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!