Hip Guide to Amsterdam

As of April 1, 2007, Dutch coffeeshops can no longer sell alcohol.  This covers all coffeeshops that sell cannabis products.  Awhile ago Dutch coffeeshop owners who had licenses to sell both alcohol and marijuana were offered a choice: they could choose to keep one of those licenses.  So most dropped the alcohol, although a few decided to stay open as a pub.

This means you can no longer purchase cannabis, smoke it and drink a beer in the same location.  Some coffeeshops have already dealt with this by owning a nearby pub where no cannabis is sold, but patrons can buy their ganja nearby and smoke it in the pub.

It's a bit hard to understand why this change was necessary, as there were so few problems with those coffeeshops that also sold booze, as they tended to be the most popular and most profitable.  Looks like they'll have far fewer patrons who stick around after a purchase.

We're still wondering if they'll ever enforce the EU's workplace no smoking laws in Amsterdam Coffeeshops.  Apparently the coffeeshops (and Dutch pubs) have been given some kind of exemption for now.

The Dutch have an attitude of tolerance dating back to the 16th century when they forced out the Spanish and their inquisition. Since then, the Dutch make a point of not criminalizing or feigning moral outrage at victimless "crimes". Prostitution, pornography, homosexuality, euthanasia, and soft drug use are all tolerated and integrated into Dutch society. This permissiveness has resulted in Holland becoming a mecca for those who wish to experience the freedom of cannabis culture, and the flowering of a highly successful coffeeshop scene where marijuana and hashish are legally available for purchase by the public.

The "coffeeshop" is a unique Dutch institution. For over 20 years, coffeeshops have operated with quasi-legal status in the Netherlands. Although there is no law that allows for the production and distribution of large quantities of marijuana and hashish, the Dutch tolerate the presence of coffeeshops because they separate the soft drug users from the hard drug dealers. This makes it less likely that someone desiring cannabis would end up purchasing a more dangerous drug, and keeps a whole market away from the illegal drug trade. The Dutch attitude towards drugs is very straight forward. If you have a drug problem they want to help you, not persecute you! Recreational use of soft drugs is seen as being less harmful to society than persecution and incarceration.

In Amsterdam's famous coffeeshops besides the usual fresh marijuana, a variety of hashishes are also sold over the counter. There are many different types of hash from various parts of the world. One type in particular, the legendary black hashish, has a rather dubious reputation. The reason is that the hash is often adulterated or contaminated with non-cannabis products. One of these adulterants, opium, sometimes gets mixed in to soften it up and improve the quality.

Black opiated hashish is sometimes sold in Amsterdam under various names including any kind of "cream", "indian", "manali", "trans-himalayan", "nepalese", etc. Since the Afghan war, it seems Amsterdam is awash in hashish with much higher opium content (than usual), and most coffeeshops seem to have no qualms passing this same heavily adulterated hashish as just about whatever black hash you might choose.