ESCAPE BLOG

From the coffee-drinking culture in Italy, we hopped on to Jordan. And now, it’s time for one of the most famous kind of coffeeshops in the world… coffeeshops in Amsterdam!

In Amsterdam, the term coffeeshop is synonymous with a special kind of place. Yes, these coffeeshops do serve coffee but their main commodity is *blows out smoke* cannabis: hashish and marijuana. All are done legally, with license from the local council but is subjected to some regulations:

• Legally, you are only allowed to buy 5 grams at a time.
• Only those 18 and up are allowed to buy
• You are NOT allowed to bring it out of the Netherlands
• Absolutely NO Hard Drugs. There are tons of people selling ecstasy, etc. to tourists. Keep away from them!

Note that coffeeshops are NOT allowed to advertise the sale of cannabis. So, you need to go up to the bar and ask for the “menu”. In the menu, you will find different types and price ranges. In most shops, you can also order “space cakes”, Amsterdam’s version of hash brownies. Don’t expect it to taste good, the only reason one eats space cakes is to get that nice after glow     If you have the munchies, get something else.

Do sample the “goods” at the coffeeshop, if you must, but adhere to the regulations set by the local officials.