How Amsterdam became the cannabis smoking capital of Europe

Witness History - A podcast by BBC World Service

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How Amsterdam became the home of cannabis coffee shops .The Mellow Yellow Café set a pattern in 1973 of attracting customers, which hundreds of others would follow. Although selling and smoking the drug was illegal, possession of small quantities of cannabis was tolerated by the Dutch police. Bob Howard talks to the café’s owner, Werner Bruining.Photo: Mellow Yellow Cafe, Amsterdam, Netherlands. Credit: Alamy