In 1985, right when Europe was going through a modern revolution, a visionary and philanthropic business man called Ben Dronkers decided to risk it all and open, alongside his friend Ed Rosenthal, the first museum in the world all about marijuana in Amsterdam. After many ups and downs, 27 years later in 2012 he managed to open the Cannabis Museum in Barcelona, which has been rewarding visitors with cannabis culture for 5 years now.
The Dutch business man, who has always been tightly knit with the world of cannabis, spent the 80s trying to find a way to bring marijuana and its many uses to the public to try and get rid of all of the clichés surrounding these plants. That’s why they decided to open the first ever hemp museum in the red light district in Amsterdam, the Hash Info Museum, but just a day after opening it a minister of justice ordered it closed.
Even after all of that, they managed to get it back open after just a week, and years later it would be known as the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum.
Barcelona; headquarters of the second international marijuana museum.
Dronkers decided to look for a new place for a second museum after the success, growth and interest that the first museum created; people became interested in marijuana’s many uses and medicinal applications.
He searched and ended up finding the perfect spot in the gothic area of Barcelona. In 2001 he began trying to get his project off the ground, and in 2012 he finally managed to open the museum’s doors, almost 11 years later. During these 11 years he travelled the world finding objects to put on display in the museum while work was undergone in Barcelona to renovate the building.
Ever since the Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum opened its doors it hasn’t stopped growing, putting items from all over the world on display to show that the importance of hash and marijuana goes beyond coffee shops and smoking; it’s a natural and cultural phenomenon that can be found around the entire world.
Apart from being a museum, the organization also supports many companies that are investigating and creating products and utensils using hemp, while also helping out an organization called Cannabis Collage, which is a non-profit entity situated in the Amsterdam Museum, where they answer all sorts of questions about hemp and cannabis.
To all marijuana lovers out there, go and visit this museum either in Amsterdam or Barcelona for an amazing, unique experience.
Translation: Ciara Murphy
