CANNABIS CULTURE – When Hans Kamperman wrote his farewell to family and friends on Facebook, he says, he believed his death would be a sacrifice for the entire planet.
Dutch Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten told parliament last week that the government intends to classify marijuana with a THC content of 15% or more as a Class A drug like heroin and cocaine and bar it from being sold in the country's famous cannabis coffee shops.
As I sat on the airplane after departing Amsterdam-Schipol airport heading back to Vancouver, I reflected on my three-week European getaway.
My girlfriend and I started our adventure in Amsterdam. I always get a feeling of peace when I'm in there. There is such a strange feeling about a place where I do not have to worry about opening my purse and having a big bag of Tangerine Dream fall out onto the floor.
A ruling in the Dutch courts means that foreigners heading to Amsterdam's famous marijuana cafés will soon will be banned from buying cannabis in a bid to end drug tourism to the Netherlands.
Foreigners traveling to the Netherlands will be barred from buying marijuana in so-called coffee shops next year, a move that could hurt tourism to the capital, Amsterdam.
The Netherlands is embarking on a crusade against its multi-billion-euro marijuana industry, with significant implications both for its economy and its famously liberal approach to life.
Holland's cannabis café culture will be dealt another blow on Friday as the Dutch government decides that the strong marijuana currently sold in coffee shops should be classed in same category as heroin and cocaine.