I Took an Edibles Workshop in Amsterdam — Here’s What Happened

Okay to my future employer, don’t read this. To everyone else, keep reading. If you are looking for things to do in Amsterdam that are unique, you are in the right place. Trust me, this is a bit different for me to write. Totally worth it though!

When I booked an edibles workshop in Amsterdam, I thought I was signing up for a fun, slightly rebellious travel experience.

Bake brownies. Learn something new. Walk along the canals feeling relaxed and culturally enlightened.

Instead, I learned about Dutch cannabis policy, underestimated my tolerance, panic-ate two brownies, and ended the night with bloodshot eyes and an emergency food order.

It was educational, humbling, and one of the most unexpectedly eye-opening experiences I had in Amsterdam.

If you’re curious about what an edibles workshop in Amsterdam is actually like — from the coffee shop visit to the “I absolutely miscalculated” moment — here’s exactly what happened.

What Is an Edibles Workshop in Amsterdam?

If you’ve never heard of an edibles workshop in Amsterdam, it’s easy to assume it’s chaotic or touristy.

It’s not.

The workshop I attended was structured, clean, and surprisingly educational. Before we even touched chocolate, our instructor, Thomas, walked us through how cannabis policy works in the Netherlands.

Not just the fun parts — the real parts.

He explained:

• The difference between legalization and tolerance
• What coffee shops are legally allowed to do
• Why cannabis is regulated the way it is
• How Dutch policy prioritizes harm reduction

It didn’t feel rebellious. It felt intentional.

Thomas is one of those people who clearly loves what he does. He’s outgoing, approachable, and deeply knowledgeable, not just about cannabis, but about the system surrounding it. He made it a point to ensure we understood what we were participating in.

It was less “let’s get high” and more “let’s understand this culture.”

Which, ironically, made what happened next even funnier.

Meeting at the Coffee Shop Before the Edibles Workshop in Amsterdam

I was extremely nervous standing at the meeting point for the edibles workshop in Amsterdam.

Which, by the way, was directly in front of a well-known cannabis shop that Thomas, the founder of Get Baked Amsterdam, personally frequents.

So there I was. A military spouse. In Amsterdam. Waiting outside a cannabis shop. Trying to look casual.

What a uniquely Amsterdam experience, if I might say so myself.

There were about nine of us in the group, big enough to feel slightly exposed, small enough to feel personal. Everyone had different levels of experience with cannabis. Some people seemed comfortable, relaxed, like this was just another afternoon in Amsterdam.

Me? My experience peaked in high school.

And that was a long time ago.

If I’m being honest, part of the reason I signed up for a cannabis workshop in Amsterdam was that military life is stressful. Constant moves. Long separations. Always adjusting to something new. It can be jarring.

I needed something to take the edge off.

Okay? Don’t judge.

When Thomas introduced himself, he immediately shifted the tone of the experience. He told us his goal wasn’t just to help us make edibles in Amsterdam — it was to make sure we left more educated about cannabis policy in Amsterdam and understood what’s allowed versus tolerated under Dutch law.

I remember thinking, Oh. So I’m not just getting high. I’m learning.

Perfect.

Inside the Amsterdam Coffee Shop Experience

We walked into the coffee shop, and I was instantly surprised by how structured everything felt.

There was an electronic menu displayed as you’d see in a modern café. It listed:

• The product type
• The strain
• The strength
• Where it was sourced from

Everything was transparent. Everything was labeled. It didn’t feel secretive or chaotic. It felt regulated.

That was my first real shift in perspective about cannabis culture in Amsterdam.

I chose the lowest grade available, which, considering I hadn’t touched weed since high school, was probably still ambitious.

The coffee shop only accepted cash, so we handed our money to Thomas, and he purchased everything on our behalf. I was trying to follow along, silently thinking, HELP. I look lost as hell.

He calmly explained the process again. No judgment. Just guidance.

That’s what stood out to me most about this edibles workshop in Amsterdam: nothing felt reckless. It felt intentional. Educational. Transparent.

Afterward, we walked to a small, unassuming shop that looked like a bakery. Which was fitting.

Because we were about to start baking brownies and making gummies in Amsterdam.

Baking Brownies and Making Gummies in Amsterdam

When we stepped into the workshop space, the tables were already arranged like a cross between a bakery and a science lab. Digital scales sat beside mixing bowls, measuring spoons were neatly lined up, and every ingredient had its place. Nothing felt chaotic or improvised. It felt structured — almost academic in its precision.

There were nine of us gathered around the tables, and at first, you could sense that quiet evaluation happening. Some people looked comfortable, like this wasn’t their first cannabis experience. Others asked confident questions about strains and potency. I mostly nodded and tried not to look like I was mentally reviewing every questionable decision I’d made in high school.

Thomas walked us through the process step by step, explaining not just what we were doing, but why. One of the first things he emphasized was that making edibles in Amsterdam isn’t as simple as tossing cannabis into brownie batter and calling it a day. There’s an actual method behind it — a structured, intentional process that ensures consistency and awareness of what you’re consuming.

That alone shifted something in me.

This edibles workshop in Amsterdam wasn’t reckless or random. It was careful. Measured. Designed to educate as much as it was designed to be fun.

We created an infused base first, following a method that required patience and attention. Nothing was rushed. Nothing was guessed. Every step had a reason behind it. Watching Thomas explain how cannabis policy in Amsterdam intersects with safe consumption made the entire experience feel less like a novelty and more like cultural education.

When we moved on to making gummies, things became even more technical. There were tubes, precise measurements, timing considerations — it honestly felt like a chemistry class I was suddenly invested in passing. The process required focus, and for the first time that day, I felt completely grounded in what we were doing.

At some point, I stopped worrying about whether I looked out of place and started paying attention. The structure of the workshop pulled me in — the measurements, the explanations, the quiet teamwork around the table. I wasn’t the nervous military spouse standing outside a cannabis shop anymore. I was simply another person learning something new. And that shift felt surprisingly freeing.

By the time we finished, I felt informed and oddly empowered. I understood more about how edibles are made, how cannabis workshops in Amsterdam operate responsibly, and why the Dutch approach feels so different from what I grew up around.

I also felt confident.

Possibly too confident.

And that’s where things took a turn.

The Part Where I Realized I Had 9 Brownies

Here’s the detail that changed everything: we didn’t leave the workshop with a single brownie.

We left with a full box, NOT JUST ONE BROWNIE. NINE BROWNIES! Plus a small container of berry gummies, neatly packed like a very innocent bakery takeaway.

At first, it felt generous. Almost wholesome. Like a souvenir from one of the more unique experiences you can have in Amsterdam. AND OMG WERE THEY GOOD!

Then I remembered something important.

This was my last day in Amsterdam before heading to my godmother’s house in Geilenkirchen for the last two days of my trip. And there was absolutely no version of reality where I was going to walk into her home carrying a box of cannabis brownies and a container of gummies.

That wasn’t happening.

So instead of pacing myself responsibly or simply accepting that I didn’t need to consume everything, I let panic decide for me.

My internal logic, deeply flawed, I now understand, was that I should “even it out” and avoid wasting them.

Which is how I found myself eating two brownies at once as I walked away from the Canabis workshop in Amsterdam. Not spread out thoughtfully over time.

Not cautiously.

At the time, it felt strategic.

In hindsight, it was ambitious, bordering on delusional.

Walking through Amsterdam High as A Kite

Walking through Amsterdam after one edible had already amplified the city in ways I wasn’t prepared for. After two brownies, there was nothing cinematic about it.

I wasn’t marveling at the canals or contemplating architecture. I was hungry. Deeply, aggressively hungry. The kind of hunger that makes you feel like you haven’t eaten in days, even though you absolutely have.

All I wanted was food and a place to lie down.

The overstimulation from earlier didn’t turn into poetic reflection — it turned into exhaustion. My body felt heavy. My thoughts felt slow. I remember walking back toward my hotel thinking, “You really thought this was a good idea.”

I am fairly certain the front desk thought I was a zombie.

When I finally got inside and looked at myself in the mirror, my eyes were bloodshot as hell.

Not cute. Not mysterious. Just very obviously high.

And that was the moment the overconfidence fully dissolved. There’s something humbling about seeing it written all over your face. I didn’t look rebellious or adventurous — I looked like someone who absolutely miscalculated their tolerance.

I ordered food. A lot of it. Ate like I had just finished a marathon. Then crawled into bed and surrendered to the inevitable.

And strangely enough, that’s when the bigger lesson from this edibles workshop in Amsterdam really settled in.

Just because cannabis is regulated, normalized, and openly discussed in the Netherlands doesn’t mean it’s mild. The structure around it encourages informed use, but personal responsibility still matters. The culture may remove stigma, but it doesn’t remove potency.

I had walked into this experience wanting education, stress relief, and a unique story.

I got all three.

I also got a very clear reminder that confidence and tolerance are not the same thing.

What This Experience Taught Me About Cannabis Culture in Amsterdam

I signed up for an edibles workshop in Amsterdam, expecting a fun travel story.

What I left with was a different perspective on cannabis culture entirely.

In the Netherlands, cannabis operates under a tolerance policy — structured, regulated, and openly discussed. Coffee shops are monitored. Products are labeled. Education comes first. It isn’t hidden, and it isn’t dramatized.

That transparency changes how people interact with it.

Back home, cannabis often feels secretive or taboo. In Amsterdam, it feels normalized — not glamorized, just integrated into everyday life with clear boundaries.

Taking a cannabis workshop in Amsterdam didn’t turn me into a regular user. It changed my understanding. It showed me how policy, education, and openness shape behavior.

Would I recommend it?

If you’re curious about cannabis culture and want an experience that’s educational as much as it is memorable — yes.

Just maybe start with half a brownie.

Sidenote: I actually had to sneak these brownies into my Godmother’s house. I ate one after dinner one night and passed out. Then gave the brownies and gummies to a guy at the train station in Amsterdam on the way to the airport. I hope he had the best day ever!