Coffee Shops / Drugs, Amsterdam

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One of the tourists' popular targets: a Coffeeshop, one from among much. Standing in front of Centraal Station there are about 40 coffeeshops within a 10-minute walk.
You can get coffee at these places too, but if that is all you want just look around for a café and you will be set.
The main attraction here is the marijuana or hash you can safely and cheaply buy from someone behind the counter, and then smoke it right there. How this all works, you can visit a coffee shop without feeling really weird about it.
The highest prices of cannabis/hash are in Amsterdam, in central location can be up to €12.00 /g for grass and €30.00/g for hash. One of the cheapest coffee shops with still good stuff is Central coffeeshop located at Prins Hendrikkade 89, a bag of 2,4g Special costs €12.50. The maximum ammount you may buy in a coffee shop is 5g per person.
To get a "grass-seed" even on the flower market. The law allows anybody to cultivate a cannabis at home.
The regulation is very funny for me: according to the law smoking a cigarette containing pure marijuana is allowed, however smoking with tobacco is strictly prohibited and fined, a €300 fine for the first offense and €2,400 for a fourth.

Never forget Netherlands is the most liberal place in Europe, legalizing sex (prostitution) and drugs (hash).

Where else in the world can you order a Coca-cola or a Heineken to go with your order of hash, weed, and munchies?

A bit *nippy* outside? How about a warm cup of hash hot chocolate to warm you up? ;-)

It's 4pm .......... "High" Tea time!

Dutch Cannabis Law

International law means that the Netherlands cannot make cannabis legal and so this complicates the situation. Cannabis consumption is therefore viewed as decriminilised rather than legalised as technically it is illegal in Holland.

Personal possession of a small quantity (under 30g) of cannabis is allowed.
Coffeeshops are allowed to sell small amounts of cannabis and are strictly regulated and taxed. Coffeeshops must not sell to anyone under the age of 18, they must not sell more than 5g to any customer and they must not hold more than 500g on the premises. Also hard drugs are strictly forbidden.

Coffeeshops were definitely not the only reason we wanted to visit Amsterdam, but it is the thing we miss the most! Here's an important tip - Be sure to learn where your hotel is before visiting a coffeeshop! And at most of the coffeeshops we were very pleased with the product except at one - Basjoes. I have since read on this site that some just offer a selection but sell the same stuff, and what was supposed to be "Thai" looked like the same old crap we get at home. When smoking a dutch joint (and be sure to do that!) just be careful if you are not a smoker since they add tobacco to them. Don't try to take a big toke on those! My biggest suggestion is to try the "White Widow"! You will not regret it! (I wish I could run down to my corner coffeeshop right now!!!)

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Amsterdam is well known for its famous coffee shops. There are 234 coffee shops in Amsterdam and the legal age to get into them is 18 years old. We went into a few coffee shops in Amsterdam. It was a different experience to say the least. I guess the laws have changed quite a bit in the last couple of years. If you smoke regular cigarettes in a coffee shop you can expect someone to get mad at you. Amsterdamers also like to mix their tobacco with their weed. That was strange to me. Rob thought it was pretty nasty.
Coffee shops have menus where you can pickout what kind weed and hash you want to smoke. They also sell papers and you can choose to borrow their bongs or pipes or vaporizers.
Some coffee shops are large and fancy and some are little holes in the walls. Robs favorite place was a very small coffee shop called the Grey Area. Two guys from New York opened that one up and according to Rob they had some of the best weed. This place was also pretty packed. After a while I had to step outside, I felt I was getting high myself and I wasnt even smoking.
The first coffee shop opened up in 1972 and many more have opened up since then. You can also only purchase up to 5 grams of weed at a coffee shop. You can have more than 5 grams of weed on you also. If you travel to Belgium and you decide totake some ofyour weed,make sure you dont have more than 3 grams on you.
The coffee shops also do not sell liquor. At some coffee shops they require you to puchase something to drink,like water,juice,soda,or coffee. Foodis usually not sold at coffee shopsbut some might sell some snacks.
At some coffee shops you have to go to a separate contained location to smoke your weed. So this whole thing is pretty controlled and there are plenty of rules to follow but where else in the world can you do this??? Rob was in heaven.

Not in many places of the world, one has such tolerant behaviour towards drugs. Not only behaviour, but even a whole policy that restricts us from drugs, but is still allowing us in using "the stuff". Basis is that everyone is responcible for his own body and health. Softdrugs are officially allowed and - as long having it in personal amounts with you - no-one will bother you with a joint. Harddrugs are limited allowed. Again, small dosis for yourself are tolerated, but larger amounts are punished. Lately however this last is getting a farce and many complain about this disturbing fact. Most coffeshops are situated around the red light district (de "Walletjes"), but everywhere in Amsterdam they are present as well.

People generally got o Amsterdam caus ethe fact of the legality of drugs.
These coofee shops keep some of the strongest types of marijuana. Don't buy them unless you usually smoke a lot (daily smoker). This grass could made an unspectable reaction(the shock may involve intoxication symptoms (vomit)) and you can have some very bad feelings.
So if you smoke rarely we suggest you to avoid strongest types of grass. Also we suggest you to roll small joints (a bag should be ok for 10 joints or more).
Lots of coffee shops located in the Red Light District sell the same grass regardless of type you order(you pay the price of white widow but in most of these ***ty coffee shops you will get a bag of an ordinary skunk).

La Canna Coffeeshop cafe offers the freedom to purchase and smoke weed and hash openly without fear of persecution.

La Canna, it is a very spacious coffeeshop - it has 3 floors! There are lots of tables and floors 2 & 3 have 3 pooltables and a bar on each floor. And it's not too far from Central Station which makes it a great location.

the dutch smoke they're joints in whats called a cone, it is a large joint with a filter tip..once introduced to this method i fell in love..although i cannot roll one myself i can use the prerolled cones at my disposal..but i still rolled some u.s style joints as well as seen in the next photo..

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This was new to me. Smart shops sell harder drugs and its all legal or tolerated. They dont sell weed or hash here. Smart shops sell mushrooms and ecstasy (an herbal ecstasy) and even marijuana seeds. They also have menus of what they offer and a description of what the substance does. For example if you want to to have personal enlightenment try this... if you want something really strong try that.......
The guy behind the counter will usually tellyou how much to take and what to expect to experience etc...
We bought some mushrooms, I think it was Mexican gold. It was supposed to be middleof the road,so not too stong but not for beginners. Rob was disappointed because he didnt feel anything. Doing any of that stuff is not my thing so I didnt even try it. I was just there to take care of Rob if he needed me to. If you are going to do anyof thisstuff make sure you will be with someone you can trust and that will take care of you. Good luck.

It has become a custom of the channels.nl forum posters to get together at the Rookies coffeeshop in Amsterdam. To easily identify forum posters, the Channels buttons were worn and members found it fun to have meetings and smoke together. People from all over, well everywhere, coming together to share a toke of the sacred herb. Life is good in Amsterdam!