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E-book Grey Area : Regulating Amsterdam’s Coffeeshops

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Penilaian

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y first trip to Amsterdam was for a couple of days in the autumn of 2003. A second-year student at the University of Georgia, I was studying abroad at Oxford, just a few hours by air from Amsterdam. Years before, I had learned how to smoke marijuana and enjoy its effects, probably too much so.1 For stoners like my former self, visiting Amsterdam’s coffeeshops is a recreational pilgrimage.2 There a smoker can purchase cannabis and get high without fear of legal trouble, despite it being an illegal activity.3 This was a welcome change from the accustomed stress of acquiring weed in the United States.4I arrived at Amsterdam’s Schiphol Airport in the early afternoon and boarded a train to Central Station. I exited its main doors, walked across Prins Hendrikkade and set off down Damrak. This wide avenue is lined with stone buildings about six storeys in height. These are occupied by establishments normal to a city centre: hotels, souvenir shops, restau-rants, sex museum. Nearing the end of this avenue, a young woman of about my age asked for spare change to buy food. I offered to get her a McDonald’s, which I saw a few doors down, but she turned her back and walked away. I guessed that what she really wanted was money to buy drugs, but who was I to judge?Damrak ends at Dam Square, about a couple football pitches in size. Straight ahead is Madame Tussauds and another avenue, Rokin, which leads toward the Flower Market. Further down is the Rijksmuseum, Van Gogh Museum and Heineken Factory. To the right are two impressive buildings, New Church and Royal Palace. Going in that direction eventu-ally takes you to Anne Frank’s House. Heading in the other direction, as I did, brings you past a massive shopping mall on the left, De Bijenkorf. In the square’s centre is the National Monument, a 72-foot high pillar. People gather on its steps to people-watch, sometimes while smoking a joint.5 The spot has changed quite a bit since the city executed criminals here, a few centuries ago. Following the map to my hostel, The Bulldog, I ventured past the National Monument to Damstraat. This short street is a gateway into the city’s red light district, the birthplace of coffeeshops.7 These little estab-lishments are a big deal, having sown the seeds for drug policy reform in Portugal, Australia, the United States, Uruguay, Canada and beyond.8About half way down Damstraat, I noticed Coffeeshop Paradise on my right. Above the door was a green and red neon sign, its name surrounded by palm trees.9 I went inside and took in the atmosphere: a Rasta motif of Pan-African colours and Bob Marley posters on the wall, with his music playing over the speakers.I noticed a sales counter in the back left corner. Unsure how ‘this’ worked, I walked up, admitted my ignorance to the dealer and humbly requested assistance. He showed me two menus, one for cannabis, the other for drinks and food. The cannabis menu had several types of mari-juana and hashish, ranging in price from about €10 to €20 per gram. He offered to let me inspect the options by taking a close look and a whiff. I made a selection, purchased provisions (rolling papers, lighter, green tea) and took a seat at a small round table by the window.

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Ketersediaan

Informasi Detail

Judul Seri

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No. Panggil

301 JAC g

Penerbit

London : UCL Press., 2019

Deskripsi Fisik

186 hlm

Bahasa

English

ISBN/ISSN

9781787355880

Klasifikasi

301

Tipe Isi

text

Tipe Media

computer

Tipe Pembawa

online resource

Edisi

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Subjek

Sociology and Anthropology, Society

Info Detail Spesifik

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Pernyataan Tanggungjawab

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Versi lain/terkait

Lampiran Berkas

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