On July 1, 2008 the Netherlands introduced a new set of rules for tobacco smoking. Most indoor smoking of tobacco or joints with tobacco is no longer allowed. With the one major exception is that smoking of tobacco is allowed in rooms where no employees work. Since most bars & coffeeshops are small in the Netherlands there are few places yet where you can smoke tobacco inside. Smoking is still allowed at the outdoor cafes. Inside coffeeshops you are only allowed to smoke pure cannabis (and tobacco substitutes). The only coffeeshop that has made a separate room for tobacco smokers that I've been in is the Bluebird Coffeeshop. Dolphins Coffeeshop has made the downstairs tobacco smoking. Upstairs is pure cannabis only and with vaporizers. I have not been to any other coffeeshops with separate tobacco smoking areas but I hear about 20 other coffeeshops in the Amsterdam area have made tobacco smoking rooms. A major disappointment for me as a pure cannabis smoker is that a lot of bars & nightclubs that use to allow me to smoke cannabis, no longer do. Since the fine for a bar is 2,400 euro for the 4th offense of breaking the tobacco smoking ban, most places besides coffeeshops find it too much of a hassle to determine if your smoke is only cannabis and have banned all smoking. A few clubs are large enough that they do have a separate smoking room now. But I no longer can smoke pure cannabis while seeing live bands at the Paradiso and the Melkweg. The only bar I've been to so far that is cannabis friendly is the Nes Cafe. The front room is for tobacco smoking while pure cannabis smoking is allowed in the rest of the bar including the pool table. It's only been a few days since the new rules took effect and I'll have more info as I get around to more places in the coming weeks.
Thanks for keeping us posted. Its really nice to hear about how the shops are adjusting to this new law.
What's happening at Boerejongens when I was there in April I was asked to smoke my pure joint outside. Have they changed yet?
Still no smoking anything inside Boerejonens as far as I know. Since July 1, several other coffeeshops in Amsterdam also have gone totally smoke free inside.
I wae in Adms in may 08 no prob smoking ,but last wk when i was in amsterdam i couldnt smoke in pubs or some coffee shops ,big changes ,still the best .
Would you be kind enough to mention the names of some other shops that have gone totally smoke free inside? I'm curious as to which places I will no longer be able to enjoy in the same way as I used to.
As far as I know there's no way to test if the joint you are smoking has tobacco or not. The Dutch law of "no tobacco inside coffeeshops" is laughable at best. To avoid trouble for the coffeeshop, just keep your tobacco stash in a bag and don't show your ciggie pack. Use the stash and just say you are smoking "tobacco substitute" or pure.. no one has given me shit about it till now and I've done it in several places, including bars and coffeeshops.
