A Green Party councillor has called for Brighton to become the new Amsterdam of Europe by decriminialising cannabis.
The party’s Home Affairs speaker Ben Duncan has called for cannabis cafes to be licensed in the resort in a bid to boost tourism.
The idea comes after a judge ruled a proposed ban on foreign tourists smoking cannabis in the Dutch capital’s coffee shops is not discriminatory against foreigners.
A ban will come into effect across Holland by the end of the year with some coffee shop owners warning the ban will cost them up to 90 per cent of their takings and could force them to close their doors for good.
Researchers say a third of visitors coming to Amsterdam to smoke cannabis legally will stay away and tourist numbers will fall.
“Think of all the millions our shops and hotels would make if all those tourists being turned away from Amsterdam by the Dutch Tories came here to spend their holiday cash instead!" Coun Duncan said.
