kindness, comfort, merriment and joy, oh and they shared it with me too, an outsider invited into a warm, helpful, welcoming atmosphere, wonderfully fantastic to be part of the day there.

 

All the old Prohibitive taboos which govern our home towns quickly become absurd nonsense in the coffeeshop, I was just so proud of their system of providing for the ordinary people in a very normal, truthful, civilised, best practise, win win, kind of way. 

 It's when departing the netherlands and upon arrival to your police state one feels the shame for prohibition, passing the local alco Bar dealer haunt, one observes languishing addicts & dealers turfing the streets with dodgy everything. Sickening ,disgusting, dangerous, false, contrived, threatening, toxic cannabis prohibition.

 

It's amazing to observe both systems and compare their function both selling substances to customers, But the police state turns out to be the careless host accommodating the dodgy dealer, unifying into "The Pusher"  using the cover of weed supplier commonly to obscure the distribution of class a's.

 Coffeeshops offer a very regular, pleasant, safe, ethical service by which to subscribe to and visit. Can anyone see the moral depravity in which the police state countries provide licensed dealer haunts (bars)  but prevent licensed coffeeshops, it's truly incredible, that situation!

 

So Big Thank You to the Netherlands for showing the world, and showing us, and inviting us in to share, and for still being there, Thank you to those Good Coffeeshops over the Years, You really helped me very well, had a great time, well worth every single visit and for so much more than just the weed too, a brilliant country.

 

 Islands of Prohibition are so creepy in comparison, filthy air and filthy streets, trapped by the sea, One must build a secret garden or die

 back then arrival at a coffeeshop was the best thing ever.

  

   

 

 

 

 

[Saddam]

If by showing the way you mean selling overpriced, mislabeled bland shit to drunk tourists who don't know any better then I agree.     

[Nervous]

20 minutes ago, Saddam said:

If by showing the way you mean selling overpriced, mislabeled bland shit to drunk tourists who don't know any better then I agree.

The amount of times I want to put my head in my hands when buying there is unreal.

No gloves. Plastic boxes (which sit open most of the day) for storage. Often not grown to the standard I'm used to. Over 10'er a gram. 

Piss off you silly Dutchmen. 

[schmoak]

Indeed! @Saddam agreed! yes that too, and now you mention it, there is a lot of "mislabeled bland shit" but somehow those places survive and are well established, there is a market for reduced potency to varying touring groups?

  Actually the facts suggest that my last visit to that same long term coffeeshop was quite disappointing, the weed was surprisingly bland compared to many of the previous visits, and actually now you jog my memory.. I was asking for the quality  hash they normally stocked and was told "it's been a long time since there's been good hash" so yes true enough what you say.

 

I was more referring to the way things were 10+ ago however It's not the qualityo of cannabis but the system that locals enjoy rather than the system that locals don't enjoy. Amsterdammers are encouraged to open their doors and not be afraid or ashamed (of criminalisation) and not be left to the whims of the prohibitive marketplace. Me and you may be robust types but our granny's or disabled dad may appreciate a decent local supply away from the beer drinking tourists.

[schmoak]

17 minutes ago, Nervous said:

The amount of times I want to put my head in my hands when buying there is unreal.

No gloves. Plastic boxes (which sit open most of the day) for storage. Often not grown to the standard I'm used to. Over 10'er a gram. 

Piss off you silly Dutchmen. 

 

It's not about the money, it's about the opportunity first, and i am referring to offering the full service to its people and even beery tourists, It's about getting out of the house and not being afraid of the smell, It's the social freedom to publicly express the smell of cannabis while not causing social unrest and and to be encouraged to do so as a healthy acceptable activity within the public space. Enhanced Human Rights less Criminal Charges right there for all to appreciate... Not so silly Dutch, thinking about the whole family?

 

[schmoak]

Having had time to consider your comments @Nervous Yes, I do agree about putting head in hands too, you are quite right in what you say, fair play.

 

[Nervous]

Just now, schmoak said:

It's the social freedom to publicly express the smell of cannabis while not causing social unrest and and to be encouraged to do so as a healthy acceptable activity within the public space

I think we've been to different Amsterdams mate. Having lived there for a while - the locals have a very different opinion to tourists.   

The prices have always been excessive if you take inflation and prices everywhere else into account.    

If you walk around public spaces (like parks) smoking joints you will get the "oh not another British person" look. In the UK we've got a really bad drinking culture, so having cans in the park is acceptable if you're discreet but that just makes people think that kind of thing is acceptable everywhere. The Dutch don't like people smoking anywhere near where kids or families might be (which is most public spaces). When you go to other countries - respect their views. This kind of thing is why people say you need to travel the world.   

It was never really encouraged. It just slipped under the radar, became a thing and is tolerated. Heavy emphasis on tolerated. You will still get nicked for growing, possessing too much and being a dick about using it etc.  

[schmoak]

@Nervous thanks for considered reply, yes certainly there is now a mooted reclaim of city neighbourhoods to accommodate families with the exclusion of cannabis activity and you are aware of social clashing between groups.

 Please also consider how the city was host to the whole dutch cannabis project since the 60's, it cannot be so quickly dismissed, was a time when one was allowed to grow 5 plants outdoors, that's changed too, but at least today one can still enjoy a stroll along the high street and enjoy the fragrance surely the strong smell of cannabis as someone's granny departs from the coffeeshop quite rightly with cannabis used for pain relief, families all agree with using the cannabis they can have prescribed by their doctors.. no stress, no question about it, it's normal.

Cannabis there for all the families uses, no problem, and sure.. no need to blow smoke it in their faces.

 

Remember back in the day, somebody always gave the Daily Mail argument.... Schizophrenia!!!

But now the mail loves it's butt busting cannabis enema's because kim's hubby wants one too..

 

Time's have changed

[Justanotherdude]

I don't go for the weed.

I go for the tolerance.

Kinda sad, I always thought, it's not a lot to ask after all.

I thank Amsterdam for, if not accepting me, then for tolerating me. And for showing the world that you can think differently about things.

[Ned Flanders]

Such a great topic of conversation. 

I hope you don't mind me diddly diving in. 

 

Dispite being a life long toker I never went to amsterdam and never saw a homegrow until I's in my 30s. 

 

The sense of liberty when you get to Amsterdam is very tangible, especially if you've spent 14 odd years hiding the herb. 

However, it feels commercialised and speaking to locals it's all tainted by black market and gangs. 

When I first went I'd only ever had dealer weed or hash so it was a huge novelty to be able to ealk into a coffeeshop and buy a gram of super silver haze. 

I wasn't massively imlressed with the herb but the experience was magical. 

 

Once I got off the beaten track and found some smaller local coffee 

Shops the weed wasn't as hyped but clearly had been grown and stored with love and the herb was much nicer. 

 

I've been back a few times and just love a good coffeeshop. But nothing beats enjoying herbs that you've seen and helped grow yourself. 

I'm hoping the same is true for the plants I've planted this summer outdoors. 

Legalisation and decriminalisation are both messy and far from perfect. 

A crime becomes a market. 

A banned drug/substance becomes a product. 

But there's no denying the weight that falls of your shoulders in the Damm. 

And there's no denying that strolling around the town stoned searching for a cool local shop is heaven

[schmoak]

Cheers @Ned Flanders very well said, and it is that "weight off shoulders" which is off everyone's collective shoulders, all spared the taboo of troublesome guilt aspersions.

 It's actually a major game changer and is wonderful to see promoted colourfully openly advertised, sends out a very clear messages all over town, it's ok to relax now!

 

 

[Ned Flanders]

I can only imagine what it's like to visit canada or california... 

[schmoak]

@Ned Flanders and apparently there's space enough for everyone to flourish... the private growers (uk420 types) sure were not going to be threshed out and must have battled hard to compete against 'big money' and are regarded as the best and most sought-after weeds, the shops-dispensaries have their mainstream model to fulfill, determined vocational growers get to be licensed as medical supplier cars givers, I know little of the reality over there but there are huge choices.. Seems like the Corporations can tolerate some sharing of the market and it's great to see all comers can compete

[HazyDaze]

10 hours ago, Justanotherdude said:

I don't go for the weed.

I go for the tolerance.

Kinda sad, I always thought, it's not a lot to ask after all.

I thank Amsterdam for, if not accepting me, then for tolerating me. And for showing the world that you can think differently about things.

This.

And to add.. Everyone slates the dam these days, even folk that haven't been, that always makes me laugh.

but that's the 'parrot' culture we have for you Isneet! 

 but truth be told you all fucking loved the place once upon time, Of course things changed but that isn't  just the city, it was you too... But hey, say what you like, slate it all you Will,   it's still a great city and if you haven't been, then make sure you do.  

[QQ710]

How can you not love the Dam!!!

Of course - you have to avoid the rip off joints, but thats the same in any city.

My only complaint - its so much more expensive nowadays - 25guilders would get you a long way in the 80s.

 

Anyone been to Christiania recently? - a sad sight to see pusher street in such demise - I remember the market stalls displaying all sorts of quality hash and weed for reasonable prices - must have been early nineties and without doubt the best market I have ever visited.