The latest cannabis news! We’re enjoying one of the most beautiful summers ever in the Netherlands but if you’re still thinking of travelling to foreign climes, how about a cannabis tour through the United States? Or a trip to Canada, where you can buy cannabis ice-cream? Not that we don’t have plenty of quality products here in the Netherlands; that was clear during the Highlife Cup 2018. However, we start with news about the failed project to clean up Amsterdam’s Red Light District that included shutting down 26 coffeeshops.

From our journalists

Project to clean up the Red Light District fails

Wallen 1012 coffeeshopsThe City of Amsterdam’s plan was ambitious to say the least; a clean-up of the Red Light District, where 26 coffeeshops were forced to close. But now, the Amsterdam Court of Auditors has presented a damning report, announcing that the project has failed.

The project, christened 1012 after the postcode of the area, was launched almost 10 years ago with a lot of fanfare. The idea was to firmly deal with coffeeshops, gift shops, massage parlours and window prostitution in the Red Light District and replace them with ‘decent’ catering services and shops.

Coffeeshops

No fewer than 26 coffeeshops closed their doors for good, especially around the Warmoesstraat, and dozens of window brothels were shut. However, they were merely replaced by tourist shops and mini-supermarkets; basically one monoculture making way for another.

Red Light District

According to the Court of Auditor’s report, there was insufficient political support for the project, especially after Lodewijk Asscher, the councillor who thought it up, left the city for the central government in The Hague. The project was also too ambitious and needed more time allocated to it. Crime and trafficking are still present in the Red Light District.

Cannabis lawyer Maurice Veldman dedicated his last column to this topic (in Dutch).  (LINK)

Cannabis ice creams

When the mercury rises, we all enjoy an ice-cream. Being a coffeeshop, we’re not allowed to officially tell you how to make cannabis ice cream, so you’re going to have to look it up on the internet yourself. Things are much simpler in Canada, where you can buy ready-to-eat cannabis ice-cream on-line for 10 dollars (€6.50).

The ice-cream comes in three flavours:  Coco Beware Lime Coconut (with lime and coconut), Rocky Mountain Fudgsicle, (with chocolate) and The White Bronco Creamsicle (with orange and coconut). Each ice-cream contains 40 mg of THC. The ice is shipped in polystyrene boxes with dry ice but unfortunately it’s only available in Canada for the time being.

Cannabis dream trip

USA cannabis tourWhile we’re on the subject of faraway lands, the American business magazine Forbes has published a cannabis dream trip, with five weed-smoking destinations in the United States. Perfect for a honeymoon, too. If you’re thinking of heading that way, here’s the list.

  1. San Francisco, California

Sun all the way, with a possibility of a CBD massage at the Remède Spa in the St. Regis, a dinner with THC elements in The Opulent Chef, or enjoy organic cannabis from the craft brand Flow Kana.

  1. Denver, Colorado

The first American state to legalise cannabis. Colorado has a long list of accommodations, locations and ways to circumvent the problem of public consumption, such as Loopr, a mobile marijuana lounge.

  1. Portland, Oregon

Stay in the Dream Suite of the Jupiter Hotel and enjoy the 420 package, which includes a vape pen and lots of discount coupons. Then take the High 5 Tours to learn more about the cannabis scene.

  1. Seattle, Washington

Seattle is a cannabis-friendly city, with regular tours on board the Cannabus. Finish the day with a Leira Cannagars handmade cannabis cigar in marijuana leaves.

  1. Las Vegas, Nevada

Most people who visit Las Vegas will probably want to gamble in one of the many casinos but you can also enjoy a ‘culinary’ surprise under the guise of a Crafted Culinary Cannabis Experience. Las Vegas is also home to the largest cannabis pharmacy: the NuWu Cannabis Marketplace with drive in!

Highlife Cup 2018

De High Life Cup 2018

www.softsecrets.com

The Highlife Cup is a well-known cannabis competition that was launched back in 1994 by the Dutch Highlife Magazine. Specially selected cannabis connoisseurs assess the best weed and hash from the Netherlands via a blind test. This year saw a primeur; election of the Plant of the Year.

Thirty participants supplied 135 samples, in categories varying from seeds to skunk, at the private event that took place in Best. This year, the Cup was linked to the Plant of the Year contest, which we mentioned in a previous blog. On-line visitors and a professional jury were able to choose the best plant from various seed companies in five categories. Here are the winners:

  • Indica: Serious Kush from Serious Seeds
  • Sativa: Moby Dick from Dinafem
  • Hybrids: Sticky Monkey GG#4 from Seedstockers.com
  • Autoflowers: Auto Kritical Red from Mr. Hide Seeds
  • CBD strains: Solodiol Auto from Elite Seeds
  • New strains: Royal Gorilla from Royal Queen Seeds

Another winner of the Highlife Cup 2018 was the Lemon Zkitlle from Dutch Passion, a new American sativa dominant that was created by crossing a Las Vegas Lemon Skunk with a Zkittle. The American ‘Gorilla Glue’ variants and the Neville’s Haze also scored highly. Grower’s Choice won the first prize in the Skunk category. In the CBD category, Charlotte’s Angel was the winner. This strain has less than 1% THC and 20% CBD.