CHAMPION SHOP PULLS OUT OF CANNABIS CUP CONTEST

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- Marijuana users are rolling into town for the
annual contest to crown the Dutch capital's best drug ``coffee shop.''

But a cloud of controversy hangs over the usually mellow Cannabis Cup. Last
year's winner withdrew Friday, saying the yearly smoke-out has become a
``commercial circus.''

During Cannabis Cup week, an event sponsored by the American magazine ``High
Times,'' hundreds of people, mostly Americans, descend on Amsterdam to
sample the best brands of marijuana and hashish the shops have on offer.

Dutch authorities tolerate the shops, saying they allow police to keep tabs
on the trade in soft drugs and deter cannabis users from hard drugs such as
heroin.

But 2 1/2 days of judging by cannabis connoisseurs can lead to -- believe it
or not -- a ``stressed atmosphere'' in some of the ``coffee shops'' where
marijuana and hashish are freely sold, said two-time winner cafe De
Dampkring.

``With grave concern we see how the event, which started in 1988 as a
harvest festival ... gradually deteriorates into a commercial circus in
which the economic interests of coffee shops and seed companies pull most
weight,'' the cafe said.

``We hate the stressed atmosphere, the favoritism and the buttering-up to
the media,'' it added.

During the cup, which begins Monday, coffee shops slash their prices and
often dole out free marijuana samples. De Dampkring argued that such
extravagance means only about 20 of Amsterdam's 356 coffeeshops can afford
to participate.

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst