Today was mostly a work day. We did get to visit the Van Gogh museum in the evening, but for the most part we put on our journalist hats (I will blog about the museums later on).
So this morning, Suz and I grabbed the camera gear (she as the reporter, me as the photographer) and went to explore the Cannabis Culture of Amsterdam, and I mean "explore" not "smoke". First of all, there is a difference between a cafe and coffee shop. "Cafe" is where you get coffee, "coffeeshop" is where you can get coffee, but you go for weed.
We ended up interviewing and talking to three experts. Juri, the manager of the Hemp and Marijuana Museum, David, the manager of the Cannabis College, and Mario, an employee of the Hunter's coffeeshop.
Here is a brief summary of what we learned (we will be putting together, and will post a couple of stories when we get back)
What we found strange, Dutch law on cannabis is a living contradiction. Many people believe pot is 100 percent legal in the Holland, but that is not the case. Coffeeshops are allowed to have only 500 grams on the premises, and can only sell a max of 5 grams per person. But while marijuana is legal to sell, it is not legal to grow in mass quantities (only 5 outdoor plants per person), so there is a black market where the 260-plus coffee shops in Amsterdam get their supply (it is not uncommon for local police to shut-down growing operations).
According to our interview subjects, they believe California is ahead of the Netherlands when it comes to cannabis. In California, it is quite easy to get a medicinal card from a doctor to freely buy marijuana. In the Netherlands, doctors (according to our interviews) only sign medical marijuana prescriptions for only the most dire patients. In California, growing marijuana (for medicinal purposes) is done in the open, while in the Holland it is still considered a criminal act.
Those who are involved in the Cannabis Culture in the Netherlands are quite interested in Proposition 19. And they are curious if voters in California will legalize the sale and use of marijuana in November. We were quite surprised how they seemed to be envious of California, considering how most people assume Amsterdam is more open about the use cannabis. We found that in Netherlands, marijuana is something that is tolerated.
-Ryan
