Sorry if this has already been posted, I didn't see a thread on it. Up in smoke! Dutch to ban tourists from buying pot The Netherlands' proposed 'coffee shop' restrictions part of crackdown on drug crime By Gilbert Kreijger The Dutch government said on Wednesday it wanted to ban tourists from buying cannabis in "coffee shops," where hash is on sale legally, as part of a national crackdown on drug use. The Netherlands has one of Europe's most liberal soft drug policies and its coffee shops are a popular tourist attraction, especially in Amsterdam and border cities near Belgium and Germany. But some cities near the border with Belgium have clamped down on drug tourism, and the Dutch minister for security and justice confirmed on Wednesday a wider crackdown after coalition parties agreed to push for a ban in September. The government, which took office last month, has agreed to limit the sale of cannabis to Dutch residents to curb crime linked to its production and trading. "No tourist attractions. We don't like that," the minister, Ivo Opstelten, told public broadcaster NOS on Wednesday. "The heart of the problem is crime and disturbances surrounding the sale. We have to go back to what it was meant for: local use for those who would like it." Amsterdam, home to 223 coffee shops, is already in the process of closing some in the red light district to tackle criminal activity in the area, and was studying the government proposal. "We are taking the current practice as a starting point. It is not perfect but in many ways we have a functioning coffee shop system," an Amsterdam city spokesman said. The government's plans for a tourist ban, whereby only holders of a resident's pass would be allowed to buy hash, has not yet been formally put into law and no timeframe has been proposed. The possession of up to 5 grams (0.18 oz) of cannabis or hash is allowed in the Netherlands but large-scale production and transport is a crime. Some Dutch border towns such as Maastricht and Terneuzen have already restricted the sale of marijuana to foreigners to limit crime and disturbances such as traffic jams. The advocate-general of the European Court of Justice advised in July that Maastricht had the right to refuse foreigners entry to its coffee shops, giving support to the Dutch government's nationwide ban if the court followed the advice. Bummer! Dutch to ban tourists from buying pot - Travel - News - msnbc.com
honestly i bet its annoying having americans all high all day around your streets n shit.... we do dumb ass shit a lot lol
True. But I doubt it'll work. 1.) To much money comes from tourism. 2.) It may slow down the amount of tourists but the ones that come will still be able to get the dope from citizens.
lol i just thought of something funny, for them to increase revenue... reverse decriminalization.... selling/buying are legal, but possessing isnt HAHAHAHAHAHAHA they would be RAKING in the cash like NO ones business
I can understand and respect that. It's a bummer though, and it's going to be a big money loss for them.
Sounds like the black market is going to open up yet even more now. I wonder if neighboring countries will begin experiencing the level of violence across their borders the way we are here as we know this will in no way stop people from buying their weed.
It's doesn't really have to do with american tourist, though I'm sure some people over there don't like us coming over and getting high. But its more about how it creates increased drug crimes on neighboring districts that aren't as soft on marijuana. This also creates a drug problem again in the Netherlands as this creates a separate market for tourist that would normally just go to the shops like everyone else. Honestly if it goes into effect I don't doubt it will be pulled quickly due to complains of sales declining and the improved crime rate inside the Netherlands. As long as drugs remain illegal in most places this will be a problem, always.
this will never take full effect. amsterdam's economy is almost soleley tourist based, and lets be honest, no one give 2 shits about canals. weed is pretty much all they have. without pot tourism money, amsterdamn's economy will tank
Not gonna happen in the short time. The dutch government has only been recently formed on VERY shaky grounds. They barely have a majority in the parliament with their coalition government. Many people are saying that the government won't last for the next 2 years and they will call another election. Not to mention the tourist trade, and the opposition voiced by left wing parliament members.... these articles come out every few years and try and whip up fear in international circuits without really amounting to anything.... Do I see a dangerous trend in the Dutch government? yes.... but not in the way of coffeeshops closing, but towards nationalism and veiled racism moving away from a free and accepting community that the Netherlands has been.... just look at Geert Wilders....... (not that he has too much power... but it's growing slowly)
Heh, I'm not american, and not hating on you guys either, but I sure wouldn't want that in my streets. lol. i've seen way too much "reality tv" and youtube clips to want any of that in here, on a DAILY BASIS. haha
Its not like its Americans that are causing the problem. There are a hell of alot of other countries out there that love to visit amsterdam. also, in a few years we can all visit california instead of amsterdam anyway.
and colorado. its defs gonna be on our ballot in 2012 lol its pretty much already bein worked on and it was estimated over 50% of CO supported legalizing in cali so we have a damn good chance hahahaha. I would be awesome in cali, CO, washington, oregon, and the few others i cant think of atm (too high) legalized....
I mean sure we could always visit a US state if it were legalized, But what about the cultural experience of going to another country across the world and smoke the greatest thing known to man. I would be pretty upset if this followed through. I've been planning on going to Amsterdam in the future.
Why would they ban pot? I would never want to go to amsterdam for the pot anyways. It is a cool city by itself. I didn't enjoy the pot experience there. I swear to god, I smoked decent bud for exorbitant prices. I contributed to the pot tourism bigtime. Cali, OR, WA has better buy far. It is not much dif buying from a coffee shop than from a dealer anyway. They don't offer you to look. They all have their weed a coulple steps away, and they HAVE to get it to show you. It really is a hasstle for them to show you weed.
The whole Cannabis Cup shit is way overrated imho. I've seen the vids: loud obnoxious music, dirty people, lame judging, etc... I'd rather stay here and make my own mini-cup, it'd be way better anyways.