Spuiten en Slikken

Even before its first episode had been broadcast, Spuiten & Slikken (literally Shooting & Swallowing) gave rise to concern in the Dutch Houses of Parliament. The then-Minister of Justice called the programme on sex and drugs from Dutch broadcaster BNN a "risky and undesirable experiment." Internationally, the announcement of a television programme in which the hosts themselves would experiment with sex and drugs led to commotion. In September 2005, the Dutch newspaper Trouw reported that BNN had been "flooded with calls from the international media about Spuiten & Slikken," the first episode of which was due to air on the 10th of October. UK newspaper The Guardian and CNN both reported the following about the programme: "Host Philemon Wesselink (26) to try various drugs and report on his experiences."

Event

Frits Bolkestein (VVD), Dries van Agt (CDA), and Hedy dAncona (PvdA) on one stage

Cannabis Culture Awards 2013 in Amsterdam

The ninth edition of the cannabis culture awards was held Tuesday, April 23rd 2013, in the Bethaniënklooster in Amsterdam.

curious about the effects of drugs

In the September 2005 article in Trouw, BNN's media director Maarten van Dijk clarified the situation in by saying: "Many people are curious about the effects of drugs, and we want to appeal to this. We will illustrate the effects as objectively as possible, and the programme will carry an undertone of 'don't try this at home'. Filemon [red.: one of the hosts] will receive proper medical guidance, and we have already consulted the Jellinek clinic about safe practice." That the then-Minister of Justice, Johan Remkes, was not satisfied with this is clear from his statements to the House in answer to questions asked by the CDA party:

a risk to society

"I consider the use of drugs on television in the form of a 'test' to be a risk to society and thereby undesirable. [...] I view the use of drugs by a television journalist as an inappropriate way of informing the youth about drugs. By, among other things, increasing knowledge and bringing about a change in behaviour, education on drugs is intended to prevent the use of drugs or to reduce the risks thereof. While the context in which this 'test' of drug use will take place must continue to be taken into account, it is difficult to see how this 'test' is to contribute to the goals of drug education. Therefore, this 'test' falls outside the scope of drugs education."

the longest-running and most influential of all BNN's programmes

Over time, BNN was able to prove the former minister wrong and after nearly eight years, Spuiten & Slikken has grown to be one of the longest-running and most influential of all BNN's programmes. For many young people, Spuiten & Slikken is an important source of information on many topics that play major roles in their lives, and over which 'official' information is often inadequate. The first hosts, Sophie Hilbrand and Filemon Wesselink, have made way for new faces: Nicolette Kluijver, Tim Hofman and Geraldine Kemper.

International

Since 2009, the team has travelled across the country for the show Spuiten & Slikken Zomertour (Summer Tour). In the same year, Spuiten & Slikken Op Reis (Abroad) was launched, providing reports on sex and drugs outside the Netherlands, in countries from Jamaica to Japan. The most recent spin-offs are the Spuiten & Slikken Zomervakantie-Doe-boek (Summer Vacation Activity Book; 2011) montage performance Spuiten & Slikken in het Theater (In the Theatre; 2012).

Tim Hofman (from BNN Spuiten en Slikken) receives the Award from Frederik Polak

opening up discussions

On the eve of Spuiten & Slikken's fourteenth season, the Hash, Marihuana & Hemp Museum would like to express thanks and gratitude to the programme for opening up discussions about cannabis and its politics to the general public.