Dutch Trying to Shut Down High Times Cannabis Cup

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Thanksgiving week in Amsterdam for the last 26 years or so has been a haven for cannabis users and those wanting to celebrate marijuana culture thanks to the High Times Cannabis Cup.
But it seems that after more than a quarter-century of generally being hassle-free, the Dutch are cracking down on events and have shut down the main expo for the event and are strictly enforcing five-gram possession laws and a total ban on solvent-based concentrates.


“This morning we were informed that if were to proceed with the Cannabis Cup Expo the event would be shut down and all participants would be arrested,” High Times wrote on their site yesterday. “We want everyone to know that seminars will continue as scheduled on Monday and Tuesday at the Melkweg. We will announce the location of Wednesday’s and Thursday’s seminars in the next 24 hours. Concerts and the Cannabis Cup awards show remain scheduled. We still intend to have a terrific Cannabis Cup experience. We’ll be seeing you at the seminars, in the coffeeshops and at the Melkweg concerts.”
As of now, the cup is moving forward albeit in a much more scattered and haphazard way. Attendees had been sent out to the coffee shops to toke and meet with vendors. High Times officials say they’ve been double-crossed by local officials.
“We want everyone to know that we would never have allowed vendors to set up, nor would we have had opened the doors to the Expo without assurances from the Mayor’s office that we were under compliance,” they wrote last night. “From the onset, we were informed by our lawyers, who were were working with the Mayor’s office, that as long as we remained compliant with local regulations, we would be allowed to proceed. We have strenuously tried to meet those standards and go beyond them.
HighTimes.com will be updating their information throughout the day.

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