Amsterdam presents itself as a bilateral city. In one sense, its rich history, culture and customs are ingrained within the city’s archaeology, atmosphere, traditions and ordinance, however there is a much more infamous aspect that attracts tourists from around the globe who flock to experience and exploit the blase attitudes of the city in relation to drugs, sex and alcohol consumption for their own benefit. This undermines the city and its traditional values, however for many, it is the only reason they want to experience it.
From the research conducted, participants generally disagreed with the acts of heavy drug use, engaging with the sexual industry, and frequent alcohol consumption, so why then when in Amsterdam did they feel the necessity in indulging in these activities when they would not do so at home? Although previous research has been conducted on the matter, as a group, we wished to discover this first hand.
Drug use, specifically the use of recreational cannabis for many was a priority when in the city. For some, it was the only reason they came. Although many did not smoke at home for moral reasons, the adaptation in legislation and relaxed moral consensus of social attitudes towards it changed participants opinions on the matter. It seemed that there was a direct link between legal opinion and the personal opinion of those subjugated to it, in a sense, if the law says it is okay, then it must be. This was the case for a number of participants who admitted to smoking daily, and much more frequently than they usually would.
Many had a lack of experience, and the legal aspect of being able to buy pre-made “joints” and consult advice from specialists also encouraged their usage. For some participants, they had only smoked for the first time in Amsterdam due to its availability as they “don’t even know where to find it”.
Involvement within the sex industry was also very popular among participants. This was typical of one group who were visiting Amsterdam on a stag do. Although they hadn’t engaged with any sex work at home, they had frequently whilst abroad. This was due to the fact it was “just a laugh”, reiterating the ideas of previous blog posts that much of the traffic in sex shows from tourists relies on the concept that it is a novelty rather than a serious endeavour.
Although some had attended strip clubs before, referred to as a “strippy”, it was argued that it was “weird at home”, again, symbolising the social acceptance and its influence on morality when abroad in justifying self indulgence.
Based on observations of similar student groups abroad, the consumption of alcohol was much less inhibited with justifications of being on holiday. This saw it indulged in excess, and free from the stigma it would typically grant.
Whose Law is it Anyway? 