SMOKING IN THE CITY

Don't Want What You Already Got

Since I moved to Amsterdam six months ago, the first question that I
get upon returning to visit from my North American friends revolve
around Holland's so-called liberal drug enforcement laws.

"So what kind of pot have you smoked since you moved there?" and "How
do you get anything done with all the pot available?" are two such
popular questions. I have decided to write this article in response
to said questions, because the ignorance and misinformation stemming
from how North Americans see Holland requires clearing up.
Thankfully, View has given me some space to help lift the veil that
shrouds the truth about Amsterdam's pot culture, and what it is like
to live there.

Amsterdam is a crazy place, and it's definitely not for everyone. It
takes a unique urbanite to live there, one accustomed to perpetual
rain, life on a bike with no hand brakes and the eccentricities that
abound in Dutch culture, both positive and negative. Yes, the Dutch
are seen as one of the most liberal countries in the world, as they
have legalized small amounts of soft drugs, regulated prostitution,
and legalized euthanasia and gay marriage. Yet, the Dutch system is
highly conservative, as their immigration policies and regulation and
taxation of prostitution showcases. However, this article was not
meant to generalize Dutch culture, far from it. Instead, I want to
call bullshit on every marijuana comment that has been hurled at me,
as assuming I moved to Amsterdam for the grass has become a tiring insinuation.

When I was living in Hamilton, I was a recreational marijuana smoker.
Finding the drug was not difficult, nor dangerous. Upon moving to
Amsterdam, I decided to cut pot out of my life as an exercise in
restraint, as my previous visits to the city were as a stoned
tourist-where pot culture and coffee shops are a cash cow for the
Dutch economy. However, once I was acclimatized to Dutch culture, I
realized how many misconceptions there are when viewing the city as a
tourist, and each time an uneducated frat boy from Virginia takes a
bite of space cake, the myth that Amsterdam is a salacious hellhole
of gratuitous drug use, sex and perversion strengthens. This myth,
however enticing, is just that: a myth.

On the contrary, Amsterdam is a boring, almost grossly civilized
city. Living there, smoking pot became stigmatic, as one only wants
what they can' t have.

Amsterdamers do not smoke pot at the same ratio as tourists. Most of
my Dutch friends do not smoke, and Holland has comparable drug use
statistics among youth to Canada, America and the UK. Moreover,
smoking outside is still illegal and highly disrespectful in
Amsterdam, and as a result of outside influence, I have only smoked a
few times since moving, mainly with North American friends who have
come to visit, or fellow Canadians who live there. Marijuana is a
minor cultural contributor to locals, as boozing is much more
popular. Pot remains an elixir for tourists to get off on, rather
than locals. Therefore, living in Amsterdam has nothing to do with
pot, and Dutch culture, consequentially, became the conduit for
helping to curb my habit. While smoking a joint was much more of an
event in Canada, at home in Amsterdam, the desire to get high is much
less potent. Sure, pot is as widely available at Tim Hortons and
biking to school or work, I pass by dozens of coffee shops, each one
specializing in decor, blend of coffee, board game of choice or
drug-filled baked good. Yet, since moving, I have visited two coffee
shops, each twice, even though there are over 100 in the city centre
alone. I do not stroll in for a double double every time I pass a
Tim's either, and my desire for crappy coffee is more potent than the
Dutch's predilection to tune in, turn on and drop out. So there you
have it, a simplistic, explanation that hopefully clears the
misconception. Quitting was simple, because the temptation never
emerged and without the cultural context, I would have ignorantly presumed.

I hope I have cleared up a few misconceptions in relation to
Amsterdam and its marijuana culture. Regardless, if you are in town,
feel free to call me up if you have a brownie left over from your
trip to the Van Gogh Museum.