Drugs cost monies.
March 25, 2010 5:02 PM Subscribe
When the max tolerated amount is 500g and you've got 200kgs; ya you may just have stepped over the line a teeny bit.
posted by Mitheral at 5:20 PM on March 25, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Mitheral at 5:20 PM on March 25, 2010 [3 favorites]
He was convicted for keeping more than the maximum tolerated amount of 500g (18oz) of drugs at the cafe. Checkpoint served up to 3,000 people a day before being closed last year. On a couple of occasions, police found 200kg (440lb) of cannabis when they raided the coffee house.
Most if not all coffee shops exceed the "maximum amount" tolerated. It is when other behaviour becomes intolerable (such as selling more than 5g in one transaction, selling to minors, generally being a nuisance) that the hammer comes down on the amount.
Or so I have heard from some people who heard it from some other people.
posted by three blind mice at 5:23 PM on March 25, 2010
Most if not all coffee shops exceed the "maximum amount" tolerated. It is when other behaviour becomes intolerable (such as selling more than 5g in one transaction, selling to minors, generally being a nuisance) that the hammer comes down on the amount.
Or so I have heard from some people who heard it from some other people.
posted by three blind mice at 5:23 PM on March 25, 2010
It's NOT Amsterdam.
The town, close to the Belgian border, put up road signs showing the way to the Checkpoint and built a car park near it to reduce traffic congestion in town.
I know the drug laws in The Netherlands have recently changed, but even several years back when I was there on exchange, it was much more regulated outside of Amsterdam.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:23 PM on March 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
The town, close to the Belgian border, put up road signs showing the way to the Checkpoint and built a car park near it to reduce traffic congestion in town.
I know the drug laws in The Netherlands have recently changed, but even several years back when I was there on exchange, it was much more regulated outside of Amsterdam.
posted by Durn Bronzefist at 5:23 PM on March 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
Also 3000 people. To make the math easy assume they buy 1g each at €10. That's €30k in revenue per day.
So a fine of €10k is a light slap on the wrist.
posted by three blind mice at 5:26 PM on March 25, 2010
So a fine of €10k is a light slap on the wrist.
posted by three blind mice at 5:26 PM on March 25, 2010
(shrug) That's what you get for being greedy. I'm about as pro-legalization as you can get, but if he was storing millions of euros worth when the legal limits say he shouldn't have had more than a few thousands' worth he was asking for trouble.
posted by anigbrowl at 5:27 PM on March 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by anigbrowl at 5:27 PM on March 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
three blind mice, you're off by a factor of 1,000. He was fined ten MILLION euro.
posted by anigbrowl at 5:30 PM on March 25, 2010 [2 favorites]
posted by anigbrowl at 5:30 PM on March 25, 2010 [2 favorites]
So a fine of €10k is a light slap on the wrist.
€10m > €10k
posted by Mr_Zero at 5:33 PM on March 25, 2010
€10m > €10k
posted by Mr_Zero at 5:33 PM on March 25, 2010
total buzzkill
posted by angrycat at 5:36 PM on March 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
posted by angrycat at 5:36 PM on March 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
So a fine of €10k is a light slap on the wrist
Which is probably why the fine was €10m. That's a year's worth of revenue if they were clearing 30K a day.
It sounds like this place was acting sort of like the liquor stores on the county line adjacent to a dry county and was getting business from tourists coming across or "last chance" or "first chance" buying opportunities at the border.
IF the marijuana proposition makes the ballot and passes...
and IF the feds let California exercise its state's right to govern maryjane (I expect every Republican member of congress to support California in this regard, there's not a goddamn thing about weed in the Constitution... except I think the original copies were printed on hemp paper).
and IF San Bernadino County allows the sale of marijuana...
I wonder if there will be a weed store right at the California/Nevada border at Primm that would do something like that. There's a convenience store there right now that is physically in California that will often sell more lottery tickets than any other place in the state. I could see Nevadans and tourists buying dope there and the NHP waiting at the I15 onramp (which is in Nevada) busting people for possession.
posted by birdherder at 5:41 PM on March 25, 2010
Which is probably why the fine was €10m. That's a year's worth of revenue if they were clearing 30K a day.
It sounds like this place was acting sort of like the liquor stores on the county line adjacent to a dry county and was getting business from tourists coming across or "last chance" or "first chance" buying opportunities at the border.
IF the marijuana proposition makes the ballot and passes...
and IF the feds let California exercise its state's right to govern maryjane (I expect every Republican member of congress to support California in this regard, there's not a goddamn thing about weed in the Constitution... except I think the original copies were printed on hemp paper).
and IF San Bernadino County allows the sale of marijuana...
I wonder if there will be a weed store right at the California/Nevada border at Primm that would do something like that. There's a convenience store there right now that is physically in California that will often sell more lottery tickets than any other place in the state. I could see Nevadans and tourists buying dope there and the NHP waiting at the I15 onramp (which is in Nevada) busting people for possession.
posted by birdherder at 5:41 PM on March 25, 2010
I wish the govt. would stop bogarting all the good shit.
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:41 PM on March 25, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by Saxon Kane at 5:41 PM on March 25, 2010 [3 favorites]
three blind mice, you're off by a factor of 1,000. He was fined ten MILLION euro.
Correct. Thank you.
posted by three blind mice at 6:07 PM on March 25, 2010
Correct. Thank you.
posted by three blind mice at 6:07 PM on March 25, 2010
Lived in A'dam a long time. Everyone knows you go here: http://home.freeuk.net/coffeeshop/TweedeKamer.html
posted by digitalprimate at 6:10 PM on March 25, 2010
posted by digitalprimate at 6:10 PM on March 25, 2010
I could see Nevadans and tourists buying dope there and the NHP waiting at the I15 onramp (which is in Nevada) busting people for possession.
This doesn't happen so much in Germany or Belgium (which border the Netherlands), but it seems the neighboring countries lean on the Dutch to keep their own house in order which may well be the case here.
But it will be a problem in the U.S. with Federal acceptance of State practice. Obama told the Feds to lay off medical marijuana - he may not have the same tolerance for recreational use.
It will be fun to watch the battle between the Republican "States Rights" brain cell warring against the "Law and Order" brain cell.
posted by three blind mice at 6:17 PM on March 25, 2010 [6 favorites]
This doesn't happen so much in Germany or Belgium (which border the Netherlands), but it seems the neighboring countries lean on the Dutch to keep their own house in order which may well be the case here.
But it will be a problem in the U.S. with Federal acceptance of State practice. Obama told the Feds to lay off medical marijuana - he may not have the same tolerance for recreational use.
It will be fun to watch the battle between the Republican "States Rights" brain cell warring against the "Law and Order" brain cell.
posted by three blind mice at 6:17 PM on March 25, 2010 [6 favorites]
Am I the only one that reads "10m euros" as 10 milli-euros, or 1 euro-cent?
(At least it's not as confusing as the term billion, whose value depends on where you live.)
posted by Cody's Keeper at 6:31 PM on March 25, 2010
(At least it's not as confusing as the term billion, whose value depends on where you live.)
posted by Cody's Keeper at 6:31 PM on March 25, 2010
At first I read this as "Dutch coffee shop fined 10 euros..." and thought, "Yeah, that sounds like the Netherlands..."
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:46 PM on March 25, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:46 PM on March 25, 2010 [3 favorites]
(shrug) That's what you get for being greedy. I'm about as pro-legalization as you can get, but if he was storing millions of euros worth when the legal limits say he shouldn't have had more than a few thousands' worth he was asking for trouble.
You're "as pro-legalization as you can get" but you have no problem with a law limiting possession to 500g. Odd.
posted by ripley_ at 6:50 PM on March 25, 2010 [2 favorites]
You're "as pro-legalization as you can get" but you have no problem with a law limiting possession to 500g. Odd.
posted by ripley_ at 6:50 PM on March 25, 2010 [2 favorites]
No, you are not the only one. I think it was the small "m" that threw me-- it looks so insignificant. I read the headline like "Dutch Coffee Shop fined $1.00." I only clicked the link to see what kind of crime that would be fined $1.00 is important enough for a FPP.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:50 PM on March 25, 2010
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:50 PM on March 25, 2010
Boy, my writing is like mush today, and I don't have even have the excuse of being drunk.
...what kind of crime, resulting in a $1.00 fine, is important enough for a FPP.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:54 PM on March 25, 2010
...what kind of crime, resulting in a $1.00 fine, is important enough for a FPP.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:54 PM on March 25, 2010
To be fair, without getting into the whole kg/g mathematics, 200 is less than 500.
posted by rainy at 6:56 PM on March 25, 2010
posted by rainy at 6:56 PM on March 25, 2010
200 is greater than 500 for large values of 200.
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:57 PM on March 25, 2010 [3 favorites]
posted by ZenMasterThis at 6:57 PM on March 25, 2010 [3 favorites]
I could see Nevadans and tourists buying dope there and the NHP waiting at the I15 onramp (which is in Nevada) busting people for possession.
A few years ago, when fireworks were still illegal in Minnesota, but you could buy almost anything in Wisconsin, the MN State Patrol used to station guys in unmarked cars to hang around the parking lot in the border town fireworks shops, taking down Minnesota plate numbers. They'd radio back the info to a patrolman on the other side of the river, who'd wait for the car in question to come back over the bridge and pull it over.
posted by gimonca at 8:04 PM on March 25, 2010
A few years ago, when fireworks were still illegal in Minnesota, but you could buy almost anything in Wisconsin, the MN State Patrol used to station guys in unmarked cars to hang around the parking lot in the border town fireworks shops, taking down Minnesota plate numbers. They'd radio back the info to a patrolman on the other side of the river, who'd wait for the car in question to come back over the bridge and pull it over.
posted by gimonca at 8:04 PM on March 25, 2010
Total bullshit.
Why, chillmost? A limit of 500g of cannabis for sale seems a fairly reasonable restriction. I imagine it keeps the cafes small and unobtrusive. This guy was definitely in it for the money if he was clearing that much in a day.
posted by zardoz at 8:08 PM on March 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
Why, chillmost? A limit of 500g of cannabis for sale seems a fairly reasonable restriction. I imagine it keeps the cafes small and unobtrusive. This guy was definitely in it for the money if he was clearing that much in a day.
posted by zardoz at 8:08 PM on March 25, 2010 [1 favorite]
Everyone knows you go here: http://home.freeuk.net/coffeeshop/TweedeKamer.html
I always preferred The Greenhouse or Grey Area myself.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:55 PM on March 25, 2010
I always preferred The Greenhouse or Grey Area myself.
posted by PeterMcDermott at 8:55 PM on March 25, 2010
So, he's clearing 3000 customers a day, with 200kg of weed in the cafe, working out to be about 60g of pot a customer. I don't smoke, but this is more than you would smoke at once, I imagine. He's pushed himself from cafe to dealer really.
posted by Jilder at 12:09 AM on March 26, 2010
posted by Jilder at 12:09 AM on March 26, 2010
the authorities have their own coffeeshop. it has displays on the wall about their legacy and long history. you gotta ask the stn off
posted by infini at 12:30 AM on March 26, 2010
posted by infini at 12:30 AM on March 26, 2010
This guy was definitely in it for the money if he was clearing that much in a day.
You will find that many business owners are in it for the money
posted by Kirk Grim at 12:33 AM on March 26, 2010 [5 favorites]
You will find that many business owners are in it for the money
posted by Kirk Grim at 12:33 AM on March 26, 2010 [5 favorites]
wow, like, heavy shit man.
posted by the_very_hungry_caterpillar at 3:16 AM on March 26, 2010
posted by the_very_hungry_caterpillar at 3:16 AM on March 26, 2010
So, he's clearing 3000 customers a day, with 200kg of weed in the cafe, working out to be about 60g of pot a customer. I don't smoke, but this is more than you would smoke at once, I imagine. He's pushed himself from cafe to dealer really.
...so? Liquor stores tend to sell more than you can drink at once. Grocery stores tend to sell more than you can eat at once. Libraries will lend you more books than you can read at once.
posted by ripley_ at 10:36 AM on March 26, 2010
...so? Liquor stores tend to sell more than you can drink at once. Grocery stores tend to sell more than you can eat at once. Libraries will lend you more books than you can read at once.
posted by ripley_ at 10:36 AM on March 26, 2010
You will find that many business owners are in it for the money
The Mothers....
posted by ersatz at 12:16 PM on March 26, 2010
The Mothers....
posted by ersatz at 12:16 PM on March 26, 2010
I always preferred The Greenhouse or Grey Area myself.
Katsu is nice. Great cafe/bar on the other side of the square selling Amstel pints, too. One can alternate an afternoon away there easily.
posted by telstar at 7:57 PM on March 26, 2010
Katsu is nice. Great cafe/bar on the other side of the square selling Amstel pints, too. One can alternate an afternoon away there easily.
posted by telstar at 7:57 PM on March 26, 2010
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