about the tobbaco ban...

[Themindwanders]

It is nice to read people's comments - such a positive outlook. I am living in Amsterdam now and I am very disappointed about the smoking ban. I am English so I am used to the smoking ban- and all the other bans put in place to protect me from myself. Although I believe it is fair to ban smoking in restaurants, cafes etc banning them in what are essentially smoking bars? i really believe the Dutch Government are becoming just like all their European neighbours, liberalism is dying. Coffeeshops are smoking bars where the staff smoke and the customers smoke, if anywhere should be exempt its these places.

The dutch health minister (I love these blood sucking nazis! They know what's best for the rest of us! Always taking care of us, protecting us poor helpless folk from ourselves, fools that we are) recently stated that "There will be no exemption for the coffeeshop because people won't understand"

We won't understand?! What are the people fucking stupid? Are we all simply fools? He seems to think so. OKAY, so the people won't understand that.

HOWEVER, they WILL understand the logic in allowing people to smoke marijuana in pure joints in the places, they don't mind the staff inhaling that (since when did marijuana become harmless? ? They know it is actually more carcinogenic than tobacco right? It's probably a little further down the agenda- one step at a time, eh?)

Okay so you can smoke your tobacco-weed mixed joint in a separate room, where there is no bar and the staff are not stationed. Again, i'm confused - the staff WILL be in that room at some point, to clear up or whatever- so they WILL be inhaling the deadly dreaded evil fumes of tobacco. Besides smoke travels, it spreads and it will billow into every other fucking room, it won't do as its told and stick in the room you are allowed to smoke in- THIS RULE MAKES NO SENSE!

You can smoke outside! So what has been for so long a system that works, keeping cannabis smokers in designated areas, causing no harm to others - will now spread out onto the streets. Leaving staff dithering about like idiots trying to get big gangs of tourists to disperse from their doorway - I'm sure they'll love it!

No more level playing field! i have no doubt that there has now been a big advantage given to the bigger places with multiple rooms. The small coffeeshops which are now to become simply weed convenience stores will now not be such great hang outs, they may suffer.

I know, I know you can still smoke your pipe, bongs and pure weed joints. Pure weed joints are nice and am sure now that everyone is using all their gram in one joint some coffeeshops will be do even better! This is still a step back for the Dutch and their culture if you ask me, a major cut back in their tolerance policy. It is simply the first step down a certain road- trust me- they start banning this and then other things become easier to ban - this is how it works.

I'll still be here - rushing down to Amnesia only to find all the outside seats taken. I'll be smoking some pure weed. However, anyone who can't see the unbelievable backwards law for what it is- hypocrisy and an attack on civil liberties - is simply blind. Don't kid yourselves, you don't need looking after, they are not putting a blanket around you and taking care of you they are curbing your freedom

'oh but, but tobacco is bad for you -the staff shouldn't have to inhale it"

You telling me they care about our health SO VERY MUCH that they don't mind that all these people will now be smoking pure weed which is perfectly within the law. If they cared about anyone's health for real this is not how they'd handle it! NO TOBACCO oh yes but pure weed knock yourself out! Our health is not on their radar people - alcohol is a far bigger problem but they daren't touch that just yet - except to make it more expensive (to protect out health or line their pockets? Hmm.. let me see *stroking chin*)

Thanks an all, I do love my weed, but i'm not gonna pretend it's fucking healthy because it isn't.

THEY DON'T CARE ABOUT US

So tobacco is gone from Monday - will the Dutch become as compliant and easily convinced as their European neighbours? Will they become a bunch of apathetic people who complain about everything under their breath like the English?

Next on the agenda is magic mushrooms and you just KNOW they'll be going, sooner rather than later they shall be banned people. Look at that head shop menu - as the years go by each substance legally sold on there will be picked off and criminalised - that's life.

I wonder if there will ever be a ban on alcohol in pubs- HEY don't worry you can't drink beer or lager in the bar but you can drink as much whiskey and vodka as you like!

I'm afraid that is no longer inconceivable- The times they are-a-changing.

please no-one reply to say how it is a protective measure to stop people having to inhale smoke because that argument when it comes to coffeeshops is so incredibly weak, I cannot understand how it is to be enforced without a backlash of people that have to be listened to. Ban it everywhere sure whatever, but in coffeeshops why? I know many may think i'm being melodramatic, you can still smoke weed which IS the main, I know- i'm a weed fan, not a tobacco fan, I don't smoke cigarettes only joints though I still think this is a great shame, a very bad sign, an omen of things to come for the Dutch and the rest of us. It is simply the first step, remember that...

[iwanitnow567]

wow after reading themindwanders' reply i really am afraid of losing my only refuge- Adam to blood thirsty polititians. he is right. we all know shrooms r being banned as we speak.
the only way to get around the tobbaco ban is a method i saw used in israel. we have a tobbaco ban too, so some bars and night clubs get you to sign a paper upon entrance saying that you are entering a "friends club" and that you do not mind the smoking, thus turning the bar into a "friends club" with only one rule- smoking is allowed.