Amsterdam Coffee And Smart Shops

As you may know, use of soft drugs, including marijuana and mushrooms, is permissible in the Netherlands. If you choose to indulge in drug tourism, you must follow basic ground rules and take careful safety precautions.

First, be smart about your intake and realize that drug experimentation can cause both short- and long-term damage. Never buy drugs from street dealers; they are often strung-out addicts out to mug tourists. If a friend is tripping, it is important never to leave his or her side. If there is a medical emergency, call ☎112 for an ambulance. Beware that an ambulance may not arrive as soon as you’d like—authorities are generally fed up with drug tourists who have smoked or eaten too many drugs.

A far cry from your friendly neighborhood Starbucks, Amsterdam’s coffee shops aren’t there for the coffee—in fact, at many, you’ll find that the coffeemaker is out of order, and few patrons seem to care. Places calling themselves coffee shops sell hashish, marijuana, and “space” goodies, described in detail below. Look for the green-and-white BCD sticker that certifies a shop’s credibility. It is a courtesy to tip coffee-shop attendants, even by simply saying, “keep the change.” When you move from one coffee shop to another, it is obligatory to buy a drink in the next shop even if you already have weed. As long as you’re buying drinks, you can stay as long as you want. While it’s all right to smoke on the outdoor patio of a coffee shop, don’t go walking down the street smoking a joint like you’re James Dean with a cigarette: it’s simply not done. Not only is this an easy way for pickpockets and con artists to pick out a tourist, but locals also consider it offensive.

There is more variety on coffee-shop menus than you might think. Hashish comes in three varieties: blonde (Moroccan), black (Indian), and Dutch (Ice-o-Lator; see On Thin Ice), all of which can cost €4-35 per g. Typically, the cost of the hash is proportional to its quality and strength. Black hash hits harder than blonde, and Ice-o-Lator can send even a seasoned smoker off his or her head. What separates hash from weed is that, while weed is the flower, hash is the extracted resin crystals, which give a different kind of high.

Marijuana is a dried, cured flower also known as 420, Acapulco red, ace, African, airplane, Angola, ashes, assassin of youth, astroturf, atshitshi, Aunt Mary, baby, babysitter, bad seed, bale, bamba, bammy, bar, bash, blanket, blaze, block, blue sage, blunts, bobo, bomber, boo, boom, broccoli, brown, bubble gum, bud, bullyon, burnie, burrito, bush, butter, canamo, canappa, cannabis, catnip, cest, cavite all-star, charge, cheeba, chemo, chillums, chira, Christmas tree, chronic, chunky, churus, citrol, climb, colas, coli, Columbia, cosa, cripple, culican, dagga, dank, dew, ding, dirties, ditch, domestic, Don Juan, donk, doobie, dope, draf, drag weed, duros, DVD, earth, elephant, endo, esra, fallbrook redhair, fatty, feeling, fine stuff, finger, fir, firewood, flower, fraho, freefo, funk, funny stuff, gangster, ganja, garbage, gash, gasper, gates, gauge, geek, giggle smoke, gimme, goblet of jam, golden leaf, GOM (good old marijuana), gong, goodie-goodie, gorge, grass, grasshopper, Greek, greens, greeter, grefa, gremmies, greta, griefs, griffa, gungun, gunney, haircut, happy stick, has, hay, headies, hemp, herb, hocus, homegrown, hooch, hooter, hot stick, hydro, illies, Indian boy, indo, instaga, jay, jive, joints, jolly green, joy stick, ju-ju, jumbos, kabak, kaff, kalakit, kali, Kansas grass, kaya, kee, Kentucky blue, KGB (killer green bud), kick stick, kiff, killer, kilter, kind, king bud, kryptonite, kumba, lamb’s bread, laughing grass, leaf, leak, limbo, lid, lima, lime green, llesca, loaf, lobo, locoweed, log, loose shank, love weed, Lucas, lumber, macaroni, machinery, macon, magic Ddragon, Manhattan silver, Marley, Mary Jane, Mary Warner, matchbox, meg, messorole, Mexican red, mighty mezz, MJ, mo, modams, mohasky, monte, moocah, mootie, mota, mother, mor a grifa, muggle, nail, northern lights, nuggets, number, OJ, oit, pack, pakaloco, Panama cut, panatella, pasto, pat, Philly blunts, pins, pocket rocket, pod, poke, pot, PR (Panama red), prescription, pretendica, puff, Queen Anne’s lace, ragweed, railroad weed, rainy day woman, rangood, rasta weed, red cross, reefer, righteous bush, rip, rockets, root, rope, rough stuff, rugs, salad, salt and pepper, sandwich bag, Santa Maria, sasfras, scissors, scrub, seeds, sen, sezz, shake, siddi, sinse, skunk, snop, spliffs, splim, spruce, stack, stems, stick, sticky icky, stinkweed, straw, stuff, swag, sweet Lucy, taima, tea, tex mex, thirteen, thumb, Tijuana, torch, trauma, tray, trees, triple A, tustin, twist, unotque, vipe, wacky tobacky, weed, whack, wheat, white-haired lady, woo blunts, woodbine, X, yeh, yellow submarine, yen pop, yesca, ying, zambi, or zol. Whatever you call it, it’s incredibly strong in the Netherlands, containing 10-25% THC. Any weed with “white” in its name is guaranteed to be strong, such as White Widow, White Butterfly, and White Ice. Take it easy so you don’t pass out. The Dutch tend to mix tobacco with their pot as well, so joints are harsher on your lungs and throat if you’re not a cigarette smoker. Pre-rolled joints are always rolled with tobacco; most coffee shops also offer pure joints at up to twice the cost. Dutch marijuana is the most common and costs €3-15 per g; most coffee shops sell bags in set amounts (€6, €12, etc.). A coffee shop’s staff is accustomed to explaining the different kinds of pot on the menu to tourists. It is recommended that you buy only a gram at a time. Most places will supply rolling papers and filter tips—Europeans smoke only joints. When pipes or bongs are provided, they are usually for tourists. Another popular way of getting high in Amsterdam is to use a vaporizer. These devices heat up cannabis products until the hallucinogenic substances like THC become gaseous, extracting more out of the product than regular burning via cigarettes. Beware that vaporizers are very strong, and those with copper piping may release nasty (and potentially carcinogenic) copper particles.

Space cakes, brownies, and all members of the baked-goods family are made with hash or weed, and the butter used is usually hash- or weed-based. Because the THC only takes effect when it gets into your blood and is digested, the drugs take longer to affect a person and longer to filter out, producing a “body stone” that can take up to two hours or longer to start. Experts warn against going for a second sweet because you don’t feel anything immediately—start off with half a serving and see how you feel after an hour or two. It’s always easier to eat more later than to wait out a higher dose than you can handle. The amount of pot or hash in baked goods cannot be standardized, and it is impossible to know what grade of drugs is in them. This makes ingesting this form of cannabis much more dangerous than smoking, with which you can monitor your intake more closely.

On a slightly edgier level, smart shops are scattered throughout Amsterdam and peddle a variety of “herbal enhancers” and hallucinogens like magic mushrooms (’shrooms). All ’shrooms have the same psychedelic chemical (psilocybin), but different types of mushrooms offer very different trips. Mexican and Thai mushrooms are generally used by beginners: they are the least potent and give a laughy, colorful, speedy high with some visual hallucination. Philosophers’ stones (which have an XTC-like effect) and Hawaiians (which give an intensely visual trip similar to LSD) are significantly more intense and should be taken only by experienced users. It is currently illegal to “prepare” mushrooms—including drying, baking, or any other kind of handling—because the process concentrates the hallucinogenic chemicals. A mild high is a dose of about 10-15g of fresh ’shrooms; a weak trip has 15-30g; a strong trip has 30-50g. Be sure to ask the salesperson exactly how many grams there are in your purchase.

’Shrooms will start to work around 30-50min. after ingestion, and the effects will last anywhere from three to eight hours, depending on the amount of the dose. The effects you feel will depend on your mood and environment. Your emotions will be heightened such that, as at your high-school prom, you could feel unadulterated bliss, stark fear, or seemingly endless depression. Overall, you will experience a distorted reality: lengths of time will randomly expand or contract; colors, forms, shapes, and experiences will be unpredictably intensified or subdued. Blips will appear on your sensory radar, blinding you to all other realities. Conversely, certain sounds and smells may captivate you such that you become obsessed with their existence. Do not take more than one dose at a time—many first-time users take too much because they don’t feel anything immediately. A bad trip will occur if you mix hallucinogens or other controlled substances. If you smoke marijuana when ’shrooming, you can have flashbacks up to several days later. Try to avoid eating before taking ’shrooms, since this will likely dull their effect or intensify nausea. Be sure that you take them in a safe surrounding with people you know, preferably outside and during daytime hours—in any strange environment, your neurological worries are bound to affect your high. Avoid balconies, bridges, and rooftops and do not take ’shrooms after a night of little sleep. If you are depressed, pregnant, or on medication, you should not take mushrooms. Don’t be ashamed to tell someone should you have a bad trip; you won’t be arrested just for using in Amsterdam—it’s not a crime here, and locals have seen it all before.

While there are hot spots in Amsterdam that seem to feature as many drug shops as restaurants (i.e., the Nieuwe Zijd and the Red Light District), you’ll find that the best offerings aren’t necessarily concentrated in any particular location. As a general rule, the farther you travel from the touristed spots, the better value and higher quality the establishments you’ll find. When a shop is frequented mainly by Dutch customers, it means they’ve established a loyal clientele, which in turn means they sell good stuff. There’s nothing wrong with walking in and checking a place out before you settle in. When you enter a shop, ask for the menu—establishments are not allowed to advertise their products or leave menus on the tables. Don’t be afraid to take your time making your selections; it’s your money.

• Oude Zijd

The Centrum’s coffee shops are notoriously touristy, and the Red Light District has a monopoly even on those, leaving the Oude Zijd with slim pickings.

• Red Light District

Despite the proliferation of coffee shops in the area, you’re better off looking outside the Red Light District for a quality joint. Because of the heavy tourist traffic, shops don’t have to rely ...more

• Nieuwe Zijd

The Nieuwe Zijd has one of Amsterdam’s highest ratios of coffee shops per sq. km. Listed below are some of Amsterdam’s gems. Smart Shop

• Scheepvaartbuurt

The two-block stretch of Haarlemmerstraat just over the Haarlemmersluis and the section of Singel on either side of the bridge are home to the majority of the coffee shops in this area. Though some are ...more

• Canal Ring West

This neighborhood has a few ganja-vending gems that can feel a world apart from the quality—and tourist quantity—of the Centrum. Drug Diction. A Dutch slang term for marijuana is “blow ...more

• Central Canal Ring

The smoking scene here is eclectic and upscale, catering mainly to tourists. Don’t hesitate to ask for assistance if you need help deciphering the menu. Smart Shops

• Leidseplein

With all the hotels, restaurants, bars, and clubs in tiny Leidseplein, you’d think that there would be no room for coffee shops. How wrong you would be: the square lures in even more tourists with ...more

• Rembrandtplein

Like the other busy squares in Amsterdam, Rembrandtplein has a large collection of coffee shops, and, as in other heavily touristed spots, the quality of these shops varies widely. For the most part ...more

• Jordaan

If you want to avoid crowds and loud music, Jordaan coffee shops are the place to toke up. Mirroring the neighborhood’s relaxed air, these establishments serve their hash without a side of attitude ...more

• Westerpark And Oud-West

The coffee shops here are fewer and farther between than in the center, but the extended geography also supplies them with a calmer, more local feel. A few quality shops cluster around Jan Pieter Heijestraat ...more

• De Pijp

Coffee shops in this area range from middling to unique—Let’s Go has uncovered the jewels of local smokeries. For the less discriminating smoker, other shops can be found along Gerard Doustraat. ...more

• Jodenbuurt And Plantage

With its quieter atmosphere, the Jodenbuurt and Plantage host some great low-key coffee shops. Bluebird, close to the Rembrandt House, is a consistent favorite. If you’re in the mood for a bit of a ...more