As promised, I am writing this note to share my experiences while

traveling in Holland over the break. My itinerary included 2 days in

London, 6 days in the Hague (Den Haag), and 2 days in Amsterdam. During

this time I was unable to coordinate schedules so that I would be able

to meet with any Dutch AOD professionals, but I did have the opportunity

to observe and note several interesting items.

First and by far the most prominent "drug" observation I have to make

regards tobacco. While no stranger to traveling over seas, I had

forgotten just how many people outside this country smoke tobacco. It

seemed that every where I went, people were smoking. While seeing

someone smoke in this country is no rarity, especially on a college

campus, I was very cognizant of the numbers of individuals who were

smoking. This was true in London, Den Haag, and Amsterdam. It was also

true for individuals of all ages.

On several occasions, I was out at a restaurant or other like public

place and had to leave in order to "catch my breath." I took my son to

the Omniversum in Den Haag for an afternoon performance in their

planetarium. This was attended primarily by secondary ed. students.

Immediately upon exiting the theater, it seemed as if the majority of

the students "lighted up" and this appeared to be with the full approval

of the adults (teachers?) who were obviously accompanying these

students.

I was reminded of just how far we have come in this country with

regards to turning the tables on smoking. When I was in high school in

the sixties, I seem to recall smoking as being as prevalent as I found

it to be in Holland. Currently, the numbers of smokers, nationally, is

down (although there are alarming stats with regards to adolescents

beginning to smoke and numbers of women who smoke) and the public areas

permitting smoking limited. I was unaware of how much I appreciate

these "smoke-free environments" until faced with their absence while in

Europe. As I prepared for this trip and decided to do an informal

ethnographic study of drug use behavior, nicotine was not what I

expected to have rank as the most notable drug consumption observed on

this sojourn.

With regards to alcohol consumption, I was not aware of any official

"drinking age" while such could have been posted in the stores I

frequented, but not reading Dutch, went unnoticed. What I did observe

was that alcohol--beer, wine, and spirits--were readily available in

most areas. Both in grocery stores and "spirit shoppes," alcohol could

be readily purchased. Even in the convenience stores where I stopped to

note inventory, one could purchase beer or wine without difficulty.

What I found very interesting was that I saw no public intoxication in

the eight days I was in Holland. Granted, I was staying in a rather

fashionable section of Den Haag and my travels through that city were

somewhat limited by the use of trams which would pass through an area

without allowing much time to note particulars. But still, in my entire

time in Den Haag, I noted only one individual who was consuming a beer

on the street and that individual appeared to be neither indigent nor

intoxicated and the beer was consumed openly as one might drink a Pepsi.

Obviously, I was most intrigued by the legal availability of marijuana

and the famous "smoking coffee houses" of Holland. While these were

present in Den Haag, they were not as available and seemed to be located

in a couple sections of the city (the South East sections of the city,

on the way to Delft). Amsterdam was where I encountered the

proliferation of coffee houses, although these were equally distributed

between "smoking" and non-smoking. There appears to be somewhat of a

controversy between these two type of coffee house, although this is

presented by some Americans I spoke with while there rather than fact

based on extensive observations. Apparently, the traditional

coffeehouse only serves coffees and tea, "warm" [sic] chocolate, and

"spa" or water (with or without bubbles). I visited several of these

establishments and found them to be like a cafe, many with tables on the

street although the weather was much too cold for having a coffee

outside.

While mentioning the traditional coffee house, I should add that

another ethnocentric habit I have developed is my view of coffee. I am

a big coffee drinker and love coffee about as much as any beverage.

While I experiment with flavors and amounts of caffeine in the beans I

use, I have come to view coffee as meaning "perked" or "drip" coffee. I

had great difficulty in finding such coffee any place I visited during

the entire trip. When I would order coffee, I would receive espresso or

a shot of espresso with hot water added. For any reader who drinks

espresso regularly, you will smile as I say this was not what I had come

to be accustomed to with regards to a "cup o' Joe." I even had the

opportunity to drink some Turkish coffee which is very interesting and

another story in and of itself, including having my fortune read in the

grounds remaining in the over turned cup after drinking my brew.

Anyway, back to the coffee houses. The smoking coffee houses were as

you would expect, establishments where marijuana was on the menu. These

establishments appeared to be set up on two or three levels or floors.

On the ground floor, one could purchase coffee, tea, spa, etc. Posted

on the wall over the coffee bar was a sign that announced that smoking

was available on the second floor. The one house that I spent the most

time in was called, "The Pink Floyd" and located on the Haar Lemer

Strassa in Amsterdam. Upon entering this establishment, my senses were

simultaneously flooded with loud, pulsing techno-rock and the

unmistakable smell of marijuana. The patrons-and there were not many as

it was about 5 PM on a Saturday--were sitting at the coffee bar acting

much like any patrons in any tavern or coffee shop I have ever visited

in the states. The focus was on conversation and there was light banter

between the "bar maid," a young woman of approximately 23 and the people

sitting at the bar drinking coffee.

As the restroom, "toilet" as it is called in Holland, (WC or "water

closet" in London) was located on the second floor, the site of the

smoking portion of the establishment, I had the opportunity to observe

this part of the coffee house. I found what anyone would find in any

tavern in any town in this country, people sitting and talking. The

only difference, as you can guess, is these friends were smoking pot

instead of drinking a beer. It should be noted that posted prominently

on the door of every smoking coffee house I passed was a sign indicating

that one had to be 18 to enter. These signs, interestingly, were always

in English. When I asked about this, I was told that many American will

visit these establishments and they are not always "of age."

As an aside, in Amsterdam, I was aware of the proliferation of what I

have always called "head shoppes." Stores that sold everything from

bongs, pipes, and roach clips to papers, stickers, and jewelry were

quite easy to find. The only difference with regards to these

establishments from what I note right here in Philadelphia, is the

number of such establishments. I can think of several places on South

Street in Philly that have everything these Amsterdam shoppes have, the

difference being, there were far more of the shoppes in Amsterdam than

in Philly. What I did not know as I was not brash enough to find out

(and perhaps a reader can help me with this) is whether or not pot was

available for sale in these shoppes. What I neglected to mention when

talking about "The Pink Floyd," was that one could purchase "Pink Floyd"

rolling papers and other paraphernalia emblazoned with the particular

shoppe's logo.

Again, in the time I was in Amsterdam, I did not see any "skid row," no

public intoxication, or other "refer madness" type activity in the

streets. I must say again, I was limited in both time and access to the

city so it is quite likely that I only saw what most tourists see. But

one thing I did find interesting was that most of the street performers

I would observe were speaking American English. This is not to suggest

that there is anything wrong with street performers (some of my fondest

memories of visiting San Francisco are the wonderful street performers I

had the chance to observe there), but it is to say that while such

performers were not a rarity, they were primarily Americans.

I will close with a brief comment on what I found to be the most

unexpected observation of this trip and that was the proliferation of

sex-shoppes and the prominence of, shall I say, sexual entrepreneurs.

While wandering about Amsterdam, I found myself in its famous "red light

district." The best way I can describe this district is a narrow,

quaint, 17th century street. The majority of buildings, much like row

homes here in Philly, had a red neon light over a large front picture

window with women of various ages and races in provocative poses. As

one would pass down the street, each women in turn would tap on the

window and beckon the passer-by enter. While I am far from a prude, I

found this quite disquieting. Upon realizing where I was, I looked

about and as far as I could see down the street there were red lights

and shoppes with large garish neon signs advertising sex and sexual

paraphernalia. An interesting observation that did not occur to me

until after I had exited the red light district was that the street in

the district was quiet and relatively deserted compared to the rest of

Amsterdam. Now this was early evening and the busy-ness of the street

may have been a function of the time.

These have been a few observations based on my recent trip to Holland.

I welcome any additions that readers may be able to make based on their

experience or familiarity with Holland.

To read more essays by Dr. Chapman, click HERE