DM - Maastricht locals complain of rise in street dealers following 'pot tourism'...

[edgarshade]

Maastricht locals complain of rise in street dealers following 'pot tourism' crackdown

By Travelmail Reporter
PUBLISHED: 11:06, 10 March 2014

With reader comments

The rise of so-called 'pot tourism' in the Netherlands prompted a change in the country's drug laws but residents in Maastricht say the crackdown has led to an increase in the number of street dealers. The Netherlands had hoped to stamp out street peddling in the 1970s by launching a policy of tolerating ‘coffee shops’ where people could buy and smoke marijuana freely. But it decided to ban anyone who didn’t live in the country from buying the drug because of a rise in ‘pot tourists’ who were visiting simply to smoke marijuana. Maastricht's locals say the dealers have returned following a crackdown, and are creating a 'darker' atmosphere in the border town. The county's central government clampdown banned people who live outside the Netherlands from coffee shops and closed any shops deemed to be too close to schools. There was even a short-lived policy that said smokers had to apply for a 'Weed Pass' to get into a coffee shop.

The new rules were rolled out across the country between the middle of 2012 and the beginning of last year. But it is up to local municipalities to enforce them - and most are embracing only part of the policy. Amsterdam - with some 200 licensed coffee shops, one-third of the nationwide total - still lets foreigners visit them, although it is closing coffee shops that are near schools.

More: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/a...icht-locals-complain-rise-street-dealers.html

 

[neversickanymore]

Pot doesn't make people piss in the streets.. alcohol and lack of respect do. I say keep the grass and ban the people who need to act like idiots to pretend they are having a good time.

 

[Shimmer.Fade]

Many of us who like the Netherlands like it for far more than its weed. That whole Belgian, Dutch, Danish coast is pretty freaking great. They are on to some real solutions and ideas as to how we should be moving forward socially. As a person who isn't a fan of huge cities the Netherlands is the most beautiful densely populated place I have ever been to. I also enjoy the culture and history of the place.

I hope they realize weed tourism isn't such a bad thing. Maastricht should try to set up a specific area to simply concentrate the tourism. That way the normal people can simply avoid that part of town. Moreover, with the way things are moving maybe the rest of the EU will liberalize as well somewhat which would pretty much eliminate the people going there just to get high.