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Live from Amsterdam

February 11, 2003 ~ 3:41 p.m.

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands - It really is a city unlike any other in terms of the people and the culture.

The people are great; in my opinion, they are the friendliest class of Europeans I've yet to meet.

The culture is amazing. It seems, however improbable it may sound coming from me, the unofficial legalization of marijuana really does work. This is because the police in Amsterdam reckon they have harder drugs and bigger crimes to tackle. Personally, I am glad for the harsh stance against it in places like France, Spain, the U.K. or the U.S. I wouldn't want to have to get high everwhere I went - heh! But seriously, my dilemma was solved through pure serendipity. As I walked out of the hotel the first day, on my way to check the local pharmacy for codeine (which, get this, you need a prescription for here), there was a perfectly good joint lying on the sidewalk by my feet. It must have been dropped by someone too stoned to care? Anyway, this led to the consumption of another hasj joint in a brown cafe in the Red Light District and a Thai joint today. Yes, I indulged. But when in Rome ... (A similar point could be made to lunchtime drinking in the U.K. Imbibing at lunch in America, unless you are a CEO, is an almost-certain no-no. A culture shock for me at first, but I surely take a beer at lunch for granted now, whenever I'm not swimming.)

The war on hard drugs is a must. And the Dutch are as serious as anyone else when it comes to punishing hard drug usage. But the Dutch experiment with cannabis certainly is intriguing. Of course, there is always the lingering question - if the coffeeshops supply the user, who supplies the coffeeshops? Is this a drug trade that kills others, hidden deaths we never read about and never will? If so, I will never smoke another joint again, even here in Amsterdam.

But then you have, beyond the liberal attitudes, a city that operates on a level with others. People work here, businesses thrive, there are churches and museums and beautiful canals and architecture.

It is the Venice of the North. I'm glad to be here. And a bit sorry to leave, which we'll be doing tonight.

� M.E.M.

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