Atmosphere in Amsterdam Tonight!
June 25th, 2009 by Erin
Amsterdam peoples, Twin Cities’ very own Atmosphere is rocking a show tonight in your town! Catch the duo, Slug and Ant, as part of their When God Gives You Ugly Tour rolls forward.
Atmosphere – When God Gives You Ugly Tour
Melkweg
Lijnbaansgracht 234 A
1017 PH Amsterdam
Netherlands
Tele: (+31) 20 531 8181
Click here for more details on the show. Word.
The Wackness Wants You to Smoke
February 11th, 2009 by Alex
Ever seen The Wackness?
If not, it’s a throwback movie about a 1994 teenager who deals pot, befriends his therapist, and lives life in New York City during his last summer before college.
I’ve got to give it to Revolver Entertainment (The Wackness’ distribution team), because they’ve come up with a promotion that Harold & Kumar would be seriously jealous of – a trip to Amsterdam and 1 gram of skunky buds.
The 1 gram isn’t exactly mind blowing, but if you get to Amsterdam, I’m sure you’ll be throwing down for some extra green time.
So how does it work?
Inside the first 1,000 copies of the DVD there is a single winning ticket – Willy Wonka style. There’s only one problem, this is for Revolver’s UK distribution arm only. No Yanks are getting in on the action.
Still, it’s a cool idea and some lucky SOB is going to get a quick flight out from London to the capitol of ganja.
[image courtesy Sony Pictures Classics]
411 on Dutch Drug Tourism
February 9th, 2009 by PerryFresh from DrugWarRant.com, is an interesting look at the drug tourism industry in the Netherlands.
In response to several media reports last year which talked about the potential closure of Amsterdam’s pot shops, the Hungarian Civil Liberties Union interviewed several Dutch mayors to take an earnest look at the situation.
There’s a lot of easy conclusions to draw, but it’s difficult after watching the 10-minute drug tourism documentary, to not see the drug war as a self-perpetuating cycle — linking marijuana to illegal activity because it is a contraband largely sold and distributed by organized crime.
An effort to eliminate the criminal element led to several mayors calling for the government to create a controlled system of distribution — however, it also led two mayors, (one interviewed in the video,) to close down coffee shops which sold marijuana altogether.
Dutch Legislators Not Close to Closing Pot Shops
December 17th, 2008 by Perry
Dutch coffee shops, which been under increasing scrutiny by the government — are not in danger of being shut down, despite rumors to the contrary.
While the last 10 years have seen the number of dispensaries reduced by 50 percent, party officials say there won’t be a wide-scale closure of any sorts.
Partisan Dutch politics has three major parties; Social Democrats, Christian Democrats and Christian Unity. Social Democrats tend to be more lenient towards working with coffee shop owners with a more pragmatic attitude. Both Christian parties are opposed to the coffee shop system, and point to its “problems by association” as the real peril caused by the shops.
[img via CDog420 on flickr]
Attack of the Show on Amsterdam Pot Crackdown
December 9th, 2008 by AlexIf you’ve been reading tFS this month, you’ve seen quite a few updates on the regression of Holland’s liberal institutions.
Attack of the Show has also done some fine reporting on the subject, except they’re stocked with a full production studio and a witty host.
That probably explains why Dan Bernath, of the Marijuana Policy Project, came on the show to talk about the evolution (and future) of the political landscape affecting Amsterdam’s infamous coffee shops and brothels.
Check out the video above, and if you like TV shows that are funny and have a tech twist, start watching AOTS.
Dutch Locals Happy Unhappy
December 2nd, 2008 by Perry
Responding to complaints of a perceived growing drug problem in the area, Michel Marijnen, mayor of Roosendaal, recently tried to close his city’s four marijuana coffee shops.
The southern Dutch border city sees thousands of tourists a week from neighboring European countries, many of whom come for the express purpose of elicit drug use. Officials have said its starting to push local laws to a breaking point, where reform has to be considered.
The London Times online edition reports:
Marijnen is to address a summit for dozens of mayors from towns across the Netherlands today on how to tackle the problems surrounding coffee shops.
Some of the proposed changes are limiting purchase amounts in stores and other regulatory measures, but business owners and customers are worried it could be the beginning of the end and that in the end the regulations will only make the problem worse.
If they cut back to 2 grammes, then people will come back every day, while with 5 grammes they come every week. If they come back every day it will be a big problem for the town.
Amsterdam Coffee Shops to Be Cut by 20%
November 21st, 2008 by Alex
Sad news for the residents and frequenters of Amsterdam, and specifically bad for connoisseurs of the green leaf everywhere – Amsterdam will be closing 20% of its coffee shops. And no, not the Starbucks.
Mayor Job Cohen made the announcement before a national ‘weed summit’ was set to start. They aren’t being closed due to adjusted legal standing, but instead due to their proximity to schools and children. Any shop within 273 yards (250 meters) of a school has to shut its doors by 2011 unless a successful appeal gets them off the hook.
Just like America, the legality and use of marijuana in the Netherlands is very murky. Technically, it’s not legal, but in specific shops you can purchase up to 5 grams. Then again, growing is illegal, which makes sourcing the buds a challenge. You also have ‘pot tourism’ to worry about – citizens of neighboring countries traveling into the Dutch cities just to buy marijuana and leave.
Although this doesn’t take effect immediately, this new announcement places pot on an even shakier foundation in the city most known for its tolerance. Of course, we’ll keep you updated as appeals roll in and more debate starts on the topic.
College Students on Amsterdam Trip ‘07
March 1st, 2007 by TimThis video is what happens when college students go to Amsterdam with full intentions to blaze the finest herb in Europe. It also goes without saying, that there’s no place quite like it.
This slideshow demonstrates only a few special characteristics that reinforce why this place is arguably ganja capital of the world.
