Chapter 1. Amsterdam and Drugs
In 1992 I had graduated college and wanted to spread my wings and venture out into the world. I had been attending college for four years and needed a refreshing break. I had made a lot of money that I had saved away from being a Dominatrix and decided that it was now time to enjoy it. A friend of mine in the Dominatrix business had told me about Amsterdam and to me it sounded like the perfect place to visit. Little did I know that I would end up living there for two years!
I booked a flight to Amsterdam, Holland (The Netherlands). I had no idea what things were in store there for me. This was an adventure, one that I would never forget.
The day arrived for me to catch my long flight. It took all day with a two hour layover in London. With the flight, layover and time difference, it was the next day that I flew into Schiphol Airport.
The fog was thick and I wasn’t prepared for the humidity that I was about to encounter as I exited the plane. Holland weather in June was nothing to be happy about, if you weren’t used to humidity. Remember, Holland is below sea level. My wavy hair became instantly curly as the moisture from the humid air hit me like a broken dike!
I was going to stay at friends flat in the small village of Hoofdorp, which was about twenty minutes from Amsterdam. My friend was a model I had met while partying in Los Angeles. I had mentioned to her that it would be fun to visit Amsterdam and she told me about her vacation flat and that she went there sometimes to veg out on drugs, sex and partying. Something that Amsterdam is well known for.
After I picked up my bags at the baggage claim, I noticed several American fast food places at the airport and grinned to myself. Even in another country, we still have an effect on them, although the USA was still known for being a prude country when it came to sexual activities. I passed the metro station and waved a taxi to take me to my friend’s flat. I noticed that there were a lot of tall people in Holland and most of them rode bicycles. I mean, there were bicycles everywhere! There were bicycles locked up on sidewalks, riding around and people were just sitting on them talking to one another.
I finally arrived at my friend’s flat and turned on the “air-co” which the Dutch refer to as air conditioning. Once the place cooled down, I unpacked my suitcases, took a shower and then took a nap. I was planning on venturing out that evening. I had bought a book for touring Amsterdam, but then decided to just tour it on my own. Once I awoke, I got dressed and took a taxi into the center of Amsterdam. The driver was very nice. In the center of Amsterdam, there are a lot of coffee shops. I had always found it odd that they were called coffee shops, because they sold more drugs in these places than actual coffee.
If you’re planning a trip to Amsterdam anytime soon, I heard recently that the coffee shops are getting stricter all the time. They are not allowed to promote drugs, including web sites. They can't sell hard drugs. You must be at least eighteen years old to be inside one and they require proof of age.
They've limited selling to five grams with a maximum of 500 grams on the premises. And, get this, they can't sell alcoholic beverages. Go figure.
The laws are always changing, so you might want to check into them before making that trek to an Amsterdam coffee shop. A couple of the coffee shops that I can think of offhand to check out are:
Nescafe - Nes lane which off dam Square.
De Dampkring - Handboogstraat 29
So, you’re sitting in a Dutch coffee shop and you want to enjoy the pleasure of hash or marijuana that is being offered. In Holland, these are called soft drugs.
Although, for most Americans and tourists, they are not so soft. Please be warned that Dutch quality is a lot stronger than what you are used to back at home. Even if you think you can handle it, still start low and go slow at least for the first night. You don’t want to fall prey to someone wanting to take advantage of you. So, just be cautious on the grade you decide on for your first time.
As for the Dutch law, they make a clear distinction between hard drugs, which are drugs with unacceptable risks involved and there are soft drugs, which are drugs with limited risks. Hard drugs are illegal and sentences run up to twelve years in prison. So don’t end up spending your vacation or “chill” time sitting in a cell wondering what happened. You have been warned.
Interestingly enough, the sale and use of soft drugs is illegal too, but use and possession for personal use, you can have up to thirty grams in your possession and they turn a blind eye and you will not be prosecuted. Just keep that in mind. The reason behind the Dutch government keeping soft drugs separate from the harder drugs, is it makes it possible to control it more and stop people from possibly turning to the harder drugs and staying away from crime and addiction.
You can read the rest of this story from any of the major book sellers, or also at http://www.vincestead.com or http://www.fun2readbooks.com
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