Best Coffeeshops in Amsterdam: small and local

When in Amsterdam....best coffeeshop questions have always been asked. Mindful that most Amsterdammer do not smoke weed. We sent out a resident specialist guide from the Amsterdam Coffeeshop Industry Tour to check out the best of Amsterdam's famous cannabis coffeeshops. Please note that the Tour is not a smoking tour but a tour on the development of the industry in Amsterdam.

The criteria was simple find Amsterdam Coffee Shops that :

1. Are known for their quality.
2. Are small and local. Not the well marketed high profile sites.
3. Finally, are known for consistent and high quality.

Utopia Coffeeshop

Located in the old historic centre this unassuming place is easy to miss. Smoking locals and regular toking visitors to Amsterdam have always had high regard for this cannabis and hash Coffeeshop. Always known for their friendly staff and relaxed atmosphere the shop is only open from 6pm due to new 2014 restrictions. Address: Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal 132.

Voyagers

Located at the top of town in front of the Eastern end of Central station. This Coffeeshop is multiple award winner of the prestigious 420 Best Coffeeshop Award. Their product is blue ribbon material. Opening hours are not set. They open and close when they wish. True professional stoners. Address: Geldersekade 2.


Worthy mentions outside City Centre


1e Hulp

Located in the inner west. 1e Hulp, translated to 1st Aid, has been a locals' favourite for many years
Also, a recipient of bronze and silver 420 medals this is a typical local hangout. The 1940s interior and relaxing environment and quality product has meant 1e Hulp makes our list. Address: Marnixstraat 194.


Club Media
Located just off the famous Albert Cyup Market in the now trendy De Pijp neighbourhood.  Club Media is a clean and local the place has a menu full of organic weed. Famous for affordability and organic produce. Address: Gerard Doustraat 83 85.

If you wish to make your own decision feel free to analyse on a community board called The Amsterdam Coffeeshop Directory.

When in Amsterdam...enjoy!

Amsterdam's Cannabis Cup: 25th edition

When in Amsterdam....you can access and use small amounts of soft drugs, cannabis and hashish in licensed businesses.  Once a year the industry holds a week long event to share ideas and network. People from all over the world travel to Amsterdam for the event, which culminates in the Cannabis Cup awards on Thanksgiving Day. This year the event was held surprisingly close to Amsterdam's centre at Roest.

Participants of the Amsterdam Cannabis Cup vote on categories such as best seeds, hash, and cannabis products. This year the main Coffeeshop prizes were all taken by the GreenHouse, with GreenPlace and Grey Area filling the minor rankings.

Many coffeeshops were absent from the event this year. (Note: Coffeeshop is a term in Amsterdam for a licensed business where you can buy small amounts of soft drugs). At the exhibition hall no Coffeeshops had stalls. This was a major departure from previous years.

In 2011, police raided the event that was held just outside Amsterdam to check stall holders and participants were adhering to strict amounts allowed to be carried; 5 grams per person and 500 grams per stall. This was the first time in 25 years the event had been raided by the police.

No major incidents were reported this year and the event ran smoothly. The biggest problem When in Amsterdam saw was security having to remind event participants that they could not smoke in the wonderfully industrial Roest bar and restaurant.

Many are critical of the The Cannabis Cup which is now in its 25th year. From an industry perspective some believe the judging model is influenced by the large Coffeeshops who invest in the event. All participants are judges and determining which is the best product can be hard due to the influence these soft drugs have on your body and mind.

People not involved in the Cannabis Cup believe it is just a marketing exercise by the small number of financially interested parties involved. This argument surrounds all award competitions even the Oscars.

When in Amsterdam's favorite booth was the hemp clothing. A plant the world has not used widely since the creation of synthetic fibers in the early 20th century. On a cold Fall Amsterdam day they were a well made natural product.

Despite the criticisms Amsterdam is the real star of the event. Amsterdam, its people and authorities, have allowed a space that is safe and free for industry people of soft drugs to discuss their passion and business in the open. Few other cities in the world demonstrate such maturity and tolerance as Amsterdam.

When in Amsterdam....enjoy!

No Dutch Weed Pass for Amsterdam Cannabis Coffee Shops

When in Amsterdam....there will be no weed pass to enter Amsterdam Cannabis Coffeeshops. Politicians announce that the controversial weed pass will not be implemented in Amsterdam or other major Dutch cities.

Amsterdam Cannabis Coffeeshop. Photo OMy Amsterdam Tours

The weed pass was a new measure by the old coalition government that collapsed earlier this year in April. From May 2012 a pilot phase of the weed pass was introduced into towns in some land border provinces of the Netherlands.

The weed pass meant that you had to register to be a member of a Cannabis Coffeeshop to enter. To be a member you had to be a Dutch resident.

The result was that:

• Dutch people did not want to sign up for a Cannabis Coffeeshop membership.
• Cannabis Coffeeshops closed out of protest.
• Street dealing increased in weed pass areas. 
• Many street dealers were underage children.
• Dutch police had place resources on an issue that they had not dealt with on such a scale in decades.
• The Dutch justice systems had to address and allocate time to issues that had not been before the courts in some time.
• Public safety decreased because of street dealing.
• Local jobs were lost to the closure of the Cannabis Coffeeshops.
• Government lost revenue because cannabis coffeeshops were closed.
• The Netherlands government was accused of discrimination by interests groups.
• The Netherlands was laughed at by members and organisations of the international community.
• The policy did not address the issue organised crime's involvement in the market.

Dutch joints

The new measures to be introduced in a phase-in-period mean:

• You will need a Dutch passport or Dutch ID to enter coffeeshops

There are no details yet on when the new policy will be begin in Amsterdam.

There are still no infringement for a non-Dutch resident to carry less than 5 grams of Cannabis or hash.

When in Amsterdam....enjoy!

Can I Smoke Cannabis in Amsterdam? Update Oct. 2011

Dutch Cannabis Coffeeshops have been in the news recently. Headlines like ‘No Tourists in Netherland’s Coffeeshops’ and ‘Dutch to ban foreigners from Cannabis Coffeeshops’ have dotted the news for the last year.

When In Amsterdam has received many questions from prospective visitors asking if they will be able go to Amsterdam’s famous Cannabis Coffeeshops when visiting the city in the forthcoming months. The simple answer is, Yes.

For a November 2012 update click here.

Why all the attention?

Feb. 2010: National Government critics Amsterdam for not enforcing the 2008 agreement of Local Councils of a 250 meter exclusion zone of Cannabis Coffeeshops near schools.

May 2011: National Government announces plans to introduce a ‘Weed Pass’ that would limit entrance to Cannabis Coffeeshops to residents of the Netherlands.

Oct. 2011: National Government says it will move to ban strong strains of Cannabis.

The political attention of Cannabis Coffeeshops has been led by the Christian Democrats (CDA).  The CDA is conservative political party that has been in power, as part of a coalition, at national level since 2001.

Today, the CDA has a strict policy on drugs. Since 2008 the CDA policy stance on drugs is that ‘the Dutch policy of tolerance towards drugs should be abolished and that all Coffeeshops should be closed’. It should be noted that it was the CDA that created the policy of drug tolerance in the early 1970s that eventually allowed Coffeeshops to become licensed businesses.

Simply put nothing has changed in Amsterdam over the last few years. Cannabis Coffeeshops that have closed have so because they have broken the strict rules of their license. 

If you are visiting Amsterdam you are free to visit a Coffeeshop as long as you have ID that stipulates you are over 18 years of age.

Enjoy the liberties Amsterdam has to offer but please don’t take it too far. Amsterdam cannabis is strong and many a visitor has over estimated its potency and this has detracted from their visit.

When in Amsterdam…enjoy!

Fun facts:

• Dutch cultivated opium in their colonies for centuries ending in 1915. Opium production accounted for 10% of income from Dutch colonies. Most income came from selling slaves.
• In 1900 Dutch open Cocaine producing factory. 14 000 kg of cocaine produced per year until WWI. During WWI 30 000 kg were produced per year. The Netherlands was the leading world producer of cocaine in the 1920s and 1930s.

What is a Coffeeshop?

A licensed business that sells small amounts of soft drugs: cannabis and hashish. They are called Coffeeshops because they do not possess an alcohol serving license and they do serve coffee.