I'm in my mid-thirties and I've never taken any drugs before in my life (but I do have a Johnny Walker Black in front of me), I am intrigued and want to try it, but I have 2 problems

1 - I don't smoke, never have done (ever), never will do
2 - I'm travelling on my own

I looked at the hash cakes last time I was in Amsterdam, but from what I've read they can be notoriously hard to predict, and since I've never done this before the effects could be twice as bad, and if I'm on my own I have no idea how or when I'll react.

Any suggestions/recommendations - or should I just not risk it and stick to the pleasures of good whisky and frisky women?

Kind regards to one and all

Look for my earlier post on Space Cake - you could get seriously freaked out if you eat. Once its in - its in. You could be tripping off your bonce for a good while - you'll panic if you feel you've lost control (bad trip) - but a few days afterwards I felt as high as a kite! That was a tiny piece of cake too!
I dont smoke, but if you can - just try one drag on some mild stuff first - put it out - wait ten mins - if you like it - have another toke. Dont mix it with alchohol either! Coffee & toke is fine. This is the real lightweight's guide - if you want to buzz not fly. Smoking allows you to meter the effects a bit but if its strong and you are not used to it you may freak! It aint like a Johnny Walker but it can be a big amplifier depending on your mood.

Be good to get some other tokers suggestions here!

If it's your first time, proceed with caution. Eating hash or herb in cake is pretty cool if you are experienced and keep yourself hydrated, but it can be as intense as tripping, so if you are going to try, eat only maybe a third and no more than half, wait for two hours and you should be filling the affects. If you do end up trying to smoke, start with some of the weaker weeds (maybe Thai or Jamaican) and take only a puff or two. Bottom line is it can be dicey for a beginner so take it easy or just not bother at all if it's not that important to you and you enjoy having a few drinks. I assume your time in A'dam will be limited, so if I were you I'd just chill like you already know how and have a great time. That said, once you get used to the evil weed, it's a great diversion. I speak from 30 years experience.
Have a great trip!

I like the try a little and wait style. But I'd try less than a quarter on an empty stomach and wait for 3 hours. You might start feeling the effects around the 2 hour mark but by 3 hours you should be closer to the max. The effect is cumulative, so be careful- you might like the feeling at around 3 hours but if you eat another portion you'll be around twice as high at the 6 hour mark.. I like eating THC, I always end up being higher than a kite when I wake up the next morning.

Once 6 of us put an eighth ounce of typical Amsterdam high quality weed in a brownie mix and each ate one sixth of the total. The less experienced had a hard time ( a freak out), a couple ended up pukeing and got too high for their limits, and the most experienced of us had a trip that was as intense as a '70s acid trip but not as weird or colorful. I remember sitting is an easy chair and holding on for dear life as I was so high that I was floating out of the chair and was worried about breaking my neck when I hit the ceiling. I was still plenty high 24 hours later- maybe like 2 smoking hits of that same weed.

Or you could go to a coffee shop that has a vaporizor. I think Greenhouse Effect at Warmoestraat 55 has one. It does to the weed exactly what the name suggests, and it doesn't involve any smoke. I'm sure they'll show you how to use it.

Let me tell you William.I used to get high on grass,hash many years ago.Last time I was visiting the land of truly free (AMS) I thought I would buy some (hash).At first I did not smoke it because I was feeling under the weather. When it was getting close to the time for me to leave Amsterdam I was alone in my hotel room.I did not have any matches and did not feel like going downstairs, so I just ripped a chunk off (hash) and ate it with an granola bar (EUCK). At first I was ok,felt warm with a mellow high. Thought I would eat some more hash (dumb).I did. Holy cow, before i knew it I was freakin.It had been so long since I had did this (high). I almost felt like I was going insane lol... think the only thing that saved me was I kept talking to myself reminding me that I was at one time a pro at this. I think I slept all the next day also. Did not get to do what I had wanted the next day. I would advise you to forget it or maby take a toke or two like the other gentleman advised. You can have a great time in Amsterdam with out the smoke. Raven

Weighing up the pros and cons, I don't think I'll bother - like I said in my original post, I was only intrigued. I have 6 night to spend in Amsterdam and the thought of possibly freaking out for 2 of them does not sound at all inviting.

I'm sure I'll be able to find something else to entertain me!

Thank you all for your advice, it has been really helpful

Kind regards

William

You should try a vapourisor from De Kuil, go in and explain your concerns to Greg (the American dealer who is the Captain Birdseye lookalike). I assume you don't smoke because of the nicotene, using a vapourisor will give you a pure thc hit, with no tar, nicotene or other shit thrown in.
The problem with eating cakes (or hash neat) is that you will have digested the stuff before you start to feel the effect, if you don't like it, you will have to put up with it for 2-4 hours.
With the vapourisor, you can sit in a corner with a bag and take your time (take a few shallow drags at a time and wait before you have some more, once you are comfortable with it, take bigger deaper drags) If after a few hits, you don't enjoy it, you can stop, have a coke or juice and you should come back down to earth in 1/2 hour or so.

Have fun

Spliffy

William

You should try a vapourisor from De Kuil, go in and explain your concerns to Greg (the American dealer who is the Captain Birdseye lookalike). I assume you don't smoke because of the nicotene, using a vapourisor will give you a pure thc hit, with no tar, nicotene or other shit thrown in.
The problem with eating cakes (or hash neat) is that you will have digested the stuff before you start to feel the effect, if you don't like it, you will have to put up with it for 2-4 hours.
With the vapourisor, you can sit in a corner with a bag and take your time (take a few shallow drags at a time and wait before you have some more, once you are comfortable with it, take bigger deaper drags) If after a few hits, you don't enjoy it, you can stop, have a coke or juice and you should come back down to earth in 1/2 hour or so.

Have fun

Spliffy

I agree, try the vaporiser. You'll have control , find more enjoyment and be less paronoid. The De Kuil will take care of you. . A first timer should never ingest. IMHO

Smoking weed in the Dam is a pleasure not to be missed. I hope some of our friends here on the board didn't freak you out too much. I agree with a few of the other posters that you should definately try a vapor hit. The weed is heated to a temperature where the THC vaporizes into gas and can be inhaled. There is no smoke whatsoever. At a few coffee shops, you can buy small amount of grass and give it to the bartnder and they will come back with a bag filled with thc vapor. Take one hit of that and you'll be good to go. If you like it, you can finish the bag. If its not your thing, give it to the guy sitting next to you - you'll make a friend for life. Enjoy your trip.

Stash

Try weed (marijuana) cake instead of hash cake. It is much milder and won’t give you a trip or freak out. It is a very smooth, so smooth that you don't even know you are getting high. You just feel bliss and really think you feel so happy all the time all along without knowing the onset or when it kicks in. It will last for a couple hours. It will take 1/2 to an hour to kick in on empty stomach or up to 2 hr on a full stomach. In the remote case that if you don't like it, just drink sugar water. It will counteract it. Try half a cake first if you are a first timer, and wait for at least 2 hr for it to kick in before you add your maintenance dose if you want more of the good feeling.

BTW, eat it at the coffeeshop and hang around there while getting high. That way, you won’t feel alone, and keep you company. There are lots of friendly people there to help if you feel not well.

What would be great on this site would be a knowledgable weed expert to give us a list of common types of weed or cake and the general effects they might have! Perhaps in the index.
I know dope affects people different ways but there must be variations in types /strengths/ common effects. Would go great in the search index and save some lost days/hours in the Dam by choosing right in the first place. Could even increase coffee shop trade! Some of these suggestions have been an eye opener!

Marijuana can generally be divided into two main varieties: indica and sativa.

Indica plants are usually more short and squat. This type of weed typically produces a very "stoned" effect, meaning the body is more effected. The effect is usually called "couchlock" which, as the name suggests, locks you to the couch. A lathargic and energy draining stone. When you hear/see people who are staring into space and comment, "phuck man....i'm stoned...i'm....... so.......stoned" (ever seen the movie "Blow"?) they are most probably under the influence of an indica based weed.

The majority of the "White" strains are an Indica based variety. These include the (in)famous "White Widow". Amoungst the hundreds of others in this category are: White Russian, White Rhino, AK47, B52, etc.

There are (obviously) tons more in the indica variety but I couldn't be bothered extending on this list.

Sativa plants, on the other hand, are taller and thinner and generally have a larger node spacing. This type of weed typically produces more of a "high" effect. Meaning the brain of the toker goes into overdrive and moves at a mile a second. On this type of weed, the smoker is more commonly "giggly" and happy. You are more likely to "fly" on this type of weed. (My preferred style)

Most weed names followed by the term "Haze" (i.e Amnesia Haze, Hawaiian Haze, , etc.) are usually a Sativa based variety. Although, many hybrid strains are available (meaning an Indica and Sativa plant have been bred resulting in a combination of the Indica and Sativa effects). The list of sativa strains also goes on for enternity. Check out the site mentioned below and broaden your knowledge of some more common strains.

I would highly recommend a novice to start with a less potent variety (duh) such as Jamacian, Purple, Thai, Citral, Skunk, etc. [I.e. stay away from the expensive strains as they are (generally) more expensive for a reason]. I would strongly encourage you NOT to eat any weed or hash cakes/bon bons/candy for your virgin high. As others have stated, the effects are very unpredictable and the amount of actual THC consumed is a mystery, therfore is impossible to control.

However, don't just take my word for it, please cruise over to the AMSTERDAM COFFEESHOP DIRECTORY. This excellent site is dedicated to the Amsterdam coffeeshop scene with thousands of reviews of the coffeeshops themselves (including many expert opinions on the service, atmosphere, general feel of all of them, etc) and all the types of weed that can be found in each shop with the resulting effects of each strain. Great site. Check it out:

http://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com

If you are responsible, by choosing an appropriate strain and consume in a precautious manner, there is not going to be any drastic "trip outs" or "bad trips". 2 days of your trip will not be spent "freaking out" if you follow these basic guidlines...

Anyway, have fun and smoke one for me!

PEACE

P.S. Alot of non-smokers don't particulary fancy the coffeeshop atmosphere (too dark and smokey) and a great alternative is to pick up some bud and head over to a park where smoking is permitted - I highly recommend Vondel Park!

Great post! If only I'd known this earlier.
Wonder if William is tempted yet?

Hey Serenity now,
I to am a big bud fan as well as a Seinfeld fan. It is nice to have an educated smoker adding to the site. Please feel welcome to share any of your expertise with all of us, especially your favorite shops and Blends. I am a big fan of Sativas unfortunately the Northwest does not focus on the Sativas because of their longer grow times and smaller yeilds.
I had noticed it was your first post I hope we see more. You truly helped the non smoker have a much better understanding.
Peace

Check out the Dampkring menu at:

http://192.148.252.25/~reatta/dampkring-menu.jpg

it's the most informative menu, listing indica vs sativa as well as columns for smell, taste, and effects. I believe fair smoke means organic.

Larry,

Good link...

More menus can be found at:

http://192.148.252.25/~reatta/menus.html

Also go to Amsterdam Coffeeshop Directory (link below) and click on the "forum" link under the table in the centre of the page, then choose the "cannabis strains" section (third option) and choose the topic "coffeeshop strains". Rici has compiled an enormous number of shops, buds and prices (particularly the third post). Seriously, check it out!

http://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com/ACDfrmGu.html

PEACE

So many great posts BUT, based upon my limited knowledge its very unlikely that you will get high the first time you smoke. This needs to be taken into consideration because afterall, you might think - what is all the hype about? People have told me it was their second or third time before they felt "high". The times before that they just got sleepy or got a headache. I would let a few days pass in between smoking events and I would also recommend against anything strong or eating space cakes. Get some mild sativa, find a nice place; some place with a view or a friendly bartender - a place that you're very comfortable and light up a jay. Make sure you have no serious plans for about two hours. Good luck!