AMSTERDAM  

AMSTERDAMIANS HARDLY LOOK UPON THEMSELVES AS PROGRESSIEVE  OR EVEN LIBERATED. BUT THE FACT REMAINS THAT FROM THE OUTSIDE AMSTERDAM IS BEING LOOKED UPON AS “A FREE CITY”; A PLACE WHERE YOU CAN DO THINGS ONE WOULD’NT DARE TO DO ELSEWHERE. SMOKING MARIHUANA IS ONE OF THEM. PEOPLE FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD VISIT THE CITY TO SMOKE MARIHUANA AND EXPERIENCE THE COULORFULL ATMOSPHERE THE MELTINGPOT HAS. 

IT MUST BE SAID THAT IT IS NOT TRUE THAT MARIHUANA IS LEGALIZED IN HOLLAND. THE LAW SAYS THAT YOU CAN GET FINED IF YOU CARRY 1 TO 30 GRAMS OF HASH OR WEED WITH YOU, AND THAT YOU CAN BE PROSECUTED IF YOU POSSES MORE. IN PRACTICE YOU CAN ROLE AND SMOKE JOINTS OPENLY WITHOUT SUPRISING ANYBODY, BUT YOURSELF, ABOUT IT. 

WHERE DOES THE OPENESS STAMM FROM AND HOW DID SUCH POLITICAL TOLARANCE EVOLVE ? 

WHEN IN 1928 MARIHUANA WAS ADDED TO THE SO CALLED “OPIUM LAW” NOBODY IN HOLLAND APPEARANTLY EVER SMOKED IT. BY THAT TIME THE FIRST ASSUMPTIONS THAT THE DRUG WOULD BE A MENACE TO SOCIETY WERE ALREADY HEARD IN THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THERE THE MEXICANS AND NEGROES, WHO INTRODUCED SMOKING TO THE SOUTH, FOUND THEMSELVES CRIMINALIZED FOR DOING SO. FOR NO SENSIBLE REASON AT ALL SMOKING MARIHUANA HAD BEEN LINKED WITH ROBBERY AND KILLINGS IN THE PUBLIC OPINION.

BECAUSE NOBODY IN HOLLAND WAS FAMILIAR WITH THE DRUG, THERE WAS NO GROUND TO DISCUSS THE DISICION THAT HAD TO BE MADE WHEN THE AMERICANS MADE THEIR PROPOSAL. THE DUTCH JUST BLUNTLY ASSUMED THAT MARIHUANA WAS A DANGEROUS DRUG AND ADDED IT AS A FORBIDDEN SUBSTANCE TO THEIR DRUG PROHIBITION LAWS. SOME PEOPLE WHO  PROPAGATE TOTAL LEGALISATION OF MARIHUANA TODAY, CLAIM THAT AROUND 1928 THE AMERICAN GOVRNEMENT MORE OR LESS FORCED ATHOR COUNTRY’S TO CRIMINALIZE THE DRUG.

AMERICAN SOLDIERS WHO HAD TO LEAVE EUROPE, AFTER LIBERATING IT FROM FASCISM, SOMETIMES CARRIED MARIHUANA WITH THEM. BUT IT WERE ‘NT THE SOLDIERS WHO REALLY INTRODUCED IT TO HOLLAND. IT WERE THE JAZZ MUSICIANS WHO REGULARY PLAYED IN AMSTERDAM AFTER THE WAR THAT GOT ARTSCHOOLSTUDENTS AND MUSICLOVERS INTERRESTED IN MARIHUANA: “TO PLAY IMPROVISED MUSIC YOU NEED TO FREELY ASSOSIATE AND SMOKING POT ALSO SMOOTHENS LISTENING TO JAZZ”.

IN THOSE DAYS THE DISTRIBUTION OF THE DRUG WAS EXTREMELY LIMITED. WHEN SOMEBODY GOT A HOLD OF IT, IT WERE SMALL QUANTITIES AVAILABLE TO SMALL EXCLUSIEVE GROUPS, AND WHEN SMOKED THE SUPPLY STOPPED FOR WEEKS OR EVEN MONTHS. IT WAS THUS THAT PEOPLE FOUND OUT THAT MARIHUANA WAS ‘NT AS ADDICTIVE AS THE AMERICAN MAGAZINES SUGGESTED.
FOR THE DUTCH POLICE IDENTIFING MARIHUANA WAS HARD BECAUSE THE OFFICERS DID NOT EVEN KNOW HOW IT LOOKED LIKE. THEY KNEW THEY HAD TO SERVE THE LAW AND THEREFOR ARREST PEOPLE CARRYING IT WITH THEM, BUT IT’S CHARACTERISTICS WHERE A COMPLETE MISTERY TO THEM. OVERALL THE ACTIONS UNDERTAKEN BY THE POLICE WERE RATHER CHAOTIC. ONE OF THE FIRST TWO DOGS THAT HAD TO SEARCH FOR THE PRODUCT BEGAN TO LIKE HASH SO WELL THAT IT ENDED UP COMPLETELY STONED AFTER EVERY SEARCH.

THE AMSTERDAM “PROVO-MOVEMENT” WAS EXTREMELY 
ANTI-ESTHABLISHMENT AND CONSISTED OF NUMEROUS YOUNG WRITERS, POETS AND ARTISTS. IN A WAY THE RIOTING OF THE “PROVO-MOVEMENT” COULD BE SEEN AS THE EQUIVALENT OF THE SOCIAL UNREST CAUSED BY PARISIAN STUDENTS DEMANDING MORE DEMOCRATIC STRUCTURES WITHIN THEIR UNIVERSITY’S IN 1968. THE AMSTERDAM MOVEMENT HOWEVER DIFFERED VERY MUCH FROM THE PARISIAN. ONE OF THE MAIN AIMS OF THE “PROVO’S” WAS TO PROVOCATE THE ESTABLISHMENT WITH PLAYFULLNESS AND LUDIC ACTIONS.

MARIHUANA WAS VERY WELL KNOWN AMONGST THE “PROVO’S” AND THE FACT THAT THE AMSTERDAM POLICE DID NOT KNOW THE CHARACTERISTICS OF THE DRUG WAS A GOOD OPPORTUNITY TO FOOL THEM AROUND. FOR THE ONLY CLUE THE POLICE HAD WAS THAT THE DRUG WAS WRAPPED IN ALU-FOIL, THE “PROVO’S” STARTED TO CARRY AROUND CATFOOD, HORSE SHIT, AND ALL SORTS OF THINGS WRAPPED IN ALU-FOIL. EVERY TIME PEOPLE GOT ARRESTED DURING RIOTING OR PLAYFULL ACTIONS, THE STUFF WAS SEND OVER TO THE POLICE LABORATORIES AN IDENTIFIED AS COMPLETLY LEGAL TO POSSES. 

THIS HAPPENED SO FREQUENTLY THAT IT SUPPLIED THE PRESS WITH JUICY STORIES ABOUT THE POLICE’S IGNORANCE TIME AND TIME AGAIN. IT CAME TO A POINT WHERE THE POLICE BECAME MORE CAUTIOUS BEFORE UNDERTAKING ANYTHING. IT WAS THEN THAT THE “AFRICAN DRUGSTORE” WAS OPENED.

THE PEOPLE WHO RAN THE “AFRICAN DRUGSTORE” DISPLAYED ALL SORTS OF GARBAGE IN ALU-FOIL ON THE COUNTER TO DISTRACT THE ATTENTION FROM WHAT REALLY WAS SOLD: MARIHUANA. THE POLICE DID’NT DARE TO SEARCH THE PLACE AFRAID AS THEY WERE THE GET FOOLED BY THE PROVO’S AND SUBSEQUENTLY THE DUTCH PRESS AGAIN. IN THAT WAY “THE AFRICAN DRUGSTORE” BECAME THE FIRST “COFFEESHOP” WERE MARIHUANA WAS SOLD.

WHEN THE MAFFIA SAW A NEW MARKET GROWING, HASH WAS INTRODUCED IN HOLLAND. BACK THEN IT WAS VERY EASY FOR TRAVELLERS TO CARRY HASH FROM LIBANON OR MAROC THROUGH THE CUSTOMS. SOME POEPLE DID NOT FAVOUR HASH THAT MUCH. THEY FELT IT MADE YOU SLOW AND TIRED WHERE AS WEED ENERGIED AND GENTLY SPEEDED YOU UP. TWO OF THOSE PEOPLE WERE KEES HOEKERT AND THE ARTIST ROBERT JASPER GROOTVELD. THEY ERRECTED THE “LOW LANDS WEED COMPANY”. THE WHOLE ENTERPRISE WAS MENT TO SHOW THAT HEMP, STRONG AS THE WEED IS, COULD GROW ANYWHERE AND THAT IN A FEW YEARS AMSTERDAM WOULD BE “A SEE OF GREEN”. IF ONE REFLECTS ON THE AMSTERDAMIAN SITUATION OF TODAY, IT IS OBVIOUS THAT THEIR GOAL HAS BEEN ACHIEVED WITH GREAT SUCCES.  
IN LATE SIXTIES A NEW SLOGAN WAS FREQUENTLY USED: “A HAPPY SMOKER, LEFT IN PEACE, WILL NOT FIGHT THE CITY POLICE”. THE AUTHORITIES MORE OR LESS GOT TO UNDERSTAND THE MESSAGE AND ON THE POLITICAL LEVEL ADVICE-ORGANS (?) WERE INSTALLED TO INFORM THE GORVNEMENT ABOUT WHAT COULD BE DONE BEST. ALTHOUGH THE PROPOSALS TO DECRIMINALIZE MARIHUANA WERE FAR MORE PROGRESSIEVE THEN THE DUTCH LAW REFLECTS NOWADAYS, THE “30 GRAMS LIMIT” WAS INSTALLED. 

THE LAW SAYS THAT IF YOU POSSES 30 GRAMS OR MORE THAT YOU MIGHT BE PROSECUTED. WHEN YOU CARRY LESS YOU CAN BE FINED. THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE CAPITAL HOWEVER IS SUCH THAT YOU CAN EASILY ROLL AND SMOKE A JOINT WITHOUT ANYBODY HARRAZING YOU. IT IS EVEN MORE LIKELEY THAT THE AMSTERDAMIANS WILL PEACFULLY ENJOY THE SIGHT OF FOREIGNERS RELAXING IN THEIR BEAUTIFULL CITY.....