| Big Buds |
| Police shut down the Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam today. It will be relocated and is still a “go.” |
The 24th annual High Times Cannabis Cup in Amsterdam, for the first time in its history, has been raided by Dutch police. According to reports, attendees were searched as they left the event.
The unprecedented raid comes as a wave of more conservative cannabis policies and attitudes engulfs the Netherlands.
In a video posted to YouTube, police can be heard announcing the event was being shut down and that attendees are subject to search, reports High Times. Vendors were asked to remain at their booths while attendees left.
High Times has announced that the event will continue Wednesday night with a scheduled concert at the Melkweg a concert hall in Amsterdam, followed by a full day of the expo — including Cannabis Cup voting — at the Borchland (Borchlandweg) on Thursday, the final day of the competition.
| Lara Darson/Ali Bongo |
The intervention by Dutch law enforcement started over a “misunderstanding” about a permit application filed by the venue to host the event, according to organizers. That led police clearing the expo and reportedly searching attendees as they left.
That “misunderstanding” has since been “resolved,” according to organizers, leaving us to wonder why such details weren’t all taken care of beforehand.
“No attendees were arrested and attendees are not the targets of the police presence,” High Times claimed on its website. “Police entered the expo to ensure that all vendors were in compliance with tax laws and a 500-gram limit for cannabis that’s enforced in the Netherlands.
“Only one vendor has been identified as potentially over the limit, and if so, only slightly,” High Times said.