Earlier this year, the Dutch government began phasing in restrictions on the coffeeshops, which sell marijuana and hashish legally and under regulation and pay taxes. On May 1, starting in southern provinces, Dutch citizens were required for the first time to present a government-issued “weed pass” for admission to the coffeeshops. Non-Dutch citizens could not get a weed pass, effectively killing the foreign trade. Dutch citizens have largely voided the weed pass.
The idea was to prevent mostly German, Belgian and French tourists from crossing the border to purchase drugs illegal in their own countries. The ban, imposed by the outgoing national government, was due to roll out – so to speak – to the rest of the country on January 1, 2013.
Yet in an interview yesterday in the Dutch newspaper Volkskrant, Amsterdam Mayor Eberhard Van der Laan said that the new measures will not take effect in Amsterdam, the nation’s largest city and biggest tourist draw.
“Amsterdam gets some 7 million tourists per year, of whom it is estimated that 1.5 million visit one of the city’s coffeeshops,” he said. If barred from the coffeeshops, “The one-and-a-half million tourists will not say, ‘then no more marijuana.’ They will swarm all over the city looking for drugs,” from illicit sources. “This would lead, to more robberies, quarrels about fake drugs, and no control of the quality of drugs on the market,” precisely the effects the ban was intended to avoid.
Amsterdam credits the coffeehouse system, in part, with cleaning up neighborhoods where illicit sales once reigned, such as the historic enclaves of Zeedijk and De Wallen. “The city council, the police and the residents have been busy 20 years to reclaim that area,” Van der Laan said. If the ban hit Amsterdam, “Everything we have worked towards would be lost to misery.”
The newspaper reports about 220 coffeeshops in Amsterdam, about one-third of the total nationwide.
To arrive at this deal with the national Minister for Security and Justice, Amsterdam had to offer assurances of policies of checks and balances on the coffeeshops. “Sales to minors, drugs which are too strong, stocking of too large a quantity, advertising or causing nuisance – we will close in and deal with offenders ruthlessly,” Van der Laan said.
Amsterdam To Weed Smokers: Party On. - Forbes.
By Josey Vogels
April 18, 2009
SexPot: Want to Have Great Sex? Smoke a Joint
Marijuana has been used as an aphrodisiac for thousands of years. So what exactly is it about weed that turns people on?
Marijuana has been used as an aphrodisiac for thousands of years.
The ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine systems used cannabis to increase libido, produce long-lasting erections, delay ejaculation, facilitate lubrication and loosen inhibitions.
Some Tantric sex practitioners drink a substance called bhang, a sort of spiced marijuana milkshake to enhance the sexual experience. According to one source, Indian prostitutes eat bhang sherbet to help them feel sexually aroused.
In 19th century Serbia, female virgins were given mixtures of lamb's fat and cannabis on their wedding night to make sex less painful. Morocco, Egypt, Lebanon and other Middle Eastern and Northern African cultures used cannabis for sexual purposes in a potent form known at kif as recently as the early 20th century.
So what exactly is it about weed that turns people on?
Besides the obvious: it heightens your senses, relaxes you and makes you feel hyper connected, there are also physiological effects.
Along with an increased heart rate, changes in blood flow and respiration, according to William Novak, author of the 1980 tome, High Culture: Marijuana in the Lives of Americans, "Neurochemistry, hormonal systems and brain regions such as the temporal lobe are affected by both marijuana and sexual arousal."
That's because THC (delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol), the active ingredient in pot, not only releases dopamine in the brain -- causing the "high" -- it actually replicates the effects of a sexy little naturally occurring neurochemical called anandamide.
But pot doesn't always make sex better. For some people, it has the exact opposite effect. Which is helpful if you're a monk.
Ascetics, monks and others have used marijuana to free themselves of sexual desire. Instead of connecting them to their bodies, sexual desires, or other people, it helps them meditate.
In the context of a sexual encounter, it can be tough to focus on making your partner come when your mind is busy contemplating the meaning of life. Or if being high makes you suddenly hyper-aware of everything that is wrong with your relationship.
The effects of smoking also depend on the person's tolerance to the drug -- a couple of tokes may get one person in the mood, while another user may need to get really high in order to feel a heightened sexual awareness.
Of course, when it comes to pot, you can have too much of a good thing. Heavy, long-term marijuana use can result in low motivation -- including the motivation to have sex.
And whereas some folks report an increased libido -- in one study, men said they achieved bigger, harder erections and women said they became wetter and were more able to achieve orgasm when stoned -- others may report an inability to sustain an erection.
It is commonly believed that smoking marijuana causes reproductive system damage, having an effect on testosterone production and other hormones -- which, in turn, can affect fertility, menstruation and erectile function, among other things. Pot prohibitionists like to haul out the "pot will lower your sperm count" argument, although studies on this produce conflicting results.
It is true that the cells of the reproductive system are very high in fat, and thus absorb and hold more THC than do most other cells in the body, a factor that leads some researchers to believe pot can lower testosterone levels. Apparently, in some cases, male pot smokers have developed "man boobs" because of localized fatty deposits.
Still, according to Novak, "There have been no epidemiological studies which have shown increased infertility in marijuana-using humans, and studies of overall reproductive rates have found no reduction in reproductive rates in countries where a higher rate of marijuana use is found.
And the National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws cites study upon study indicating that reported lower sperm levels return to normal once marijuana consumption had ceased.
So put that in your pipe and smoke it.
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