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Dutch say no to tobacco, yes to cannabis
The Netherlands has long been known as one of the most tolerant countries in the world. But as of July 1, that famous live-and-let-live attitude will no longer extend to tobacco. That's the day a ban on smoking in public places of employment takes effect in the Netherlands. Well, not all smoking.
Yes, while smoking tobacco in public is soon to be verboten, smoking a joint (that's a "marijuana cigarette" for you squares) will remain legal in the Netherlands. But, as this article notes, Dutch potheads don't feel too lucky that their drug of choice is still legal. That's because many of them cut their joints with tobacco.
The Dutch government is not prohibiting marijuana smokers from rolling "pure" joints, and it's likely that many smokers who had previously mixed marijuana and tobacco will switch to smoking "pure." Interestingly, there's not yet a way for government inspectors to determine whether a joint is "pure" or cut with tobacco (other than testing it themselves, I suppose.)
Smoking tobacco will still be permitted inside the famous Dutch coffee shops, but only in separate rooms without employees, which many shop owners say they can't afford to provide.
More here.
Filed under: Arts and Culture, Netherlands, Nightlife
Reader Comments (Page 4 of 4)
christinedahll Jun 28th 2008 3:24AM
You gotta love the Dutch. But truly this is something I've been saying for years. If you would legalize drugs it would take 99% of the criminal problems out of it. If the drugs could be given out in a controled, clean and safe enviornment a lot less criminal problems would go on like we have now. AND the government could find a way to tax it and make some money. Wonder why it hasn't been done?
eddy Jun 28th 2008 4:02AM
What a bunch of whinnig assholes.Yes I love cig,s and will continue to light up everywhere I go and frequent the bars that allow smoking.Heres to all you so called "health fanatics? who drop dead from a heart attack at 50 yrs old.Live and let live you wimps.
Nancy Jun 28th 2008 3:29AM
Slartibartfast - are you off your soap box? Go have a cigarette and calm down.
Dopey Jun 28th 2008 3:36AM
Gee...are we high?
Hi Joe Jun 28th 2008 3:51AM
Welcome to Idaho -
"One potato, two potato, three potato - TOKE!"
cjwithey73 Jun 28th 2008 4:23AM
Suzen, the last time i checked, smoking pot was a crime. You stated that many people have smoked pot that have never committed a crime or been to jail! what a moronic statement! Just because you are not caught doesn't mean you are not committing a crime! you are a mere common criminal! If i rob a bank and get away with it, does it mean i didn't commit a crime? Common criminal!
paco Jun 28th 2008 4:37AM
Well I guess I'll be defnitely heading back to Amsterdam. Time 2 party with Harold & Kumar, while the good old USA tries to get their shit together.
Eddie Jun 28th 2008 5:10AM
I smoked pot every day since i was 15, for over 10 years now. I make more money, am better with my money, have a wonderful self made career and am all around better off than almost anyone I know from a financial standpoint while morally refusing to sell hemp to anyone and everyone including my own kin. (Only because of our societies consequences of course.) I've had no health problems, great driving record, own and take care of my home, and in my opinion, have great decision making and critical thinking skills with the prowess to come up with my own opinions.
If I go to a bar, it's just for social reasons because I don't like to drink, (it makes me feel incapable of functioning my body properly). The thing I hate worst about bars today in most of "The States" is, if it's crowded and stuffy inside and you want to go outside to get a breath of fresh air, (I) want to puke from the smell of all the chemicals in the air from cigarettes! I literally have to walk 100 yards away from the place. I'm happy that they banned smoking cigarettes indoors, but I'll be a lot happier when they ban cigarettes period.
I've never in my life seen someone unable to tolerate the smell of pot, but I've seen just about every non smoker unable to tolerate the smell of cigarettes. You men and women who think pot is bad, need to thank your manipulative education and we all need to kick duponts(?) and the other corporations "arses" that launched a major propaganda marketing campaign to ban hemp, because with hemp, we'd never have a depression, or a recession. It can easily be one of thee most plentiful and fastest replenishing resources that can be used to make food, clothes, oil, FUEL, building materials, medicine and god knows what else, AND.. It's capable of growing in almost every climate region. Check your facts!
P.S. If you read this far, I feel it is my duty to provide you with a little bit more education.. 1.) Our doctors went through a brainwashing clinic provided by the drug companies they ended up writing prescriptions for. 2.) Our Public School System is a brainwashing clinic so you can be easier manipulated your whole entire life 3.) Our Television and Radio are brainwashing tools 4.)Most of our military is brainwashed 5.) Most of our Police Officers are brainwashed and manipulated and usually not allowed to use their better judgement 6.) Our Judges and Lawyers are mostly brainwashed the same way 7.)"If you don't know that you were brainwashed, then you're probably brainwashed."
So? Sounds like a lot of brainwashing going on huh? Who's Behind it? The highest levels of: , world leaders, govt, military, pharmaceutical companies, banks, and other major corporations. WAKE UP!!!
If everybody was growing acres of hemp on their yard, we'd be very much in the black, instead of very much in the red, for our national accounting statistics.
If we were in the "black" instead of the red, people would do more of what they wanted, instead of what they "had to" and people would be less desperate for money and their would be less sweet talking lying salesman and crooks worried about making that almighty dollar to feed their families and there would be more people "WILLINGLY" helping and trading with their good neighbors.
Did You Know: you used to be able to be jailed if you refused to grow hemp on your property!
Did You Know: you used to be able to pay your taxes in hemp
The Model T ford was designed to run on the fuel produced from hemp! How would you like to grow your fuel in your back yard and put the oil companies out of business?
Whens the last time you heard of someone committing a major crime, high on marijuana alone?
Have you ever seen someone strung out because they haven't smoked pot (that wasn't also addicted to nicotine of some sort ( i.e. blunts, cigar papers, pot/tobacco mix )) ? How about if they haven't smoked a cigarette? Get my point?
Fact: Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, Ben Franklin and Henry Ford are just a few of the men in history that cultivated "marijuana" aka hemp, aka pot, aka weed for a variety of resourceful reasons.
I won't even mention all the iconic people in our "society" that use pot on a day to day basis that you don't know about unless they get "caught" BECAUSE THEY HAVE TO HIDE IT BECAUSE OF STUPID POLICIES BEING ENFORCED BY MANIPULATED "POLICY" ("POLICE" IN ENGLISH) OFFICERS. But lets just say they are presidents, musicians, actors, entertainers, sports celebrities, prime ministers and more.
Your body has thc receptors for a reason! To get you in touch with "mother earth" and your "spiritual side".
Does your body have tobacco receptors? Alcohol Receptors? Or do you just have sickening effects from it?
Whens the last time you heard of someone sick from Pot? Now, how about cigarettes or alcohol?
If "everybody" believed everything said on tv or in the newspaper or on the news or in any other form of the media was true, wouldn't that make passing a lie off to fool "everybody" a whole heck of a lot easier? Newsflash, thats whats happening to a very large portion of our population and everybody needs to turn off their tv's and leave them off.
Govt doesn't work, literally, they are on a credit system and leave us with the bill! The larger the govt, the larger the BILL!
It was a movie called reefer madness produced in the 30's, that was full of fake propaganda created by the companies out to "squash" hemp to make their oils and papers and clothes more attractive to otherwise uninterested consumers. Guess what, they've been using the media to brainwash you before that and since then they've gotten a lot better at it.
The whole system is a "money-making racket" behind smoke and mirrors.
Get Mad, but not at me, Get mad at the people that lied to you! Maybe you should Try "hemp", the only thing you might be disappointed about is to find out someone lied about how "bad" and "evil" it was and you were that gullible.
Wake up and do the math. There's so much more information out there. Go out, do your own research, (and I recommend "hands on" to be the best).
DrGraham Jun 28th 2008 5:27AM
I've been smoking pot for 42 years. I've smoked cigarettes heavily in the past on more than one qcassion fir many years, and quitting tobacco actually made me feel healty and good. Quitting pot only annoys me at how stupid some people are. Time for a God's Gift joint.
A 60 year old rich fart
Pat Henry Jun 28th 2008 5:57AM
Why don't you non-smokers just mind your own damn business? You've managed to oppress millions of hard-working and honest citizens as it is...you've got your anti-smoking laws, now bung off!! Smokers have rights too...and the stress of NOT smoking is probably worse than the smoking itself. I say let people decide for themselves and MYOB!!!!!
tigeress Jun 28th 2008 11:10AM
ok well now we have to give up cig. Hmm were will the smoke go from the pot.and do you know the nicotene in one joint is eagual to that of a pack of cigs, so the harm from all 3 cigs pot,and booze are all bad. so lets keep booze -pot and dump the cigs. as always no sense. and the 2 leagal. well get off the road. i see some real issues in judgement, perhaps they were all high on pot and booze when they decided this mess.
catmansage Jun 28th 2008 11:20AM
jackie is most likly a druggie cigarette smoker so her opinion does not count
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