Coffee Shops, Amsterdam

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“Amsterdam, by its much-admired growth, prospers from all that freedom can give. For here all people of all creeds live together in peace.”
— Baruch de Spinoza (1632-1677)

PEACE. LOVE. AND HAPPINESS. Know in Amsterdam as smartshops, these soft drug stores sell hallucogenic mushrooms and related products. As in the Middle Ages, when the populous was largely illiterate, a mushroom-shaped sign mark there space.

Not to be confused with coffeeshops, these smartshops are part of the economic landscape, attracting native Netherlanders and tourists alike.

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“Apparently, in Amsterdam where use of illicit drugs is made possible due to the hassle free (illicit) availability of that type of drug, the use of cannabis satisfies almost all curiosity. Small numbers of experienced cannabis users try other illicit substances, mostly cocaine and ecstasy.”
— from ‘Cannabis Use, A Stepping Stone to Other Drugs? The Case of Amsterdam.’ by Peter Cohen and Arjan Sas

In the Netherlands the sale of cannabis, marijuana, in small amounts for personal use is permitted and tolerated by the authorities. Licensed coffee shops, or coffeeshops as the Dutch spell it, sell grass in the form of joints, for smoking and in baked goods for eating. Most of these coffeeshops also serve drinks (even coffee!) and food. Coffeeshops are not allowed to serve alcohol or other drugs. Sales to minors is prohibited, as is selling without a license or selling hard drugs.

The sale of grass in coffeeshops was introduced in the 1970s with the explicit goal of separating hard and soft drug usage. Dutch coffee houses that do not sell marijuana are called koffiehuis, translated as coffee house.

Most have a price list with items for sale such as marijuana, hashish, rolled joints and the like---most behind the counter are friendly and helpful to those who have not tried smoking----
as you can tell from the photo, this is an old picture from when the Guilder was still being used.....

Located in the Red Light District, nice location on a canal with umbrella tables outside----The original Ricks Cafe is in Negril Jamaica---no smoking at the bar there, though!
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fri/sat 8-2

wow i believe we visited rookies about 4 times in 11 days, it wasn't my favorite shop but it was very nice. they have many different tablegames you can play and a pooltable. the vibe is that of cheers, a place where everyone knows your name..they also have a souvenier shop across the street, which sells rookie lighters which are the most similar to bic lighters for all of us americans..i bought 2!!

La Canna is like the Chuck E. cheese for potheads, I loved it so much that I even swiped a menu to show my buddies. SORRY GUYS. You don't have to just smoke here either like most of the Cafes. you can drink beers , laugh, play a video game , and even jam out to some classic tunes. They say it's a big superstar hangout, but the only one there that night was ..........................Mish

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A lot of people are going to Amsterdam for the coffee shops. Coffee shops in Amsterdam are not places where you can go for a coffee or pie. But for the legal drugs. Yep, drugs are legal up here (only in these coffee shops). So, there are a lot of them. You can't miss them. I don't like drugs, but I would say to you: peace man!! :)

Located in the Jordaan, this is a dream come true for antique loving stoners! 1 and 1/2 floors of items, all for sale, ranging from african figures to porcelain dishes to plastic dolls and everything else in between, with a really friendly group in charge----of course hash and herbs for sale with teas and coffees as well----I had a blast sitting and talking with the young lady behind the counter and an older man and his son(?) sitting at one of the tables---they all seemed to be connected to the place somehow and were very nice to me while I was there---the old man spoke only Dutch but understood every word I said---wish I could have talked to him more directly!