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Marahuette and Nederweit - The Genesis of Dutch Cannabis

Posted by (London) on

I'm not sure how much of an attraction cannabis culture in The Netherlands is to many folks on here. Pretty sure there's some who this may be of some interest to.

I saw this video the other day and thought I'd share. I had some knowledge of the early days of coffee shops (Mellow Yellow and The Bulldog etc.) but this video covers the events that preceded those places and that formed the Dutch policy we see around cannabis today. It amused me to see that what were essentially situationist pranks brought about the current state of affairs around tolerance and decriminalisation.

The same chap on Youtube has made many videos on Dutch counterculture. I stayed at and visited squats in Amsterdam (De Pijp), Leiden (near Pieterskerk) and Den Haag (still there as a private residence today) in the 90's so I had some familiarity with the Provo movement of the 60's. There were still a few old heads around when I first went out to Amsterdam that talked about it. This guy's series covers it in depth and I find it quite fascinating.

Some strong language in the video clips.
https://youtu.be/GWXaADn8F7c?si=1DQjpikxZ2R4EGC7
https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL91rgWs_8qvEVzzywkvcjDjBnDZvOsY9r&si=36v88oNV0t3HUCrz

Posted by
8322 posts

We did a week in Amsterdam last August and loved it, except for walking down the street and frequently smelling the awful dope smoke.

Posted by
1306 posts

It was the dope smoke that drew me to The Netherlands in the early 90's and I subsequently was able to discover what a superb country it is in all manner of other ways.

I tend to agree that in central Amsterdam, it may seem a bit out of hand at times. There's fewer coffeeshops than there were at its peak, because of zoning laws and licencing, but more visitors than ever. It's a huge commercial enterprise these days, as can be seen by the big players from Spain (The Plug and Terps Army) moving in quite aggressively and picking up licences in recent years.

I think, as advice for visitors, you need to have some tolerance of weed smoke smells in Amsterdam, even if you're not partaking. Try not to let it upset you too much. It is what it is. It's going to be far less prevalent in other Dutch towns and cities.

If you are a smoker, some of the smaller cities can be more satisfying if you're not chasing the latest high THC strains. You're more likely to meet locals in Leiden or Delft and have a more chilled time overall.

Posted by
1306 posts

Yeah no worries. It's maybe a bit left-field for this forum but I'm sure there's a few gen x and boomer hippies lurking in the shadows :-)

It's interesting to compare what was happening in Amsterdam in '66 or '67 with Haight Ashbury or Paris '68. All different things going on that did shape the world, even if it's in a smaller way than many might have hoped for at the time.

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