Tourist Coffee Shop Ban? Not In Amsterdam

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edgarshade

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Nugmag

By NUG Magazine on September 27, 2011 at 12:01 pm

With reader comments

It seems that the fight to keep foreigner access to cannabis coffee shops in Amsterdam continues. Earlier this year in February, NUG Magazine ran an article about the conservative coalition government in the Netherlands that had been restricting tourist access to coffee shops in border towns, such as Maastricht. Over the past few months, Holland’s far right political leaders have continued to fly the flag of change as they continue to voice their desire to change the face of the Netherlands, ultimately shifting away from the coffee shop culture it has created over the past 30+ years of marijuana and soft drug tourism.
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Within its ruling, the Council of State made an exception under which, in cases of severe public disturbance, mayors may discriminate against nonresidents provided that it can be proved they are responsible. Because coffee shops are notorious for their peaceful and non-violent ambiance — no coffee shop has ever been charged under a public order act — such an exception is somewhat academic.
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Continued
http://nugmag.com/2011/09/tourist-coffee-shop-ban-not-in-amsterdam/
 
^Ha yea I picked up on that too. Unless they somehow think peace and non-violence is infamously bad...

Amsterdam would never outright ban tourists from coffeshops, it would kill their tourism industry.
Even if they did, street dealing would just make a come-back. How hard would it be to hang outside a coffeshop, talk to some locals and ask nicely for some nugget?
 
Goodness, this same news has been floating around DitM for over a year or more. Every few months or so there's more articles about changing cannabis laws in the Netherlands in the future and they generate the same responses... "what about tourism?" "Isn't that discrimination?" "amsterdam will never do that" etc...
 
mgrady3 said:
Goodness, this same news has been floating around DitM for over a year or more. Every few months or so there's more articles about changing cannabis laws in the Netherlands in the future and they generate the same responses... "what about tourism?" "Isn't that discrimination?" "amsterdam will never do that" etc...
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They don't like the idea of 'Drug tourism'…

…meanwhile: "Come to Ireland for a pint of Guiness!"
 
7zark7 said:
They don't like the idea of 'Drug tourism'…

…meanwhile: "Come to Ireland for a pint of Guiness!"
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The double standard is so amusing to those of us who see the hypocrisy. Amusing not in the "ha ha" way though, but more in the tragic kind of way.
 
Since they stopped selling RCs in smart shops an entire black market catering to drug tourists has sprung up in Amsterdam. As of '07 (last time I was there) street dealers were already common place, and rather bold about approaching tourists to sell them any number of drugs, including weed even though it could be purchased over the counter from the cafe on the corner. With the planned restrictions added to cannabis and mushrooms you can expect most tourist money to be funneled directly into the black market. It will also give the young'uns easier access, a wider variety of drugs, and less quality control. I would expect "issues" with drugs in Amsterdam to rise, rather than fall. Maybe someday the world's governments will realize that it is useless and counterproductive to legislate morality. Laws should be about keeping the peace, not filling jails with non-violent offenders. Leave the normal rules of behavior to parents, teachers, and religious institutions.
 
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