(Marijuananews note: First, the AP reports on a
coffee shop dropping out of the Cannabis Cup,
See
AP Actually
Reports That A Coffee Shop Is Withdrawing From Cannabis Cup Competition
and now they are giving tours of the Cannabis Castle. By the way, it is every bit as good
as it sounds. I had to visit there several times as part of my duties as National Director
of NORML. Work, work, work!) November 25, 1998
From the Associated Press
MARIJUANA IN THE MAKING DISPLAYED ON ‘CANNABIS CASTLE’ TOUR
OOSTERHOUT, Netherlands (AP) -- Welcome to the "Cannabis Castle"—a
museum where visitors can take photos and touch any of the 2,000 marijuana plants
exhibited.
And smoking, at least of a certain substance, is most definitely allowed.
"It’s like walking into a wonderland," said Patty Collins, wearing a
shirt that read, "Stoner Chicks Rule." She marveled Tuesday at the size of one
variety of cannabis that was growing toward a ceiling of ultraviolet lights on an estate
in central Holland.
Collins, who owns a pipe store in Portland, Ore., is in the Netherlands for the 11th
annual Cannabis Cup, the weeklong potfest that draws several thousand people—mostly
Americans—to the drug-tolerant nation every year. The so-called harvest festival is
sponsored by the American magazine High Times.
Participants in the Cannabis Cup pay $200 for the right to judge the best cannabis of
the year. The winner is crowned on Friday from among the "coffee shops" of
Amsterdam, where hashish and marijuana can be purchased in small amounts.
Though technically illegal in the Netherlands, those soft drugs
are decriminalized and Dutch authorities don’t prosecute people who sell or use small
amounts.
An added attraction to this year’s festivities was Tuesday’s bus tour to the
Cannabis Castle. A marijuana user’s Mecca, the castle—owned by the Sensi Seed
Co.—produces potent strains of marijuana with names such as "Northern
Lights" and "Skunk."
Actually a stately 18th century home, the castle is tucked in peaceful
countryside 40 miles from the bustle of the capital, Amsterdam.
Catacombs beneath the house protect the "mother plants," which generate the
castle’s crop. Some of the original plants are more than 20 years old.
(Marijuananews note: Actually, the "catacombs" are just
the basement, but it is a beautiful place and the plants are amazing.)
"Amazing," gushed Doug Biggs, an American who traveled from Indiana to smoke
the drug he says eases his frequent migraine headaches.
Don Wirtshafter, an attorney from Athens, Ohio, was less impressed by the castle’s
treasures. "I made pot my issue," he says of his 25-year legal career.
"Everyone’s so impressed—I see this all the time in my travels."
(Marijuananews note: Don is a NORML Board member and the owner of
the Ohio Hempery, but I don’t care what Don says, there aren’t many places that
serve buds on a silver platter.)
Still, he enjoyed the castle’s gourmet lunch buffet of tangerines, smoked salmon
sandwiches, Belgian chocolates, and, of course, marijuana.
And what would a castle be without its king? A man dressed as the "king of
cannabis" in a red robe and makeshift crown of marijuana stalks offered visitors
snippets from branches of the castle’s newest offerings.
Most lit up their sweet-smelling samples after the communal grace.
Linda Dronkers, co-owner of the castle and seed company with her husband and son, gave
tours Tuesday of her family home as part of the event.
The castle’s decor illustrates her affection for the plant. Cushions on wicker
chairs are stenciled with the five-fingered marijuana leaf and prints on the wall show
artists’ renderings of joint smoking.
"It’s the most beautiful plant in the world," Dronkers said, setting
down a fresh-baked plate of hemp cookies.
"It’s very spiritual," she added. "You have to give yourself
completely to the plant."
Copyright: 1998 Associated Press.
Supported