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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,538
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Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban
#8570554 - 06/27/08 10:23 AM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban June 27, 2008 - Reuters
AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - When a smoking ban comes into force in the Netherlands next Tuesday, it may kill the buzz for people who like to smoke their cannabis with tobacco. But some owners of the famous Dutch coffee shops are staying mellow.
Fittingly, in a land renowned for its relaxed attitude to drug laws, the new rules contain a few loopholes.
People will still be able to smoke pure cannabis joints in around 700 coffee shops, something some tourists -- notably from the United States -- already often do.
Also, restaurants, cafes and coffee shops will be allowed to set up a separate room or glass partition behind which people can smoke. But customers will not be served in these areas to protect staff.
This dispensation makes the Dutch law more relaxed than smoking restrictions in some other European countries where smoking is banned completely in bars, restaurants and other public spaces.
Arjam Roskam, who owns the Green House coffee shop in Amsterdam, is not worried.
His marijuana strains have won 31 Cannabis Cup prizes over the years and he counts Hollywood celebrities, members of Europe's royal families, lawyers, judges and police officers among his clients.
"The English, Americans and Japanese are our biggest customers. Already for a very, very long time they don't smoke tobacco because tobacco is the number one killer on this planet," he said. "We don't mind the smoking ban."
Many smokers mix marijuana with tobacco but it can also be smoked on its own in joints, pipes, vaporizers and other devices, or eaten in cakes and cookies.
Under the new law, cutting cannabis with tobacco could land coffee shop owners with a fine of up to 2,400 euros ($3,778).
Soft drugs are officially banned in the Netherlands but under a policy of tolerance, buyers are allowed to have less than 5 grams of cannabis in their possession.
Small quantities are sold in coffee shops, making the usually small and cozy venues big attractions for tourists.
Despite Roskam's comments, for some of these visitors, a joint is not a joint without tobacco.
"We come (to Amsterdam) just for the coffee shops, three to five times a year," said Briton Barry Johnson, who was lounging in the Green House coffee shop with a friend.
"I don't smoke pure marijuana as it is too strong for me, it makes me sleepy," he said. "I definitely won't come back if mixed joints are not allowed."
NO SPACE
Michael Veling, spokesman for the Cannabis Retail Association which represents some 110 coffee shops mainly in Amsterdam and surrounding areas, did not think the ban would greatly affect his business as most of his customers bought cannabis to take home.
He said only about two dozen of his members had created separate spaces for tobacco smokers, adding that he would not: "I don't see the benefits of it."
Western Europe is the world's largest market for cannabis resin and Europe is the second-largest global market for cocaine, the United Nations International Narcotics Control Board said in March.
According to the Netherlands Institute of Mental Health and Addiction, the number of people using cannabis, cocaine and ecstasy has remained fairly stable in recent years, with users making up about 3-5 percent of a population of 16 million.
The Dutch drug-related death rate is low compared with other EU countries, it said in its 2007 report.
The Dutch health ministry said it did not think the smoking ban would lead to more drug-related problems by driving more people to smoke cannabis-only joints.
"People can still smoke tobacco mixed with cannabis in coffee shops but only in a closed area where employees cannot serve them," said ministry spokeswoman Saskia Hommes.
"Maybe the smokers have to travel a bit more to find a coffee shop with a closed area," she said.
The watchdog Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says it has a squad of about 200 inspectors ready to enforce the ban.
"They are trained for the job," says spokesman Bob Kiel, adding inspectors will be able to tell the difference between a mixed or pure joint from its smell and appearance.
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PsilocybinMike
T.F.Y.Q.A


Registered: 02/18/08
Posts: 2,602
Last seen: 8 years, 2 months
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Re: Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban [Re: veggie]
#8570634 - 06/27/08 11:01 AM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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I view this as a good thing.
The whole point of good pot is to fully enjoy it, taste it etc. Why would you want to bastardize that with shitty tobacco? I don't care if you are someone that smokes cigs or not, save the cig for after the blunt/joint or what have you like normal people do.
I know it's a Euro thing, but it's totally fucking retarded.
Quote:
"We come (to Amsterdam) just for the coffee shops, three to five times a year," said Briton Barry Johnson, who was lounging in the Green House coffee shop with a friend.
"I don't smoke pure marijuana as it is too strong for me, it makes me sleepy," he said. "I definitely won't come back if mixed joints are not allowed."
LMAO.. shit like that is so amateur hour. Smoke a smaller joint, or use a fucking bowl, if you are too much of a pussy to finish what you've rolled up.
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baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVZBTAYm3rw
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bongoboy2000
Bongoboy2000

Registered: 02/07/04
Posts: 403
Loc: Seattle
Last seen: 11 years, 10 months
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Re: Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban [Re: PsilocybinMike]
#8570679 - 06/27/08 11:19 AM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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HAHAH This is fantastic. You CAN smoke pot but NOT tobbacco inside!! I never thought I would see the day. How backwards is that?
-------------------- ...I got nothin..
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veggie

Registered: 07/25/04
Posts: 17,538
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Re: Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban [Re: bongoboy2000]
#8570698 - 06/27/08 11:29 AM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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>How backwards is that?<
Not at all. Tobacco currently kills 5.4 million people per year, whereas marijuana is relatively harmless.
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PsilocybinMike
T.F.Y.Q.A


Registered: 02/18/08
Posts: 2,602
Last seen: 8 years, 2 months
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Re: Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban [Re: bongoboy2000]
#8570736 - 06/27/08 11:39 AM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
bongoboy2000 said: HAHAH This is fantastic. You CAN smoke pot but NOT tobbacco inside!! I never thought I would see the day. How backwards is that?
More like how fucking backwards is our society to begin with? This actually MAKES SENSE.
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baaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaammmm http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pVZBTAYm3rw
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Thrax
Beyond Gone


Registered: 06/06/08
Posts: 39
Loc: Dirty South
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Re: Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban [Re: PsilocybinMike]
#8570878 - 06/27/08 12:29 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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I never understood the concept of mixing tobacco with weed.. Seriously, tobacco is way too harsh.
-------------------- Either you love me, or you love me not, Im'a be me.
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Visionary Tools



Registered: 06/23/07
Posts: 7,953
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Re: Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban [Re: PsilocybinMike]
#8570918 - 06/27/08 12:42 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
PsilocybinMike said: I view this as a good thing.
The whole point of good pot is to fully enjoy it, taste it etc. Why would you want to bastardize that with shitty tobacco? I don't care if you are someone that smokes cigs or not, save the cig for after the blunt/joint or what have you like normal people do.
I know it's a Euro thing, but it's totally fucking retarded.
Quote:
"We come (to Amsterdam) just for the coffee shops, three to five times a year," said Briton Barry Johnson, who was lounging in the Green House coffee shop with a friend.
"I don't smoke pure marijuana as it is too strong for me, it makes me sleepy," he said. "I definitely won't come back if mixed joints are not allowed."
LMAO.. shit like that is so amateur hour. Smoke a smaller joint, or use a fucking bowl, if you are too much of a pussy to finish what you've rolled up.
Now here's a thing. I like to roll my spliffs with all sorts of stuff. Kratom, ginseng, dalmania, yohimbe, tea. Cannabis is just another herb. I don't like tobacco (I like the smell of some varieties) and wouldn't mix it in, but is the smoking ban only on tobacco? In which case, why call it a smoking ban when smoking other herbs is alright?
As for that above quoted statement, it looks artificial. My relatives go on a day out to Holland, buy from as many coffeeshops as they like, and then come back to smoke in privacy and peace with whatever they like.
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frisky_
don't panic.


Registered: 11/01/07
Posts: 732
Last seen: 11 years, 2 days
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Re: Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban [Re: PsilocybinMike]
#8571412 - 06/27/08 03:18 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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Quote:
PsilocybinMike said: I view this as a good thing.
The whole point of good pot is to fully enjoy it, taste it etc. Why would you want to bastardize that with shitty tobacco? I don't care if you are someone that smokes cigs or not, save the cig for after the blunt/joint or what have you like normal people do.
I know it's a Euro thing, but it's totally fucking retarded.
I have to say, its not something I usually do but I have tried it. And it does taste good.
But yeah, I save the tobacco for after the weed.
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your horse is too tall
and your brain is too small
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durban_poison
myco contractor

Registered: 09/19/01
Posts: 2,417
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Re: Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban [Re: veggie]
#8571601 - 06/27/08 04:11 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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didnt they spell his name wrong? Arjan not arjam the owner of greenhouse cafe.
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Irdamage
Autobot


Registered: 11/19/05
Posts: 1,491
Loc: Canada
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Re: Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban [Re: durban_poison]
#8573760 - 06/28/08 09:04 AM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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Amsterdam is where I first started using tobacco in my joints, they said it was the "dutch method"?
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SleepyF0x
I bleed nicotine...



Registered: 09/23/07
Posts: 4,643
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Re: Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban [Re: Irdamage]
#8574361 - 06/28/08 01:39 PM (15 years, 10 months ago) |
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lol, this law is retarded.
to all the haters, do you hate on people who mix cream or sugar in with their coffees? if not, stfu.
in defense of the enjoyers of spliffs, i do enjoy the taste of pot with tobacco, it mixes very well, and the tastes blend very well.
but who cares really? just do what you do, and don't hate if someone does different.
-------------------- Everybody's a ninja...
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