DaveS wrote:I think what it all boils down to is to just use a bit of common sense - something which seems to get lost in all the recent backbiting on here...
What does the law say? Well, and correct me if I'm wrong, weed is still not
legal in Amsterdam, and therefore if you are smoking it in a place which has
not been designated for smoking, then you can expect to feel a little bit of heat for it. It is only down to the tolerant attitude of the Dutch laws that you can smoke in the coffeshops after all...
Now over the years I have seen the reactions change somewhat as to what constitutes a "smoking area". I can remember quite vividly sitting outside Barneys only a couple of years ago, waiting for my breakfast with a couple of other people, skinning up and then discretely lighting up (and by discretely, I mean keeping the spliff pretty much palmed in my hand whilst keeping an eye out for passers-by who might not want to share my secondhand smoke, ie families, old folks etc.). The waitress came screeching out and told us off, saying that we could only smoke inside the coffeeshop... we could get arrested... if we didn't stop, then
she would report us herself... And so on..
Ok, fair enough - we were told, and didn't do it again. But now, there seems to be a lot more latitude as to what denotes the "smoking area", especially now the tobacco ban has effectively made it impossible to smoke a mixed joint inside many coffeeshops, forcing the customers to smoke
outside the coffeeshop - whether it be in a small patio style area, or just stood outside the door...
Even sitting outside the Green Place on my last two trips, happily smoking their product in the sun, I was patently aware of the fact that large groups of tourists and families of both young and old folks were passing directly outside, so I kept the spliff burning only when I felt that noone else in what I considered to be the
"vulnerable" age-groups were in close proximity... Same thing outside Basjoe, and the same thing outside Amnesia.
Now I don't honestly what the law tells us about this situation, so I don't try and provoke a potential confrontation. Simple. If there's a chance that I'll end up on the wrong side of the police, then I keep it nice and discrete.
Early morning has found me heading back to Centraal with one or two spliffs left to finish off, and so I'll maybe spend a few minutes on one of the quieter bridges over a semi-deserted gracht, enjoying those last couple of hours... If someone comes past, simply palm the doob and relight it when they've passed by. Many of the Dutch smoke on their way to work, but they don't make a big deal of it, so why should we? The same thing applies at Schiphol - so long as you're not making a big thing of it, you should be ok to stand outside, well away from most of the travellers and enjoy that last taste of freedom - it's just not good sense, imho, to behave like a loutish tourist, blowing smoke at people who clearly don't want it. If you behave like an idiot, then you deserve to get treated like one.
It's just finding that happy balance, where you feel you can still enjoy your smoke, but not offend anyone at the same time. It's not about being a pussy, more about showing a little respect and common courtesy for the people who live there. They could turn around one day and say, "That's it... Enough's enough - ban the weed and close down the coffeeshops..." Let's not give them the ammunition they need, eh?
Yes, there will always be the braindead minority who just cannot see this, and will make it harder and harder for the ever-so-tolerant dutch people to continue to allow us
drug-tourists to come and use their beautiful city, but surely we can help to keep this precarious situation a viable one, by using a touch of decorum whilst we are guests there?
Use your heads people... Have fun and enjoy what Amsterdam has to offer, but don't start ruining what we have, eh? I'd like to be able to continue going there for many years to come...
