News
19 tons of marijuana seized in Amsterdam
July 19, 2008 - AmsterdamDutch customs officers seized this friday 19 tons of marijuana on a vessel in the port of Amsterdam, ANP news agency reported.
The marijuana has an estimated street value of 60 million euro (95 million USD). According to the authorities this seizure was the biggest of the century. more
Smoking ban in Holland; no way back anymore!
July 01, 2008 - AmsterdamThe Dutch smoking ban has also come into force in Holland (July 1, 2008) for all public places. So smoking inside is history. There's no way back anymore
The smoking ban also applies on coffeeshops. The new law only affects the smoking of tobacco, so it's still possible to smoke your cannabis inside the coffeeshop, as long it is not mixed with any tobacco. more
Man tries to send cannabis through the post office
May 06, 2008 - AmsterdamAn unknown man has tried to smuggle cannabis from Holland to Italy in a very simple way. The man brought a box filled with marijuana to the post office in the Kinkerstraat, Amsterdam, with the friendly request to send it to Italy. more
Court clerk had marijuana plantation
March 31, 2008 - AmsterdamA female clerk from the Amsterdam courthouse is suspected of having a marijuana plantation in her house. The woman, H.E.M., has received disciplinary measures. According to sources in the courthouse the leaders are finding this problem hard to handle. They would prefer to keep the case away from all publicity. more
Smoking pure still allowed after smoking ban kicks in
March 27, 2008 - AmsterdamWhen the smoking ban goes into effect in The Netherlands from the 1st of July on, you can still keep on smoking joints, as long as they're pure without tobacco. That’s what the Dutch minister of health Ab Klink wrote as a reply to the questions from the parliament. more
Amsterdam moving underground
February 07, 2008 - AmsterdamThe city of Amsterdam has plans to build a massive underground city. A Dutch architecture company has unveiled plans for a underground city providing one million square feet of underground retail, leisure and parking facilities. more
Sales of magic mushrooms increased big time
February 01, 2008 - AmsterdamThe sales of magic mushrooms in Holland increased with 20% in 2007. This has been announced by Guy Boels, board member of the National Association of Smartshops (VLOS). According to the VLOS this is mainly caused by the commotion that rose last year after some 'shroom-related incidents'. more
Minister of Home Affairs wants to ban cannabis use by off duty police officers
January 31, 2008 - AmsterdamGuusje ter Horst, Dutch Minister of Home Affairs, wants to ban cannabis use by off duty police officers. The use of cannabis can damage the officers' reputation and authority, the minister says. The
First smoke free coffeeshop in The Netherlands
January 30, 2008 - AmsterdamThe smoking ban in the catering industry will only take place after the 1st of July, but coffeeshop Boerejongens, in Amsterdam, is not waiting for the ban. From Friday on it’s forbidden to light a joint or a cigarette in the whole place. According to the owner, Martijn van Bennekom, this will make it the first smoke free coffeeshop in The Netherlands. more
Dutch company ‘invents’ cannabis pill
January 23, 2008 - AmsterdamThe privately-held Dutch company Echo Pharmaceuticals expects to sell the world's first cannabis pill within five years. CEO Geert Woerlee said they will start clinical studies and trials of their pills within a few months. The name of their pill will be 'Namisol'. more
Prices for real estate in Amsterdam increased drastically
January 10, 2008 - AmsterdamPrices for real estate in
Famous sex club Yab Yum closed down
January 4, 2008 - Amsterdam The city of Amsterdam has closed down the famous sex club Yab Yum because of its reported criminal connections. For the last decades Yab Yum has been the most famous and exclusive sex club of The Netherlands. more
Happy New Year fellow tokers!
January 01, 2008 - AmsterdamWe wish all you stoners around the world a 420 fantastic and successful 2008!
That you all may grow a high yield of some fine cannabis. And if you aren’t growing, that you may establish a nice relationship with a reliable dealer in your area… more
Amsterdam wants to ‘reconquer’ the Red Light District
December 17, 2007 - AmsterdamThe city of
Amsterdam cops are not allowed to smoke pot anymore
December 13, 2007 - AmsterdamFrom the 1st of January 2008 police officers in Amsterdam are no longer allowed to use cannabis in their own spare time. According to the head of the Amsterdam precinct the officers must be an example to others, and besides that they are officers 24 hours a day. more
Nudie bar ‘Teasers’ will open its doors again
December 11, 2007 - AmsterdamThe once so popular nudie bar 'Teasers' is allowed to open its doors again. The city of
Dappermarkt street market number 8 in the top 10 Shopping Streets
December 10, 2007 - AmsterdamThe Dappermarkt street market, in Amsterdam East, has been placed number 8 in the top 10 of Shopping Streets by National Geographic Traveler Magazine. The choice for the Dappermarkt is kind of strange. Normally the Albert Cuyp market is listed as the most famous street market in Amsterdam. more
Anne Frank tree will be cut down
November 10, 2007 - AmsterdamThe famous Anne Frank tree, the chestnut tree that Anne Frank could see from her hiding place and which she described in her diary, is finally going to be cut down.
'Save the Shroom' demonstration held at Dam square
October 28, 2007 - AmsterdamYesterday (Saturday, October 27) a Save The Shroom protest took place at the Dam square in Amsterdam. Several hundred shroom enthusiasts from all over the Netherlands gathered to protest against the ill-advised and weakly reasoned ban on the shroom. more
Action group fights the prohibition of Shrooms
October 15, 2007 - AmsterdamAn action group has been set up to fight the announced prohibition of magic mushrooms. The action group "Red de Paddo" ("Save the Shroom") set up a website where people are asked to send protest e-mails to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Justice. In 3 days more then 25.000 emails have been sent. more
Magic mushrooms will become illegal!!
SAD DAY IN DUTCH HISTORY!October 12, 2007 - Amsterdam
And yes, the minister has spoken... Ab Klink (Minister of Health) and Ernst Hirsch Ballin (Minister of Justice) have agreed that hallucinogenic mushrooms are to come under the opium law so that the sale of fresh ones are illegal. Dried mushrooms are already banned.
It's not yet clear when the mushrooms have to be taken out of the stores. The Amsterdam local television station AT5 (article is in Dutch) says the ban will probably start the end of this year/beginning next year. That means we have a few months left. Be quick! more
Cutting down of Anne Frank's chestnut tree postponed
October 4, 2007 - AmsterdamOn May 13, 1944 Anne Frank wrote in her diary: ‘Our chestnut tree is in full bloom. It’s covered with leaves and is even more beautiful than last year.’ Upon today this tree is still standing there at the same place in the garden at the Prinsengracht. But maybe not for long anymore. more
Some coffeeshops will start selling animal-friendly spacecake
October 3, 2007 - AmsterdamSome coffeeshops in Amsterdam will start selling animal-friendly spacecake. They will start with this at October 4, which is 'Animal Day' in The Netherlands. The new animal-friendly spacecake will contain cage-free eggs in stead of factory farmed eggs. more
Prices of cannabis went up with 20% in the last year
October 2, 2007 - AmsterdamThe prices of Dutch cannabis went up with 20% in the last year. The average price for 1 gram these days is about 7,30 euro. This has been announced by the Trimbos institute in Utrecht (Trimbos is an institute of Mental Health and Addiction). more
Amsterdam hotel room prices have gone up with 15%
September 12, 2007 - AmsterdamThe average hotel room prices have gone up considerably over the last year, and will probably continue to rise in 2008. more
Mayor wants three-day waiting period to buy magic mushrooms
September 12, 2007 - AmsterdamToday the mayor of
Large part of Red Light District will disappear
September 6, 2007 - AmsterdamThe biggest owner of the prostitution windows in the Red Light District, Charles Geerts, is very close to selling his property to a housing corporation. Charles Geerts owns about 20 houses with in total 60 windows. There are about 450 windows in the whole Red Light District. more
Amsterdam has the most nationalities in the world (177)
August 8, 2007 - AmsterdamAmsterdam has again the most nationalities in the world. The 743,104 inhabitants of Amsterdam have together 177 different nationalities. more
'Dogbutcher' did NOT use magic mushrooms
July 16, 2007 - AmsterdamThe French tourist who slaughtered his own dog did not use any magic mushrooms at all. The GG&GD (National health service) declared this today. They give a psychosis as the reason why the man killed his own dog 'to liberate its spirit'. more
Podcasts with information about public transport
July 10, 2007 - Amsterdam
Especially for tourists, the GVB (public transportation) has published 2 podcasts. These podcasts talk about public transport in Amsterdam in general and about tramline 5. Tramline 5 goes right through the center of the city and comes across various important tourist attractions. more
Man slaughters his own dog
July 9, 2007 - Amsterdam This weekend a French tourist (28) slaughtered his own dog. The man was found by the police in his van in the center of Amsterdam (Herengracht). The man was naked and covered in blood. more
No ban on smoking in coffeeshops!
June 9, 2007 – Amsterdam Breaking News!
The Dutch government has announced yesterday (June 8, 2007) that smoking will be prohibited in all cafes, pubs, clubs, restaurants and hotels etc., starting July 1 2008. Except the coffeeshops..!
Although the ban does not apply on coffeeshops, the part of the coffeeshops where the sale of cannabis takes place must be smoke-free. It’s also not allowed for personnel to serve food and drinks in the smoking area. more
Google Earth shows Amsterdam in 3D
May 16, 2007 - AmsterdamFrom Next week Google Earth will show big parts of Amsterdam in 3D. A total of 170.000 buildings will be shown in 3D. more
Queensday Amsterdam 2007 has attracted 550.000 visitors
30 April, 2007 – AmsterdamQueensday Amsterdam 2007 has attracted more then half a million visitors, 150.000 visitors more then last year. According to a spokesman from the police Queensday was held without any problems. Officially Queensday is the national celebration of the birthday of the Dutch Queen Mother, but in reality this is only an excuse to party real hard. more
Leidseplein will turn into a huge dance floor
April 19, 2007 - AmsterdamFrom June 15 the Leidseplein will turn into a huge dance floor for a month. The reason for this is the tourist theme year ‘Amsterdam, Feel the Rhythm – music & dance’. more
Combination alcohol and cannabis no longer allowed in Amsterdam
April 1, 2007 - AmsterdamStarting today, pubs in Amsterdam are no longer allowed to sell both alcohol and cannabis. The Minister of Justice wants all cities in Holland to follow this rule. Despite lobbying by the city of Amsterdam the government is going to get through with it. more
Dutch Parliament wants to outlaw 'magic mushrooms'
March 27, 2007 - Amsterdam A tragic incident with magic mushrooms in Amsterdam caused a lot of rumor in Dutch politics and many politicians immediately proposed to outlaw magic mushrooms right away. more
Main concert hall 'the Max' in Melkweg theatre reopened
March 12, 2007 - AmsterdamAfter an extensive renovation, the main hall in the Melkweg theatre has officially been reopened. The new hall, which is called 'the Max', can now accommodate 1,500 people, in stead of 1,000. The Melkweg is one of the most (in)famous pop theatres in Amsterdam, located at Leidseplein square. more
Amsterdam court: peep show is a regular play
February 13, 2007 - Amsterdam The court of Amsterdam has judged that a peep show is a regular play for taxation purposes. An owner of a peepshow had appealed against a decision by the tax office that the revenue had to be taxed with 19% VAT (Value Added Tax), in stead of the low rate of 6%. The low rate is applied to plays, shows, cabaret, musicals etc. more
7 people arrested in 3 smartshops
February 10, 2007 - AmsterdamThe police arrested 7 people in 3 smartshops in the Korte Nieuwendijk in the center of Amsterdam. According to the police these smartshops were selling foodsupplements which contained hard- and or softdrugs. more
Ban on smoking in cafes and restaurants before 2011
February 7, 2007 - AmsterdamToday, the results of the formation negotiations for a new government in the Netherlands have been officially presented. One of the measures that will be taken is a ban on smoking in cafes and restaurants before 2011. The exact date is yet unknown. more
First cannabis pharmacy is set to open
February 2, 2007 - AmsterdamThe city of Groningen looks set to open the country's first pharmacy totally dedicated to providing high-quality cannabis for pain relief at affordable prices, a report said on Wednesday. Although cannabis is readily available in Dutch coffee shops, the foundation for Medicinal Cannabis Netherlands, a support group for patients, intends to launch a pharmacy in the northern city so people can have access to high-grade cannabis for medical use, the daily NRC Handelsblad said. more
Prostitution companies in the Red Light District win court case
January 24, 2007 - AmsterdamThe 33 prostitution companies in the Amsterdam Red Light District have won a court case, enabling them to remain open until all details of the forced closures have been sorted out. The City of Amsterdam wants to close the 33 companies on suspicion of being involved in money laundering and drugs trade. more
33 Prostitution companies have to close down before the end of the year
December 5, 2006 - AmsterdamThe city of Amsterdam has ordered about one third of the prostitution businesses in the Red Light District to close down before the end of the year. The decision involves the closure of 33 companies, with a total of about 60 windows. more
Amsterdam has moved up 26 places on the list of most expensive cities to live in
November 1, 2006 - AmsterdamAmsterdam has moved up 26 places on the list of most expensive cities to live in. It moved from place 52 to 26. The survey, by Mercers Human Resource Consulting, is carried out yearly by the consultancy firm, in 144 cities worldwide. more
Marihuana prohibition signs now for sale
July 20, 2006 - AmsterdamThe prohibition signs that were placed in Amsterdam-de Baarsjes (prohibiting the public smoking of marihuana around Mercatorplein) are now for sale. The signs were already stolen a few times, and now the neighbourhood council has decided that they can be legally bought. more
On-street pot smoking prohibition in Amsterdam - de Baarsjes
July 8, 2006 - AmsterdamNeighbourhood 'de Baarsjes' has installed the first traffic sign indicating a prohibition of on-street smoking of marihuana. The prohibition was passed to reduce the hanging around of groups of youths in the neighbourhood. more