BLUNT BROTHERS & NEW AMSTERDAM CAFE smoking shops

SMOKING in the CRACK PARK

For stoners who have never been there, Amsterdam and Vancouver are mythical elements of the 420 marijuana culture. Amsterdam holds legendary status as the home of Amsterdam coffeeshops, those places where you order pot and hash from a list without being paranoid about the police. Vancouver, home to another great pot growing and seed culture, is also know to be lenient on marijuana users. Some myths suggest that you can go to Amsterdam-style coffeeshops in Vancouver, buy pot there, and smoke it. Not quite...

Getting stoned in Vancouver is not what it was a year or two ago. The Vancouver authorities are pulling in the reins on their tolerance of the BC marijuana legalization movement. This legal issue has gone beyond the city of Vancouver up to higher courts, and two establishments owned by the same person were shut down because of drug sales and use occurring. Though the history bad relations between this owner and the city have aggravated the situation, this precedent weakens the position of the remaining smoking places.

IT'S NOT AMSTERDAM -- COFFEESHOPS ARE THE GOAL, BUT NOT THE MEANS

People who go to Amsterdam and visit the coffeeshops for the first time are amazed at how free it feels to smoke pot casually and socially in public. In Amsterdam you can go to one of 350 coffeeshops, buy some pot at a counter, take it with you, or smoke it there. Coffeeshops always have a coffee bar with other non-alcoholic drinks, and a small number of them also sell alcohol.

Unlike back in the United States, in an Amsterdam coffeeshop you don't have to look over your shoulder to see if the cops are around. As far as I can tell, some Amsterdam police smoke pot themselves. In Amsterdam, you don't even have to be in a coffeeshop to smoke -- anywhere on the street is acceptable, although it may be considered rude in some nicer neighborhoods.

A similar indoor experience is possible in Vancouver, at least as long as the cops let it go on. You can take your pot to one or two remaining cafes, where you can sit in comfortable surroundings, listen to music, buy some drinks or food, and take a toke. Sometimes there are bands; otherwise you can play pool or maybe a game of chess or backgrammon.

The similarity to Amsterdam coffeeshops stops here, though. First, there are only two places where you can sit down and smoke a bowl unmolested. While coffeeshops in Amsterdam are often located in or near important historical buildings in nice neighborhoods, even the worst coffeeshop in the Red Light District is still in a safe neighborhood when compared to the Vancouver Green Zone area.

The Green Zone unfortunately is located in the second-worst neighborhood in downtown Vancouver. West Hastings street is home to a crack park and nearby heroin neighborhoods. Worse, unless you have a local friend (or figure out a secret or two) the only way to get weed is on the streets from any of the many shifty characters who peddle pot and other things. These dealers can be found in and around the crack park at Cambie and West Hastings.

CRIMINALITY REDUCES SAFETY, SELECTION, AND VALUE

While in an Amsterdam coffeeshop, you will find a variety of pot and hash to purchase at listed prices. You will also have a chance to inspect anything you might buy, and if you don't like the way it looks, you can find another strain or another coffeeshop. The process is safe and protects both you the buyer and the coffeeshop.

You must throw common sense and safety out the window to get pot in Vancouver. This is a lesson in "buyer beware" set in a dangerous environment. Hastings Street is a place where you would normally lock your car door for fear of carjacking, but to get pot you have to park and deal with the street folks.

The people selling pot are looking for tourists who don't know the going rate and quality. I never saw anything on the streets approaching the quality I know BC bud is capable of. These dealers sell very small bags, maybe 1/2-3/4 grams, for prices ranging from 10-15 Canadian dollars. Because this is only 6-10 US dollars, it's not that expensive compared to back home, but the quality is lower and there's little time to judge a product when making an illegal transaction in public in a foreign country.