Pro-cannabis protesters gather in Amsterdam

Puffin13 · Post by **Puffin13** » Sun 10th May 2009 06:48 am

Pro-cannabis protesters gather in Amsterdam
May 9 2009

About 150 people smoking pot and wearing T-shirts with a cannabis leaf print gathered in Amsterdam Saturday as part of a world-wide action in favour of the legalisation of marijuana.

The peaceful protesters gathered on a square in the Dutch capital, listening to pro-legalisation speaches from a small podium as a strong smell of marijuana hung in the air and music pumped from several speakers.

Small stands sold T-shirts with pro-cannabis logos, as well as biscuits and other snacks containing marijuana.

"Prohibiting something that people will always want causes illegality and the emergence of criminal gangs," Daan Rosenberg Polak, a publisher of pro-legalisation books, told AFP at the gathering.

"In the Netherlands, we've had a good system since the 1970s, but recent governments have been trying to take us back to a more conservative system," he said, arguing that the moderate use of soft drugs held no danger.

Saturday's protesters criticised Dutch law on the topic as hypocritical for allowing the consumption and possession of up to five grammes of cannabis, but prohibiting its cultivation and mass retail.

Some 700 so-called coffee shops country-wide have special licences to sell marijuana but are allowed to keep no more than 500 grammes on site.

Several Dutch municipalities have recently announced plans to close all or part of the coffee shops within their borders, partly to discourage crime and what they describe as the nuisance of drug tourism.

Rowena Huijbregts of the Association for Cannabis Consumers argued that full legalisation was the only option "otherwise, people are forced to buy their soft drugs from dealers who also sell hard drugs."

On Friday, Dutch organisers said protesters in more than 250 cities in the world, including Paris, Berlin and Madrid, would take part in Saturday's global marches, or had already done so last weekend, as part of the 10th annual Global Marijuana March.

The aim was to push for the full legalisation of cannabis, from production right through to final sale.

"Prohibiting cannabis has undesirable effects: it promotes trafficking, criminality, a black market economy and a poor quality product," argued Jacqueline Woerlee, a spokeswoman for the Association for the Abolition of Cannabis Prohibition.

Source

sh@dy · Post by **sh@dy** » Sun 10th May 2009 10:51 am

nice! big thanks to jacky and bret for doing this!

doobydave · Post by **doobydave** » Sun 10th May 2009 10:52 am

150 people?

That's less than one person for every four coffeshops in the country.

milehigh · Post by **milehigh** » Sun 10th May 2009 11:54 am

I must have missed you puffdude. Sorry.

By my count it was around 800+ people. It was a great day and went exactly as planned. We had a big press presence which was the ultimate goal. All the local papers and TV are reporting very positively about the event. We even had a large International press presence which wasn't expected.

The music was fantastic and I would say the busiest booth went to the Verdamper. That guy had 3 of them going non stop from beginning till end. A great time was had by all.

Remember in Amsterdam we already have a sort of cannabis freedom.
I think many smokers here are happy enough with their freedom and don't see the point of a protest. When the last coffeeshop closes I hope no one says milehigh did not do enough.

Sir Niall of Essex-sire · Sun 10th May 2009 02:38 pm

doobydave wrote:150 people?

That's less than one person for every four coffeshops in the country.

Did u attent the london one?

Ghost · Post by **Ghost** » Sun 10th May 2009 05:10 pm

keep up the good work, i would have attended if i had been in town,well done.

doobydave · Post by **doobydave** » Sun 10th May 2009 09:06 pm

SirNlail wrote:doobydave wrote:
150 people?
Shocked

That's less than one person for every four coffeshops in the country.
Crying or Very sad

Did u attent the london one?

Nope.

800 sounds like a much better figure.

Kingdoc · Post by **Kingdoc** » Sun 10th May 2009 09:59 pm

milehigh wrote:I must have missed you puffdude. Sorry.

By my count it was around 800+ people. It was a great day and went exactly as planned. We had a big press presence which was the ultimate goal. All the local papers and TV are reporting very positively about the event. We even had a large International press presence which wasn't expected.

The music was fantastic and I would say the busiest booth went to the Verdamper. That guy had 3 of them going non stop from beginning till end. A great time was had by all.

Remember in Amsterdam we already have a sort of cannabis freedom.
I think many smokers here are happy enough with their freedom and don't see the point of a protest. When the last coffeeshop closes I hope no one says milehigh did not do enough.

Na no one could level that s**t @ you milehigh,Even naples says you are a gem

,Ps if theres anything i can do @ this end just give me a shout.

Whitesox · Post by **Whitesox** » Sun 17th May 2009 06:15 pm

I don't wanna say it, trust me it hurts me, but amsterdam, even tho seems like it should be the first country to fully legalize weed, it won't. We've learned over the past months that rules are obviously going to get stricter. What I see the next few years is, for the law between soft and hard drugs to continue. the Mayor even says it works. No one in Amsterdam wants to lose money from there coffeeshops, so much taxing and etc. The thing I hope does not go on is Dutch members only allowed in coffeeshops. Do you guys see that going on?

Kingdoc · Post by **Kingdoc** » Sun 17th May 2009 09:54 pm

Yea i do! like the reduction in the number of windows + the smoking ban,Ie dry runs for the coffeeshop ban they will try & push threw.

Puffin13 · Post by **Puffin13** » Mon 18th May 2009 06:00 am

Whitesox wrote:The thing I hope does not go on is Dutch members only allowed in coffeeshops. Do you guys see that going on?

I really dont believe that is going to happen in Mokum. I think the reasons it is happening in other cities/villages in Holland is the complaining neighbors; Belgium, France & Germany due to many of their citizens crossing the border and coming back with the goods. Also, the many so-called drug tourists, are causing a lot of problems, ie traffic jams, vandalism, etc in normally quiet towns. The so-called christian government of Holland wants to close down the coffeeshops anyway and jump on any reason to close them down. I really dont think that is going to happen in Amsterdam though. Peace.

sh@dy · Post by **sh@dy** » Mon 18th May 2009 10:59 am

Puffin13 wrote:
Whitesox wrote:The thing I hope does not go on is Dutch members only allowed in coffeeshops. Do you guys see that going on?
I really dont believe that is going to happen in Mokum. I think the reasons it is happening in other cities/villages in Holland is the complaining neighbors; Belgium, France & Germany due to many of their citizens crossing the border and coming back with the goods. Also, the many so-called drug tourists, are causing a lot of problems, ie traffic jams, vandalism, etc in normally quiet towns. The so-called christian government of Holland wants to close down the coffeeshops anyway and jump on any reason to close them down. I really dont think that is going to happen in Amsterdam though. Peace.

yeah, but the cities dont have any problems with taking our money, of course many go for the drugs, but we often go for a small shopping-tour, buy a drink or eat in a dutch restaurant....the real troublemaking will start after this when the street-dealers try to sell to us drug-tourists.