The Latest on the Ban - MailOnline

[Tiger Shark]

I hope it's BS but I am not taking any chances. I am making my third trip to the 'Dam the first week in Dec. in no small part because I am concerned and I don't want to miss out on what could be my last chance.

[Mr Oranje]

I wish I could but we are in Thailand at the moment. Maybe we could take a little holiday

[cant_think]

I've seen this a few places, actually, e.g.

http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/h ... e-1.977216

"The measure will come into force for the (southern) provinces of Limburg, North-Brabant and Zeeland, the provinces most affected by drug tourism, on January 1," justice ministry spokeswoman Charlotte Menten told AFP.

Under the new policy, which some have warned could drastically curb tourism revenues, licenced coffee shops will be considered private clubs with a maximum of 2,000 members limited to Dutch residents who are older than 18.

Menten said the measures would come into force in the rest of the country in January 2013.
"

This sucks.

Read it again, there is no direct quote from Menten regarding Amsterdam or any part of the country not called "Limburg, North-Brabant and Zeeland". Newspapers are notorious for not reporting the facts and making up what sounds the most sensational.

[verticalSquare]

Fair point. I had originally read this here, just dug up the link:

http://www.montrealgazette.com/life/Tou ... story.html

Which says the same thing

"Menten said the measures would come into force in the rest of the country in January 2013."

So this article was actually written before the article which the OP linked to. Does the lack of direct quote mean that it isn't true? Not necessarily. See your point though.

I just don't personally feel very optimistic about this at all and am planning on spending 2 weeks in the dam in April if I can get the money together. It seems unlikely to me that Amsterdam could exist with different laws from the rest of the country for that long. I would have thought, sadly, that its probably just a matter of time.

[cant_think]

You're correct it does not mean it is not true basically it holds no weight either way.

[dhoni182]

I dont understand why the goverment would do such a thing, but even if it did ever happen there is no certaintly that it will be pernmant

[j-smoker]

im pretty convinced nothing much will change in amsterdam. for three reasons

1. smoking ban- what smoking ban? i shared panic when tobacco smoking ban was introduced and while it did seem to be enforced in some shops for a short while post ban im not convinced if you went to the dam not knowing about it you would probally leave not knowing about it. i smoke tobaco in all my j's in all the shops i visit with no problem whatsoever. iv seen plenty other people doing exactly the same and even seen ciggies getting smoked in quite a few shops. it is illegal but tolerated.

2. magic mushrooms - i fitted in quite a few trips in just before the ban as i thought i would never get my hands on copelandia mushrooms again. on first trip after ban i had to do quite a bit of asking around and eventually got some mainly due to the fact a guy working in a certain smartshop could remember me from previous visits. On trips since then i have found it very easy to get shrooms and the variety of available dry shrooms has increased. Again against the law but either tolerated or not enforced. there is no way authorities dont know sale is ongoing as some smartshops will advertise there avaiability fairly openly.

3. amsterdam is amsterdam, holland is holland- amsterdam is considerably more liberal than many other areas of holland, particually the south. these laws are being introduced for the benefit of conservatives which are the majority in the south, and i think they will probally be enforced in regions of netherlands which are more conservative. laws at government level in general require local mayor/councils/police co-operation to enforce them. I strongly doubt they will get such co-operation in amsterdam. Hotel prices in amsterdam are falling not rising, this would be a good marker that the tourist trade there needs help not removal of one of the main reasons a good percentage of people visit for. I think you can see from weed pass laws being gradually water down, and the fact amsterdam mayor wants a number of these passes to be available to give to tourists that there is little will to destroy the entire coffeshop trade (in amsterdam at least).

its easy to panic when reading articles about the doomsday end of amsterdam as we know it. personally i think it has changed already and is not the same as it was say ten years ago- a time when all in the same place you could buy weed, beer, smoke what you want and not have the threat of a ban hanging over you. I can see why dutch consertvatives dont like a buch of loud crude jack the lad types acting like fools, pissin in doorways, shaggin whores and behaving like cavemen, invading amsterdam each weekend. however most folks in coffeshops are too stoned to cause any trouble. Perhaps if the dutch labour party had not been destroyed by the kosovo incident then this debate would not even be happening.

[CannaSir]

Perhaps if the dutch labour party had not been destroyed by the kosovo incident then this debate would not even be happening.

Please explain!

[dconstrukt]

jsmoker... really great reply and interesting read. thanks.

ya no one in the dam gives a shit if you use bacco in the j's, just don't openly smoke a cig inside and you're good to go.

also i never heard anyone even knowing about any bans when i was living there.... its business as usual.... until coffeeshop owners get a letter from the govmnt, its all just talk and bs.

[j-smoker]

CannaSir - in a nutshell- dutch labour party used to be a dominant force in dutch politics. they were in power during kosovo/balkan/yugoslavia conflict. dutch peacekeepers were in charge and suposed to defend un safe haven. when serbs fighters turned up the dutch soldiers left camp undefended aparantly based on orders from dutch cabinet. this resulted in a killing of a lot of civillians in camp that they were suposed to be defending. when investigated it turned out they were ordered to leave camp due to fears of they would be outgunned and that they were not sure the un mandate they were there on authorised them to fight. this scandal destroyed them a serious political force in recent years. allowing more right wing parties who are more conservative to prosper.