Smoking Ban 1st July 2008

[Tall Guy]

Thanks a lot for the info DC, good to see you and Valo back

This is so weird - you will be allowed to smoke an illegal substance, but not allowed to shmoke a legal one. Only in Holland...

I wonder how they can possibly enforce this?

[Lafe]

A letter from the Horeca union stated that after July 1st, pure weed joints, bongs, vaporizors and tobbacco substitutes WILL be allowed. Fingers crossed they know what they're talkin about and finally there's atleast a spark of light at the end of the dark tunnel.

Thanks DC. I will see you Thursday, though next Tueday. We're staying next door :-)

BTW the muffins you set me up with in October were PROPER :-)

[Mark_d]

well the possibility of a trip in june means this shouldnt affect me, not that i mind smokin pure or anythin but some of the people i might be goin with might not be used to that.

[itsmymagicallife]

Wednesday 26 March 2008

The ban on smoking in cafés and restaurants from July 1 will not apply to the smoking of pure marijuana or cannabis, health minister Ab Klink has told MPs.

The ban falls under the tobacco laws and does not apply to tobacco-free products, Klink said.

Replying to questions from the Labour party, the minister confirmed that mixing tobacco with soft drugs in 'coffee shops' (where cannabis products can be bought over the counter) will not be permitted from July 1.

Staff in these coffee shops have the same right as workers in other cafes to a tobacco-free working environment, said Klink.

[Bernum]

I spose it will be particularly bad form to add some baccy to your mix whilst chilling in a coffeeshop? Will i get i booted out just the same as you would if you were racking up in plain view or some such thing? Will people complain of tobacco smell when i do light up and come over and rip my joint up to check?
/concerned

[aaron]

I really dont think its going to go down like this, the dutch smoke tobacco in their joints too, rolling pure joints isnt always practical, Coffeeshops are a grey area anyway...

[ynwa]

Mad i think. People are going end up a lot higher and lot more messed up if they have to smoke pure cannabis joints. I would have thought they would have been against that.

[Boner]

What you've got to remember this isn't a law brought in by the Dutch government but by our firends at the EU, I do see the Dutch government using it as an excuse to close further coffeeshops down though.

[rks0]

I normally roll my joints with tobacco, but am considering switching to a tobacco substitute - what about these?
I know that they are exempt from the ban, but if i pull out a pouch of 'substitute' and start to roll up, I'm sure that I'll get some grief from some Coffeeshop staff.

[itsmymagicallife]

As last reported if coffeeshops were able to close off the area where the employees work from the air where the customers smoke, tobacco/cannabis smoking would still be allowed. If they choose not to provide a separate tobacco smoke free area, only pure cannabis smoking will be allowed after July 1, 2008.

Tobacco substitutes will be fine. Some coffeeshops have for years provided a free tobacco substitute to mix with the cannabis. I have no idea how they expect to tell if a joint has any tobacco.

[Tall Guy]

I think there might be more leeway than you fear:

The Tabakswet (Tobacco law) only applies to products that are made from, or contain tobacco. Cannabis smokers who roll their joints with only cannabis inside won’t fall under the new law.

Klink doesn’t expect that joint smokers will all now change to smoking pure joints though he will put an investigation in place to see if there is a change amongst visitors of coffeeshops after the ban comes into place.

http://tinyurl.com/33cyok

[itsmymagicallife]

I think there might be more leeway than you fear:

The Tabakswet (Tobacco law) only applies to products that are made from, or contain tobacco. Cannabis smokers who roll their joints with only cannabis inside won’t fall under the new law.

Klink doesn’t expect that joint smokers will all now change to smoking pure joints though he will put an investigation in place to see if there is a change amongst visitors of coffeeshops after the ban comes into place.

http://tinyurl.com/33cyok

Or the health minister could be saying that he doubted many (any?) Dutch would switch to pure. They would be more likely to smoke their tobacco/cannabis joints outside or inside a private home.

[Ash333]

I think there might be more leeway than you fear:

The Tabakswet (Tobacco law) only applies to products that are made from, or contain tobacco. Cannabis smokers who roll their joints with only cannabis inside won’t fall under the new law.

Klink doesn’t expect that joint smokers will all now change to smoking pure joints though he will put an investigation in place to see if there is a change amongst visitors of coffeeshops after the ban comes into place.

http://tinyurl.com/33cyok

Or the health minister could be saying that he doubted many (any?) Dutch would switch to pure. They would be more likely to smoke their tobacco/cannabis joints outside or inside a private home.

I think the Dutch government is stuck between a rock and a hard place. Its European neighbouring countries constantly pressurise them to tighten their drugs laws, and if they stops people from smoking where they have bought the weed/hash(coffeeshops), then it will discourange many Germans, French and Belgians just popping over for the day, which will please their governments. The Dutch Government also doesn't want to lose the tax revenue from coffeeshops, or the huge amount of tourism that their liberal system brings in, so they fuck about, take lots of time, and don't really do much other than stop tobacco smoking, and this shuts up the french for a while. Simple really eh?

[Themindwanders]

It is the first step down the wrong path. If this law is enforced properly on the coffeeshop circuit we shall begin to see their numbers decrease. We shall see atmosphere deadened in places where no one hangs out because they can't smoke a joint the way they like it. This is the first ban, trust me now other things will be easier to ban... it's all turning to shit my friends.

If these rules are kept strictly things will never be the same again. I'm an English man living in Amsterdam and think it would be a great shame to see the people submit and comply to this law.

health ministers are nazi-worshipping vampires - they don't give a shit about us.

We are treated like children- as if we are fools. Like we can't take care ourselves

"This is for your own good"

They are basically saying to us. It is not about protecting us it is about destroying civil liberty don't EVER be fooled again.

[no9]

smokin ban never pays off.
its way better to keep separate rooms for smokers and nonsmokers.