Cannabis is grown all over the world, both legally and illegally. That makes it difficult to estimate how many people on earth use cannabis. Surely we know that weed is not only smoked in the Netherlands (Hi Bob Marley) but what about the use of cannabis worldwide?
Cannabis is in the news almost every day. Politicians, police, investors, researchers, journalists, and even historians just can’t get enough of everything that has to do with cannabis. From health to history and legalization. We thought it would be fun to look back on what the media talked about the past few months. Are you ready to go on a journey back in time? Here we go.
That’s right! In June this year an important discovery was made in China: the ‘oldest’ proof of cannabis use in the world. In a cemetery on the border between China and Tajikistan cannabis residue was found in so-called ‘smoking pots’. Researchers are suspecting that the weed was smoked during funeral rituals in which rhythmic music and fire also played a role. It was an important discovery in the history of cannabis because up till that point there was no evidence that cannabis was smoked thousands of years ago. Until now, there were only suspicions, because the Greek writer Herodotus wrote about the use of cannabis in Asia in his work.
The discovery also has a sinister edge. In addition to cannabis residue, human bones with cutting marks were found. The scientists involved now think that the funeral rituals were not only about smoking weed but also about making human sacrifices. Whether this is really true has not yet been proven. But at least we now historical evidence for the use of marijuana. Go, China!
Don’t worry, there was also less sinister news. In early 2019 a study has been published that claims that the use of weed, before or during sex, leads to more desire for your partner and more intense orgasms. No partner? Don’t panic. The effect would apply both to sex with a partner and to masturbation. The study also claims that cannabis improves sexual satisfaction for both men and women. Not bad, ey?
The research was carried out by the American Amanda Moser as part of her master’s studies at the University of East Carolina. More information about her thesis The Influence of Cannabis on Sexual Functioning and Satisfaction can be read here.
Sex, China and Seth Rogen, they were all in the news because of cannabis this year. Actor Seth Rogen, known as an actor in movies like Super Bad and The Interview, started a cannabis company with the hilarious name House Plant. With his company, he wants to supply his home country Canada with good quality cannabis. He wants, in his own words, to make it easier for the Canadian user to “score good weed”. In 2018, Canada became the second country in the world where you can legally buy cannabis and as a result, cannabis companies are popping up around the country. It’s no surprise to us that Seth Rogen got involved too.
In the Netherlands, you can buy weed through a so-called coffeeshop. But you probably already knew that. You can find our coffee shop at the Amstelveenseweg 1160 in Amsterdam. We are open every day from 8.00 am to 01.00 am.
Speaking of legal cannabis, the Dutch ‘wietexperiment’ has also been in the news a lot in recent months. The big question is: is it going to happen or not? And is it a solution or just another bad idea? Everybody has there own opinion. Some say it can work for weed, but certainly not for hasj. In case you were not aware: the aim of the experiment is to investigate whether the legal supply, purchase, and sale of cannabis in the Netherlands are possible. Canada and Uruguay are already doing it, so the Netherlands should also be able to do it too, right?
On the website of our central government, we read that 26 municipalities, including Amsterdam, have shown interest in participating in the Dutch wietexperiment. Will it really happen soon? Let’s wait and see.
So, you’re up to speed again. All that remains for us to say is that we would like to welcome you to our coffeeshop in Amsterdam. You can find us right next to the Amsterdamse Bos (the Amsterdam Forest). Will we see you soon?
Who says you can’t hide in your living room during summer once in a while? We give you permission to sit down on the couch with the curtains closed and enjoy some quality television time. Just grab a juice and relax. We have searched the internet and found two perfect must-see documentaries on cannabis for you to watch or stream online.
The American documentary Mile Marker (2018) tells the story of the American veteran Korey Rowe, his former Rakkasan colleagues, and their recovery from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The film explores new and controversial treatments for PTSD, including medicinal cannabis.
In the documentary, Rowe interviews psychologists and PTSD specialists. He shows the bitter reality of veterans in America today. The documentary gives you a glimpse into their world and their bitter fight against drug addiction, crime, and PTSD.
You can watch the documentary Mile Marker for free on YouTube or rent or buy the film on iTunes or Amazon.
Mile Marker is a fairly recent documentary film, as it was released in 2018 and lasts about 1.5 hours.
An interesting documentary (90 minutes) from England about medicinal cannabis, its users and the fight for legislation. In the documentary GrassRoots: The Cannabis Revolution (2016) several cannabis activists show their faces, including the famous Dutch coffeeshop owner Nol van Schaik.
A key figure in the docu is Clark French, MS patient, and cannabis activist. You get to see his struggle with his debilitating disease and the laws in England. A catchy, inspiring documentary by Dale Beaumont-Brown. You can rent or buy the film on Amazon, but you can also find it for free online. Just give it a good search.
Unfortunately, we heard the sad news that the Dutch Nol van Schaik died unexpectedly. Van Schaik was the driving force behind numerous initiatives to make cannabis legal in the Netherlands. He died at 65 years old.
After watching these must-see documentaries on cannabis we would love to hear what your thoughts are. You can visit our coffeeshop in Amsterdam at the Amstelveenseweg 1160. We are open every day from 8 am to 1 am. Click here for directions to our coffeeshop.
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You already know that weed isn’ just for smoking. And we don’t have to tell you either that with the summer temperatures of July you can use something to cool you down. That’s why we have an extra summery treat in store for you: cannabis-banana ice cream. Really? Yes, really. You can easily make it at home and you only need 7 ingredients. Of course, you can buy the weed at your favorite coffeeshop in Amsterdam: The Border.
Let’s start with the ingredients. To make cannabis ice cream at home, you need the following:
Are you looking for a good grinder to grind your weed? In our coffeeshop we sell grinders of different materials, in different colors and sizes. Feel free to ask about our grinders when you visit our cannabis café at the Amstelveenseweg 1160 in Amsterdam.
Once the banana ice cream has hardened nicely, you can use an ice scoop to scoop out the ice cream. Decorate with whatever you want and enjoy your cannabis banana ice cream. Invite some friends or your neighbor over to join you. The more the merrier, right?
Photo: Ben & Jerry’s
Don’t feel like going through the trouble of making your own weed ice cream? Soon, all you have to do for a scoop of cannabis ice cream is walking to your local supermarket. Seriously? Yes. The American company Ben & Jerry’s is eager to bring cannabis ice cream on the market soon.
They are developing an ice cream that contains CBD (cannabidiol), a cannabis oil that contains virtually no THC. So you won’t get high from eating their ice cream, but you will benefit from all the health benefits of cannabis. Research shows that CBD helps with stress, insomnia, spasms, pain and more.
More and more countries are therefore legalizing the substance. CBD occurs naturally in the hemp plant (just like THC) and therefore falls under the Opium Act in the Netherlands. In order to keep the production of CBD legal, hemp is currently produced in the Netherlands and processed abroad into CBD oil, after which it can be sold in the Netherlands again.
CBD is therefore not yet fully legal in the Netherlands. Whether the ice cream of Ben & Jerry’s can also be sold in our country is therefore questionable. Fortunately, you can always use our recipe to get your ice cream fix. However, it is expected that CBD will soon be recognized as a medicine in the Netherlands, as is already the case in the United Kingdom, and that will probably result in the legalization of CBD oil production and processing altogether. Fingers crossed.
Coffeeshop The Border in Amsterdam has been in business for over 25 years. Since the beginning, the cannabis policy in Amsterdam has changed quite a bit. Let’s go back in time and see what has happened since the nineties.
The Border opened its doors in the nineties. In 1992, two childhood friends Eric and Bart bought a bar called ‘De Schuimkraag’. The Amstelveenseweg 1160, on the border between Amsterdam and Amstelveen, was transformed into a cannabis café. The coffeeshop was named after it’s location: the border between two cities.
Read more about our history here.
A lot has changed since the opening of The Border. From flexible rules to strict regulations, from medicinal cannabis to experimenting with legal growers. Let go on a journey and look at 6 highs and lows since the opening of our coffeeshop.
In 1992, the year The Border opened its doors, new criteria were created for all Dutch coffeeshops: the BHOJG criteria. Coffeeshops were strictly monitored and closed in case of violation. According to these criteria, it is for example forbidden to advertise hash and weed, to allow persons under 18 years of age to enter a coffeeshop and to sell or stock large quantities.
Although the cannabis policy became more strict, cannabis users were able to get medicinal cannabis at the pharmacy from 2003. This ‘mediwiet’ was and still is only available when prescribed by a doctor. Since then only one company in the Netherlands has been commissioned by the Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sports to legally grow and supply cannabis to pharmacies. And although medicinal cannabis is legal in the Netherlands, it is not yet a registered medicine.
To protect the city against drugs nuisance, ‘no smoking’ signs were introduced in Amsterdam in 2006. It was no longer allowed to smoke in certain streets and squares, such as the Mercatorplein. Those who decided to smoke their joint anyway were at risk of a fine.
The signs, which were used to indicate that there was a ban on smoking in certain areas, soon became a sought-after collector’s item. It didn’t take long before the first ‘no smoking’ signs were stolen. The city of Amsterdam responded with great sportsmanship and offered the signs for sale on the internet. All proceeds went to a good cause.
Politicians worked hard to regulate cannabis and in May 2012 the ‘wietpas’ was introduced in the south of the Netherlands. This pass was first introduced in the provinces of Limburg, Noord-Brabant, and Zeeland.
The mayor of Amsterdam at the time, Eberhard van der Laan, was strongly against the introduction of the new weed pass. Fortunately, the pass was abolished a few months later. However, customers of coffeeshops must now show proof of identity and proof of residency in the Netherlands. This new rule is called the ‘I-criterium’ and prevents foreigners and tourists from buying cannabis legally.
Not only the mayor of Amsterdam wanted to see a different approach to drugs regulation in his city. In 2014, more than 60 municipalities signed the Joint regulation manifest and asked the Dutch government to allow regulated cannabis cultivation. Even some members of the government supported the manifest, which was initiated by the mayors of Heerlen and Eindhoven and a Utrecht alderman. The Minister of Justice, however, did not support the manifest and not much progress was made.
The Dutch drugs policy has been much debated worldwide, especially our policy on cannabis use. In the early years, the Netherlands was a pioneering country, but currently, we are standing still. We are surpassed by Uruguay, Canada and parts of the United States, where the cultivation and trade of cannabis has now been legalized.
But, luckily, an experiment called the Wietproef was introduced this year. The current mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Halsema, is doing everything in her power to make Amsterdam part of this experiment. The experiment offers 10 Dutch municipalities the chance to sell cannabis from legal growers.
While we wait to see if Amsterdam will take part in this experiment you can watch this video from Nieuwsuur. The video features the inspiring cannabis pioneer John Meijers who would be more than happy to sell his cannabis legally. No subtitles available unfortunately, so ask a Dutch friend to watch the video with you.
