.random[oid]archive

If someone told me they had lived in
The Netherlands for more than two years and
never smoked marijuana I would call them
a flat out liar!

Before I moved to The Netherlands I had only been there twice on holiday with (at that time) my girlfriend (who is obviously my ex now). It was one of those experiences where you get an instant positive vibe and feel at home and think you could live there the rest of your life.
That kind of changed, but for different reasons.

Still, The Netherlands is one of my favourite countries I have lived in so far; and if I could I would move back there in a heartbeat.

On both holidays we did like most tourists do, find a good coffeeshop, check the menu, buy some weed and toke up. As we are not the stereotypical dope-fiends, we also wanted to be sober when we walked around being regular tourists. There is so much more to see and do in Amsterdam than sitting at a coffeeshop getting high all day.

My first impression of coffeeshops was very positive— look for the white and green sticker that shows they are approved by the government —it was like walking into any kind of random quiet and respectable public establishment with a pleasant clientele.

It is almost like going to a nice restaurant for a bottle of wine. When you are ready to order you are presented with the “wine list” of what the “house” have to offer. Then if you are not known with the “wines” on the list, the connoisseur will happily tell you about the different “wines”.

When I did eventually move to The Netherlands, because I needed a job, I decided that I could not start smoking weed instantly; as I was moving there to do a job, not to become a pothead.
I decided I needed a set of rules to limit myself until I eventually did finally start enjoying the nice feeling of having THC flowing around in my body and my mind; after work of course.

It was actually three four rules that kept me from frying my brain:
1. Never smoke during workdays, except after work on the last day at work before  the weekend.
2. Only smoke during weekends and holidays.
3. Never smoke the day before work.
4. Only smoke one day during the weekend. (This rule was only enforced for a short period of time.)

After a month or two letting myself enjoy the freedom of the legalised herb (Cannabis has been legalised in NL, it is NOT legal, learn the difference!), I felt I had more control and knew my limits a lot better (also based on previous experiences with hash when living in Norway), so I completely erased rule #4 very quickly. Eventually I started to see through my fingers regarding the other three rules.

I will admit that during a short period of time I did indulge in some weed binges now and then, but I eventually grew tired of that. So tired after each binge I actually had periods I didn’t smoke for a month; because I generally smoked at least every weekend.
Instead of getting fired up on beer, I got fired up on weed; and instead of waking up with a major hangover, I just woke up being slightly drowsy.

Since we, my wife and I, moved from The Netherlands I have not used marijuana at all. Why? Well, because it is illegal here in Australia and I want to respect the law; and the laws in Australia are bonkers. I do not agree with it, but I prefer to be without it than ending up in jail or deported.
Luckily Damiana is legal here, but that is kind of mixing one part Vodka with 100 parts water. Maybe you will get a slight buzz, but the amount and taste is just not comparable to the real herb.

There you have it. My life in The Netherlands was not just about work, enjoying a good beer, making new friends and meeting my lovely wife, but also enjoying some weed now and then when I felt like it. Without being afraid of being hassled by the cops or scammed by some shady dealer.

With that said, I will always prefer marijuana over alcohol; and I will always feel much safer if I accidently bump into someone high on marijuana than fired up on beer.

Note: The picture above is one of my pipes I owned in The Netherlands and used to smoke marijuana and damiana with.
Later this week you will read why I wrote this article.

I also want to add that marijuana is not a gateway drug! If it is, why have I only used marijuana and not hard drugs?