There isn’t really a Dutch connection, other than that the Netherlands is a major source of a number of popular recreational drugs (e.g. MDMA). However, there is Amsterdam, where a substantial number of international tourists go to enjoy the coffeeshops and the more tolerant and civilised attitude to drugs generally. This book would therefore not be complete without a brief overview of this scene, from the perspective of the foreign visitor.
As a customer, there are three main sources of interest: coffeeshops (for cannabis), seed banks (for seeds) and smart shops (for legal chemicals, botanicals and paraphernalia). Whilst these are dotted across the centre of Amsterdam, they are not all equal in terms of quality or value, and research is suggested prior to any visit.
To create some sort of picture of the situation on the ground, during 2017 I visited a small number of the most reputable of these outlets, and presented a series of questions to a member of staff in each. The responses are produced below.
KOKOPELLI (WARMOESSTRAAT 12) - SMART SHOP
What are the most common foreign nationalities that come in here? 1. UK 2. Italian 3. Russian
What are the most popular items that people ask for, that you don’t or can’t sell? 1. MDMA 2. Mushrooms 3. LSD
Other than truffles, what is your biggest selling psychoactive? Kratom
What is your own personal favourite? Kratom
What is your favourite cannabis strain? Moroccan Hash
THE HEADSHOP (KLOVENIERSBURGWAL 39) - SMART SHOP
What are the most common foreign nationalities that come in here? 1. Italian 2. French/UK 3. German
What are the most popular items that people ask for, that you don’t or can’t sell? 1. 4-FMP 2. Cocaine 3. Ecstasy/Shrooms
Other than truffles, what is your biggest selling psychoactive? Kratom
What is your own personal favourite? Kratom
What is your favourite cannabis strain? Banana Kush CBD (to help back pain)
NUMBER ONE (OUDE HOOGSTRAAT 4) - SMART SHOP
What are the most common foreign nationalities that come in here? 1. UK 2. Italian 3. French
What are the most popular items that people ask for, that you don’t or can’t sell? 1. Ecstasy 2. Weed 3. Shrooms
Other than truffles, what is your biggest selling psychoactive? Kratom
What is your own personal favourite? Kratom
What is your favourite cannabis strain? Super Lemon Haze
GREEN HOUSE (HAARLEMMERSTRAAT 64) - COFFEESHOP
What are the most common foreign nationalities that come in here? 1. Italian 2. French 3. UK, [But there are periodic large influxes of different nationalities at different times of the year]
What is your biggest selling strain? Super Lemon Haze
What is your own personal favourite? Kush
THE ROOKIES (KORTE LEIDSEDWARSSTRAAT 145-147) - COFFEESHOP
What are the most common foreign nationalities that come in here? 1. UK 2. French 3. Italian
What is your biggest selling strain? Champagne Haze (Sativa)
What is your own personal favourite? Super Maroc
DAMPKRING (HANDBOOGSTRAAT 29) - COFFEESHOP
What are the most common foreign nationalities that come in here? 1. Italian 2. French 3. UK
What is your biggest selling strain? Various Sativa
What is your own personal favourite? Ceres Hilton(Sativa)Head Stash (Indica)
420 (OUDEBRUGSTEEG 27) - COFFEESHOP
What are the most common foreign nationalities that come in here? 1. UK 2. French 3. Italian
What is your biggest selling strain? Blueberry
What is your own personal favourite? New York Diesel
ROYAL QUEEN SEEDS (DAMSTRAAT 46) - SEED BANK
What are the most common foreign nationalities that come in here? 1. Italian 2. French/German 3. UK
What are the most popular items that people ask for, that you don’t actually sell? Weed
What is your biggest selling strain? Amnesia Haze
What is your own personal favourite? Morning: Amnesia Haze. Afternoon: Kush
It is important to note that, when in Amsterdam, your normal safety regime should not be suspended. However, some aspects of this are far easier to implement than elsewhere. An example of this is with respect to testing.
Several facilities exist which, for a nominal fee, will test your drug anonymously. The details of these are as follows:
Jellinek, Jacob Obrechtstraat 92, 1071 KG Amsterdam +3120-5901590 www.jellinek.nl
On my visit to the GGD’s premises I was fortunate enough to bump into someone connected with the service, and was able to gather some background information. I discovered that the main target for the service was unsurprisingly Dutch nationals. Tourists are accepted, but bear in mind that for other than basic reagent checks and database research, full laboratory tests sometimes take more than a week.
Their busiest time of year is usually festival season (the backend of summer), and at the time of my visit (August 2017) the most common drugs submitted for testing were ecstasy/MDMA, cocaine, ketamine and 2CB, in that order. There is a limit of 3 samples per person.
One piece of general advice I would offer from personal experience is not to overdo it. It is extremely easy to smoke too much of a strong strain, or to over indulge with truffles.
If you plan a heavy trip, engage it with a safety net, perhaps in close proximity to your hotel, or in a place where you can safely relax, away from crowds. Always have a sitter.
When you are purchasing your truffles, or other material, discuss your wishes with the vendor, who will be able to advise you, including with respect to dose. If you are purchasing mushrooms (not from a smart shop, as they are illegal) bear in mind the difference in weight between wet and dry.
Finally, I have always found Amsterdam to be an extremely friendly city, as illustrated by the interviews I referred to earlier. If you wish to know more, don’t hesitate to ask local aficionados.
For cannabis enthusiasts the Hash, Marijuana & Hemp Museum, on the fringe of the red light area, is a decent choice.
The entrance fee isn’t cheap, but following perusal of a substantial number of documents, images, paraphernalia and historical exhibits, the visit ends with a punch. Whilst I cannot be certain that this is always provided, on the day I toured, visitors were offered a free hit via a fancy vaporiser and balloon bag.
Predictably, this gave a very smooth toke, and the cannabis itself provided a nice slow-burning high.
Further down the same canal (Oudezijds Achterburgwal) is Cannabis College, which offers advice on the safe use of recreational and medicinal cannabis, as well as a free tour of its small Cannabis garden (see below).
If you intend to trip on truffles or another psychedelic, Amsterdam is blessed with an abundance of world class art galleries and museums, to suit every taste. The term museum dose was not coined without good reason.
Alternatively, for both psychedelics and cannabis, there are many open spaces in which to relax, not least Vondelpark. Rembrandtplein is one of my personal favourites for people watching whilst stoned, but there are so many others.
I hesitate to cover alcohol given the available legal alternatives, but there are breweries (try the one in a windmill: Brouwerij ‘t IJ ), an Icebar, and pubs and bars galore (try the delightful In de Olofspoort, steeped in history and at time of writing offering an astonishing array of spirits and gins). Tobacco enthusiasts can head for P.G.C. Hajenius on Rokin, with its vast selection of cigars and an integral smoking room.
For me, Amsterdam is a wonderful destination for both relaxation and exploration, with a surprise around almost every corner. The general vibe is one of charm and chill, making it absolutely ideal for the discerning and adventurous tourist.
At the risk of them coming across as holiday snaps. I will end this section with some random images taken during my last few visits:
Don’t smoke weed or drink alcohol in a kid’s playground
Sometimes in our drug-paranoid culture, events transpire and can take a bizarre twist. An example occurred when I found myself at Schiphol Airport, Amsterdam, with a couple of joints in my pocket.
My schedule was to fly to Asia to research for four days, before returning to Schipol, where I would be stuck for 6 hours prior to flying out again.
I was therefore confronted with the question of what to do with the joints, given that taking them with me was out of the question.
My bright idea was to bury them in a plant pot outside the airport terminal building, so that I could collect them on return, and smoke them during my tedious layover, passing the time more enjoyably. I found this little beauty just outside a door, and thrust the water protected goodies under the soil, on the right hand side.
I then happily flew off to complete my mission.
On return, I was greeted with an appalling sight.
Yes, horror of horrors, in just four days, the airport had uprooted everything, including my joints, and replaced them with bland green vegetation.
