Wednesday, July 3, 2019

Of Coffeeshops and Weed Brownies

When our tour guide told us that there were many coffeeshops in Amsterdam, an image of a nice hot cup of chocolate in a heated café popped up in my head – it was getting nippy outside. But in the Netherlands, "coffeeshops" are alcohol-free establishments where cannabis products are legally sold and consumed!

A  coffeeshop (the words are strung together) in the Netherlands is NOT your typical café and should not be confused with the coffee shops that sell real coffee and pastries elsewhere in the world.

Official Dutch coffeeshops have a green and white licence sticker displayed on the window. According to the Dutch Drug and Coffee Shop Law, the coffeeshops in the Netherlands are licensed to sell small quantities of cannabis to adults over 18.

Coffeeshops are prohibited to sell alcohol. Dutch laws mandate that a shop can either sell alcohol or cannabis products but never both.

While meandering the streets around Dam square, we came across this museum and learned a thing or two about cannabis and its history.

Bongs on display inside the museum
I thought these were fancy vases!!

Cannabis chocolate

We passed many souvenir shops that displayed cannabis edibles like brownies, cookies, chocolates, candies, ice-cream, energy drinks, etc behind their windows.


We tried the brownies. Nothing happened!

Haha! Later, we were told that the brownies we ate were just cannabis flavoured!! Cannabis products that aren't bought in a coffeeshop do not contain any THC and won't get you high! It’s illegal for regular shops to sell any cannabis edibles.

Space cakes from souvenir shops are just a tourist trap and you won’t get stoned even if you eat 100 of them! But if it's from a coffeeshop, it will get you blitzed!

Cannabis edibles
These are a tourist gimmick with the marijuana leaf labeled on them just to trick silly tourists into parting with their cash!!

Can you believe I've never tried weed in my 57 years of life!? That brownie didn't  count!

Cannabis in Malaysia is illegal. Malaysian legislation provides for a mandatory death penalty for convicted drug traffickers. Individuals arrested in possession of 200 grams (seven ounces) of marijuana are presumed by law to be trafficking in drugs. Individuals arrested in possession of 50 grams (1.5 ounces) or less will be sentenced to imprisonment up to 10 years.

Contrary to popular belief, cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands. It is, however, tolerated, meaning the authorities will turn a blind eye to those in possession of 5 grams or less.

A coffeshop in Amsterdam

A coffeeshop menu
image source - https://www.coffeeshopsofamsterdam.net
If you worry about stumbling into the wrong coffee shop when you want a real cup of joe, look out for the green and white sticker that is displayed on the front window.
image source - wikipedia

#AmsterdamAdventures #CoffeeshopCulture #CannabisConundrum #TravelTales #NetherlandsNuggets #LegalLore #CulturalContrasts #TouristTraps #MarijuanaMisconceptions #GlobalGanjaGuidance #AmsterdamInsights #CannabisChronicles #LegalizeItNotQuite #CoffeeOrCannabis #TravelTips #CulturalExploration

31 comments:

  1. I'd rather has the coffee. It's good that weed is available though. I'm not against that at all.

    Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. ♥

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  2. That is interesting about it being illegal in the Netherlands but somewhat tolerated. My sister and family lived there for 2 years about 10 years ago and she had mentioned that it was legal, but maybe she didn't know it. Son was happy to hear that and wanted to go to visit, LOL, but now its legal in California and lots of other states around us. Very interesting with all the offerings they had there! I'm sure you got a bit of an education! And I'm 61 and I've never tried it either!

    betty

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  3. Well that's interesting. It has become legal in a few states, but definitely not something you'll see around Louisiana!

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  4. It's illegal in Nebraska, but legal in a lot of other states in the US. Nebraska is how shall I say this Republican Trump loving freaks that don't like change, for the most part. I'm not saying they are all like that, I'm not! My family lives here, or I would totally jump ship, and move to another part of the US.

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  5. Not a place I would want to go. I am very sad that my state ( Massachusetts) legalized it.

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  6. It's legal in Canada now even though I've never done it myself. I don't drink nor smoke but I'm a lover, I'm Italian, Just my wife of 44 years. LOL See ya.


    Cruisin Paul

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  7. I've heard of brownies laced with marijuana, but not candy.

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  8. Huh. That's interesting. I could totally see myself getting confused. Sorry your brownie didn't actually contain weed. Guess you know what to buy next time.

    With Love,
    Mandy

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  9. The scam is unfortunate.. poor tourists.

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  10. Interesting post - I'd have never known about its acceptance w/o your post.

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  11. What an interesting post loved the photos I have never tried weed but I love cofee LOL

    Have a an expressotastic week :-)

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  12. I can remember the coffeeshops in Amsterdam from when we visited. You are braver than we were, though. We did not even try any brownies. One of my sons lives in Colorado and another lives in Oregon. Marijuana is legal in both of those states. It is always so surprising to me to see stores selling recreational marijuana products.

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  13. Wow beautifil post thanks for sharing! I enjoyed this
    Jadieegosh

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  14. Very nice. Marijuana is legal in California and I stay away from the places that sell it. Just me. I don't like going places that you need to show ID to big people with guns to get into.

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  15. Thank you for joining the Wordless Wednesday Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Wordless Wednesday. ♥

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  16. Have never had cannabis either and I am 50. Not really come across it much in UK and always smoked by teachers which is either scary or funny. Since moving to France, I have made friends with blokes who smoke it. Does not seem to have any bad effects on them to be honest and my teens think it hilarious I am not frequenting drug dens! Amsterdam is a place I have always wanted to visit - seems a unique place #GlobalBlogging

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  17. That was very interesting. Because the weed is sold so openly I had thought it was legal there.
    https://allatseawithme.blogspot.com

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  18. Not mixing the sale of marijuana and alcohol is a great idea.

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  19. Haha that's interesting to know. Here in Sydney marijuana is illegal. It's fascinating to read different perspective on the same drug.

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  20. What a fun way to do coffee! I use medical marijuana for chronic pain and I am certainly unopposed to anyone who uses edibles for recreation or otherwise. #globalblogging xoxo

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  21. Thanks for sharing your experience. I live in the state of Nevada in the United States. Recreational marijuana is legal here. We have shops called dispensaries, and the only items they sell have marijuana in them. You can buy marijuana and smoke it or edibles. I utilize the edibles for fibromyalgia pain. It’s a huge help. I usually utilize at night when I’m going to sleep because I’m not really interested in feeling high. (I outgrew that after high school.) In the states that have legalized it, they have found people are less likely to depend on opiates for pain relief.

    Marijuana is still illegal at the federal level, which can make for an uneasy relationship with the states that have legalized it. But the federal government had a policy of not interfering under President Obama. The Trump administration is less clear on their approach, but seems to be following a policy of not interfering.

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  22. Interesting post! I think I'd rather go with coffee instead!

    Thank you for sharing these pictures and for joining us this week.

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  23. Give me a coffee shop with proper coffee in any day! I'll pass on the weed! Thanks for joining with #ThatFridayLinky

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  24. I love coffee but I will skip the weed #globalblogging

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  25. That was a totally interesting read! Thanks so much for adding it to our Sunday's Best Linkup! I think marijuana should be legalized everywhere so it's interesting to see how other areas of the world are handling the market as well.

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  26. I have several friends who would love the Netherlands. I love your travel posts. Thanks for sharing on Sunday's Best.

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