TIME com, Weed Be Gone: Will Amsterdam Ban Pot for Tourists?

[ynateil]

did they ban tourist from buying weed?

[killa234532]

im looking forward to the day the government realizes they have made a terrible mistake becasue there economy has completely deplited. this is the stupidist law in history we all no that the most harm is casued by drink not cannabis !!!

[sobye96]

if they do ban tourists then the dutch economy will go to shit, the only reason tourists go there is to smoke weed, not to see anne frank's house

[xaxie1]

@sobye96

I want to go to Amsterdam to see Anne Franks house!

You just said the only reason people go is to smoke pot, so obviously your wrong.

[GoVir4l]

@sobye96 - But it's more complicated than that isnt it? People don't just go for "the weed" - they go for the entire cultural package, it's that cultural package of which the coffee shop is central that drives tourism. Book a flight & accommodation, eat at restaurants, visit tourist attractions/coffee-shops/cinem­as, enjoy the nightlife, festivals and engage with the local community; can you not see the domino economic catastrophe that this "right wing legislation" stands to impose?

[dutchgoing]

The oil produced is carcinogenic itself. Cannabis grown today in the NL is so well cultivated that it is really a class A drug. The HIGH you experience when you smoke gear IS mild psychosis, temprorary destruction of the ego, it can be a trigger for people with premorbid mental illness. Some people don't even know they are mentally ill. It is also a positive & negative sensitiser, you can have a bad or good time on it. Parts of your brain can atrophy. You need to read about what you are smoking.

[magenticka]

@dutchgoing LOL, you are hilarious :-)

[dutchgoing]

@magenticka Glad you've decided to have a laugh. Look nobody is having a go at you, all I said was moderation and you kicked off about it. There is no such thing as any substance that is harmless to your brain and body. It is however less than dignified that one should make a chemical the centre of your life, it's good not to rely on things like that all the time because one becomes a slave to them and then less than a real human being. Be careful of the unknown risks, always moderation.

[magenticka]

@dutchgoing The fact is you're wrong. Marijuana has had over 70 years of intense, serious research. Results; over 1000 health benefits, no physical harm. Sure, some people with mental health backgrounds might not be suited to this, but that's a choice. Vaporisation heats plant matter below the point of combustion, to only release non carcinogenic vapour. You call me a drug addict and you don't even know me, or anything about my life. So, I can't help but find this amusing.

[magenticka]

legalise it, save the planet with the raw material hemp. Read up on this people, we've been lied to. Marijuana aids human health, and hemp is a valuable material for planet earth. Legalise it now. People, get up and make a stand. The power is with us, not the governments!

[dutchgoing]

@magenticka Cannabis is actually carcinogenic and can cause and/or deepen psychosis. Smoke it now and again but don't plan your life around it. You need those brain cells.

[magenticka]

@dutchgoing It's only carcinogenic if smoked. I don't smoke, I vaporise. 0%tar, not damaging to health at all, only serves to enrich mental health. It doesn't cause psychosis either, it may not be advisable for a suffer of mild psychosis to ingest thc, in fear of worsening an already existing condition, but that's his or her choice. Please forgo the brain cells line, that's proven propaganda that started in the 40's, my learned friend. READ!Science proves no perm damage. Alcohol on the hand..

[dutchgoing]

@magenticka Another product of smoking gear is self-delusion. It consists of toxins, how else could it alter consciousness, & yes there ARE health risks. I was saying it's ok in moderation, to say that it can cause no harm at all is the same denial as from a cigarette smoker. Psychological addiction might be another problem and your 100% denial of any risk shows you might be addicted. A big problem with gear in the UK in the 80s was that it was cut with heroin to make it a little addictive.

[magenticka]

@dutchgoing Quit your eternal dialog, you're WRONG! 0 toxins in thc vapour, scientific fact, you obviously base your opinions on urban myths, not science. Toxins do not make you high, thc does. The human brain has THC receptors, so, humans were wired to receive it by evolution. Cigarettes are proven to cause cancer, alcohol proven to destroy rbain cells after 40+ years of research into marijuana, NO LINK TO CANCER! There's lways a risk of psychological addiction to anything, even chocolate!

[dutchgoing]

@magenticka The brain also has receptors called GABA receptors which are the binding sites which cause barbiturates and benzodiazapines to have their action. It does not follow that we evolved to take sleeping pills & tranqulisers. The same follows for THC. If you think THC is harmless then you are deluded. You didn't even know that getting high is induced simple psychosis.

[magenticka]

@dutchgoing Arguing with you makes me feel like Richard Dawkins arguing with a Christian - not worth my time. Your brainwashed by propaganda. You simply can't back up any of your ludicrous statements with hard evidence. You're actually embarrassing yourself, by publicly making false claims. You seriously need to educate yourself. Absolutely everything you've said is wrong. Google, 'marijuana-vaporiser-health' thc-cancer-cure...get the picture yet? Google weed psychosis, nothing lol, prick.

[dutchgoing]

@magenticka Excuse me I do have a post -graduate qualification in psychology so I might know exactly what I am talking about & how drug use connects with mental illness. If you don't know that cannabis vapour is carcinogenic & that the high you experience is simple psychosis then you need to do some REAL reading. Merely saying that moderation is best given that there are some health risks makes me a prick does it? Cannabis does not cure cancer, no proof of that. You are a deluded drug addict.

[GoVir4l]

@dutchgoing - LOL - you've a post-grad in psychology? - I'm a 24 year old businessman who regularly books £6,000 suites in lovely Amsterdam, a lot of my friends also visit the city on a regular basis - I can tell you now, if this "weed pass" goes through I wont be visiting the city anymore. It's not that I visit "to get stoned" - it's that such experiences are apart of the entire cultural package of Amsterdam, their tourist industry will take a massive toll if this goes through.

[GoVir4l]

@dutchgoing - Carcinogenic? I'd be exposed to a far greater risk of cancer on the flight over to Amsterdam than I would if I were to puff the mary jane when I arrived - the evidence of psychosis is lacklustre - anti-cannabis loons have been touting that rubbish for many a decade without any real scientific evidence - and I suppose you're no different, lulz. Also, “cannabis prevents Alzheimer’s” - if you need the 2007 published article I’d be glad to show you.

[dutchgoing]

@GoVir4l The 'high' you experience when you smoke cannabis is simple psychosis. If you think I am an anti-cannabis loon then it obviously prevents you from understanding English. All I said was moderation. That Alzheimers study is very very poor research. There is no such thing as a completely safe drug, if you think there is, it is a rationalisation caused by smoking too much gear and becoming divorced from reality. Can't wait for central Amsterdam to get cleaned up frankly.

[GoVir4l]

@dutchgoing - Wow you just fucked yourself starting a debate with me - "the high you experience is simple psychosis" - please explain this bullshit - is the "high you experience" when you have a naturally released N-Dimethyltryptamine dose while you sleep also psychosis? Should we OUTLAW DREAMS AND REM SLEEP PATTERNS? "There is no such thing as a completely safe drug".... dickhead, look around you - NOTHING IS COMPLETELY SAFE - ever watched the film Final Destination?

[GoVir4l]

@dutchgoing - The war on drugs in the UK has been a complete failure - increasing punishment only serves to inflate the street price of cannabis making it more profitable - it's simple economics - it's laughable that idiots like you still believe prohibition is effective... answer me this... WOULD YOU AGREE WITH THE PROHIBITION OF ALCOHOL? I am guessing (unless you are fucking INSANE) you will answer with a resounding no - so why do you believe the prohibition of cannabis is ANY MORE EFFECTIVE?

[dutchgoing]

@GoVir4 I think we have proof that you can't read English. All I said that was that no drug is 100% safe, there are of course health risks and that moderation is best. Your strong defence of weed in the face of mild criticism means you are deprendent on it for one reason or another. That's not a solution, just as alcohol isn't a solution. Cleaning up central Amsterdam does not mean that I support prohibition of soft drugs, two different issues, the locals are sick of it being a toilet.

[GoVir4l]

@dut - Of course no drug is completely safe - cars aren’t safe, motorcycles aren’t safe, DIY isnt safe - WHAT IS YOUR POINT? You call Amsterdam a toilet?!?! Compare it to areas in the UK such as Lozells, Brixton, Hackney, Luton, Moss Side, Handsworth the list is ENDLESS of the no-go gang/gun criminals that peddle tonnes of drugs on the black-market each year - gun+drug+knife crime in the UK has NEVER been higher than right now - the same can be said for the US - PROHIBITION HAS FAILED SOCIETY

[GoVir4l]

When we look at Netherlands gun crime, drug crime is NO WAY NEAR as "widespread" as it is in the UK - over the past decade - we had Jamaican, Colombian drug cartels literally ruling the streets of London - constantly at war with rival Turkish/Albanian/Afghan gangs - you have your fucking head up your arse - prohibition has been a complete waste of tax payers money and a complete failure - ask any chief law enforcement officer off-beat and they'll tell you they're fighting a war that cant be won.

[dutchgoing]

@GoVir4l I NEVER EVER SAID IT SHOULD BE PROHIBITED YOU BRAIN-DEAD CRETIN. IT IS ALREADY PROHIBITED ANYWAY. LEARN TO FUCKING-WELL READ MY FRIEND.

[GoVir4l]

@dutchgoing - Go ahead an clean up Amsterdam then! Grab your hose and toothbrush and get to work, but from where I'm sitting, Amsterdam is a far safer city than any major city in the UK or the States, I hardly smoke cannabis when I vist, it's mostly on business, but from my experience I have never EVER seen any violence or public disorder associated with people on marijuana, it's ALWAYS alcohol.

[Legthyfeline]

@dutchgoing I couldn't care less about the marijuana. It's the fact that this is an openly racist law that's troubling.

So... tourists are responsible for all of the problems with Amsterdam, really? Is that why there's violence there every single day of the year, rather than when people drop in for a weekend in Amsterdam?

Maybe tackling the massive amount of Pubs in Amsterdam would prevent violence a lot better than racism and xenophobia.

[dutchgoing]

@Legthyfeline You said 'So... tourists are responsible for all of the problems with Amsterdam' My answer is that I didn't actually ever say that. Central Amsterdam is a toilet because it is a dreadful tourist trap, the reasons why people are lured there from thousands of miles away don't really matter. I have a much bigger problem with alcohol than a bit of weed any day. I was saying that one should not depend on weed or anything, that's just addiction.

[Legthyfeline]

@dutchgoing "Central Amsterdam is a toilet because it is a dreadful tourist trap"

So the way to improve Amsterdam might be better directed towards making sure that, given Amsterdam's liberal reputation, and it's reliance on tourism, money is pumped into making regulations for ensuring that the city's liberal areas (e.g. the red-light district and the coffeeshops) are carefully controlled areas. but you can only get that money THROUGH tourism, and I doubt racist laws will help tourist funding.

[GoVir4l]

@magenticka - "Arguing with you makes me feel like Richard Dawkins arguing with a Christian - not worth my time".

LOL for real.

[magenticka]

@dutchgoing My point is ANYTHING can be psychologically addictive, even sex, food, anything that makes us happy, but it is fundamentally a basic human right to have choice. If it was proven to cause cancer or other ailments, sure, I'd agree with you, but it's the opposite. Research is now showing THC prevents cancer. Makes brain cancer cells turn in on themselves. Also, you haven't even considered the environmental advantages to the raw material of hemp. Do you research before you comment.

[dutchgoing]

@magenticka The level of denial is incredible. Cannabis does not cure cancer, in medicinal form as Marinol it aids the discomfort caused by chemotherapy, it does not cure anything. I think you have to ask yourself why you need access to cannabis & why it is so preferable to having a clear head. I don't think cannabis makes people happy, it makes them forget how middle class they are for a while.

[magenticka]

@dutchgoing Denial of what?  My facts are scientific. vaposrising marijuana, does not produce carcinogens, because it does not combust the plant matter, it relases pure thc vapour, which is proven to be harmless, and promote health. FACT! New studies by Harvard also suggests it cures cancer, FACT, google it.

[magenticka]

@dutchgoing Why do i need it? What business is it of your's what I do, read, buy, see or take into my body as long as I don't harm another human being whilst on this planet? And if you're having a little moral dilemna on how to answer this, I'll answer for you. NONE OF YOUR FUCKING BUSINESS Take that to the bank, cash it and take it on a vacation outta my fucking life.

[dutchgoing]

@magenticka Oh dear oh dear, smoking weed really chilled you out didn't it. Addicts usually react aggressively when asked why their drug is so important to them. You are an addict. I don't have a moral dilemma, the reason why people take any drug is to take a holiday from their sweating self. Stop pretending that your chosen drug is so special and it makes you special. All the really good coffee shops in NL are definitely NOT in Amsterdam. You want privacy then check out of youtube maybe?

[magenticka]

@dutchgoing Actually it did chill me out until you started this relentless daily attack. Maybe you should toke up and stop taking life so seriosuly, my friend. Who are you to call me an addict, seriously? You know nothing about me or my life. Drugs are part of evolution, part of nature. They influence art, and if you disagree, go home and burn your entire record collection, because the musician's that enhanced your life thorughout the years were real fucking high.

[dutchgoing]

@magenticka Nobody was attacking you. I just said use it in moderation. The level of hostility you are showing means you are dependent on drugs. All addicts rationalise things that way.

[magenticka]

@dutchgoing ...and do me a favour, back up your statements with hard evidence, not bullshit propaganda that's been around for over a hundred years. Google THC cancer, get the picture yet? This is 2011, people can vaporise marijuana and get a ton of health benefits in the process. You're ill informed, & your statements have no accepted scientific evidence whatsoever. I've read about this subject for twently years. This is tantamount of arguing with a school child, waste of my time.

[NoProperNameLeft]

i sincerely doubt that it is merely 1/4.. but well, they'll see the impact anyway

[NHEFF09]

Beautiful place,Beautiful people,Beautiful smoke.

[crayzeefool]

Did she really say "one fourth?"

[WcHDICE]

it was on Yahoo News right now

[VeloceManiac]

You can still go to India, Nepal, morocco, Jamaica plenty of places to tour around and smoke.

Also they said the same thing early 2010 and early 2011.

They wont cope with the economical blow, and a 4th of tourists is also an unrealistic figure.

[ced0018]

DON'T BAN IT