CANNABIS CULTURE - Amsterdam police are in the process of raiding the High Times Cannabis Cup for the first time in its 24-year history.
Cannabis Culture received several messages from Cup-goers this morning, warning that police have swarmed the location and are searching people before letting them leave and confiscating marijuana.
A video sent to CC by an attendee of The Cup show a police officer looking at a table while an announcement over the loud speaker talks about the police entering the building and says in English: "You need to leave the building through the exits. When leaving the property, you will be subjected to a search by police [inaudible] of the opium act."
Early reports of the raid are already hitting Twitter and the rest of the Internet.
Former CC Editor Dana Larsen (who wrote an article about the Cup for the Vancouver Sun this year) is giving updates as it happens on his Twitter account.
"Huge crowd of #cannabiscup attendees waiting to get searched on their way out of the cup." he wrote. "Police officer told me they investigated yesterday, saw some booths giving out weed & breaking other rules. So now the event is shut down."
Another of his posts says, "Everyone will have their buds confiscated but no-one will be charged or fined. This is the first time this has happened in 24 years."
Watch CC for more information.
Visit the High Times Cannabis Cup website.
UPDATE
Read more in a report on the raid from Dana Larsen from Cannabis Culture.
2011-11-23
High Times Cannabis Cup Raided in Amsterdam | Cannabis Culture Magazine
