New Questions!

Our research questions, as they stand:

In the Netherlands, the possession, sale, and consumption of marijuana is technically illegal, but culturally and even commercially acknowledged and condoned. Because of this, coffeeshops and the activities therein exist in a strange legal limbo, with the parameters for their existence and acceptance constantly being defined by cultural mores, political interests, law enforcement, and the clientèle that utilize their services. This research attempts to probe the ways in which one or several of these forces influence the perception and operation of coffeeshops. Do the relevant actors believe the boundaries of this space to be tenuous? How dynamic is the definition of this space with regard to the actor's perception of its boundaries? The question in the research is intentionally left open so that upon arrival and initial survey of the scene in Amsterdam, we can identify the conflicts and potential points of flux around the relevant institutions.

Sample questions:

For law enforcement:
* How do you understand your role with regard to coffeeshops?
* Have you felt like your role with regard to the coffeeshops has changed over the last 5 years? The last 10 years? How and why?
* Do you feel that changing cultural or political currents influence your position or day-to-day activities?

For politicians/policy makers:
* How do you understand the legal space around cofeeshops? How do you feel about the current situation around coffeeshops?
* Do you think that the current legal situation with coffeeshops is adequate, or do you believe that it needs to better defined?
* From where and to what degree do you feel pressure to better define or re-define the current situation?

For coffeeshop owners:
* Do you feel like the environment in which you run your business has changed significantly in the last 5 years? The last 10 years? How and why?
* How has your business fared in the last 10 years? Better or worse?
* How precarious do you feel your business to be? Do you perceive the current tolerance of coffeeshops to have limits?
* How do you feel about the fact that in running a legitimate business you are forced to engage in quasi-legal acts? Does this worry you? Is it something that you think about?