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The Netherlands is Just Saying 'No' to Tourists Smoking Pot

A note to all those travelers (and gap year kids) who are hoping to spend the holidays and the turn to next year blazin' with legal marijuana in Amsterdam; your time for fun may be limited at the Dutch government looks to crack down on the sale of pot to tourists. It's all part of an effort to curb crime, reports Reuters, and also because the Netherlands just isnt' fond of their reputation as a hotspot for drug tourism and all the seediness that creates.

"The heart of the problem is crime and disturbances surrounding the sale. We have to go back to what it was meant for: local use for those who would like it," says Ivo Opstelten, the Minister of Public Safety and Justice.

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Get The Pre-Thanksgiving Munchies At Amsterdam's Cannabis Cup

What better time to get the munchies than on the eve of America's favorite all-you-can-eat holiday? (Halloween is amateur hour!) High Times magazine wants you to help it pick the best kind of pot at their 22nd annual Cannabis Cup held in, where else, Amsterdam. Technically, this year's tourney ends on Thanksgiving Day (beginning the 22nd), but if you flew home that day you could probably catch a late-night turkey dinner.

Many coffee shops in Amsterdam submit their own blends for the judging, but each year's cup also features a "surprise weed" that may not be distributed widely for months (if at all). There are some free samples, but even judges at large (a $250 pass gets you in the door, plus a T-shirt) have to buy samples in order to make an educated decision. On the other hand, just like at beer festivals, you'd be hard pressed to find a more efficient way to become a connoisseur of the wares than at the Melkweg concert venue in southwest Amsterdam.

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Colorado Ski Town Ready For Wacky Tobaccy To Hit The Slopes

There’s a new way to relax after a long day on the ski slopes, and we’re not talking about downing a hot toddy by the lodge fireplace. The town of Breckenridge, Colorado recently voted to legalize marijuana within the ski town. For those that spend more time rolling down the mountain rather than remaining on two feet—this is excellent news.

The town voted overwhelmingly to allow snowboarders, skiers, and all others over 21 years old to have up to an ounce of ghanja. However, there is a slight catch, so hold off on heading to your friendly neighborhood head shop. In case you aren’t too familiar with state law, marijuana is still technically illegal in Colorado. So the measure that was approved was more of a local opinion than anything else.

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San Fran Lets Medical Marijuana Take To Its Skies

Thanks to the TSA, travelers have all kinds of hoops to jump through when it’s finally time to catch your flight. Everyone knows there’s some math formula with the number three and something about one ounce when it comes to the rules regarding liquids and plastic baggies. Well if you have something else that weighs an ounce and comes in a plastic bag you won’t have to do much to get through security. Medical marijuana patients can now pass through the San Francisco International Airport and other Bay Area airports without any issues, or so they say.

As long as you have the proper paperwork you can carry up to eight ounces of marijuana with you. That’s the city’s policy, and it’s up to city police to make the final ruling. The TSA kind of has no authority over the issue, but if we had some healing hooch we’d still probably be a little discrete when going through airport security. The US Department of Justice pretty much told US attorneys to not bother passengers when they are just following the state’s rules and regulations.

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Eager Engineers Plan A 'Green' Island City In The Bay Area

Like any big city San Francisco is running out of room. Even with great public transit and the constant flow of eco-friendly options coming from America’s tech center, there just isn’t enough space to keep everyone happy. Engineers, including an ex-Googler, are looking to fix this with an idea that’s one part experiment and one part solution. Their dream is to create a seastead—a manmade island structure right off shore.

Unlike Dubai’s offerings, this new “island” creation looks to do more than just provide swanky accommodations and high elevation tennis. The team at The Seasteading Institute has already begun to draw up plans that would create a floating landmass. They take their design from oil platforms, and hope to create one right on the Pacific Ocean. One engineer likened his design to that of a cruise ship, but we doubt that viewing it from shore will bring back memories of your first Carnival Cruise.

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Where is Michael Phelps' Bong?

In case you were too involved with your seven-layer dip last night and missed the news, the ubiquitous British tabloids caught Michael Phelps smoking the pot. Apparently he was rocking out at a house party at the University of South Carolina in November, when someone snapped a pic of him using a marijuana smoking device.

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Amsterdam Now 20% Less Amsterdammy

It wasn't supposed to happen this way. The idea of making weed and prostitution legal - or quasi-legal - in Amsterdam was meant to remove the criminals from the equation, not encourage more criminals to get involved. But wouldn't you know it, recent years have seen a marked increase in scumbags who roll in to Amsterdam intent on harshing everybody's mellow, and now the gig is up. Authorities in the Dutch capital have had it with the organized crime syndicates who use the coffee shops, peep shows, massage parlors, and other red light businesses to launder money and front gambling parlors, so they're shutting them down. Well, not all of them, just about 20% of the city's special coffee shops in the town center, and an untold number of "windows" where scantily clad prostitutes beckon the lager louts who stagger around on stag parties. So what's left to do in Amsterdam besides getting screwed, blued, and tattooed? Well, the brilliant white light of sobriety and propriety just might steer you to the Rijksmuseum Amsterdam, where you can admire the brush strokes of Dutch Masters like Rembrandt, Vermeer, and Steen. Or you could take in a concert at the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, where the Latvian conductor Mariss Jansons leads some of Europe's most talented musicians through a program of classic and modern masterpieces. And if you're feeling sporty, you could watch Amsterdam Ajax play football in Amsterdam Arena. But if it's your destiny to be bad, then start off with a few pints at any of dozens of pubs throughout the city center and then go find your dens of sin. You won't have to go far.

[Photo: The Guardian]

Related Stories:
· Amsterdam Limits Sex and Drug Trade [The New York Times]
· Amsterdam Coverage [Jaunted]