we've been banned....official.

[puffthemagicdragon]

Apparently now Rotterdam want to bring in the Wietpas earlier than next year as they're afraid the tourists from Belgium and Germany will come up to them instead. Pathetic.

http://www.cda.nl/Rotterdam/Actueel/Nie ... erdam.aspx

[notsofasteddie]

CDA advocates accelerated implementation wietpas in Rotterdam
Friday, May 18, 2012

Consider the source - CDA

[donpacino]

Apparently now Rotterdam want to bring in the Wietpas earlier than next year as they're afraid the tourists from Belgium and Germany will come up to them instead. Pathetic.

http://www.cda.nl/Rotterdam/Actueel/Nie ... erdam.aspx

What a load of fucking bollocks. Hopefully Amsterdam dont follow suit, i can't see it though.

[Lamont]

Oh brother I can just see it now...."because of the accelerated introduction of the wietpas in Rotterdam, we want to introduce it early in Amsterdam...".

[the.jetsharks]

I'm not too worried about this at all - its the christian democratic appeal (CDA) that said they wanted to rush this in rotterdam but if i understand it correctly they are one of the major parties backing the wietpass so ofcoarse there going to take that stance. shit i reckon if they had it completely their way then it would be implemented nationwide next week but luckily its more complicated than that.

Theres been a few national news articles from this last week with a more than skeptical view of what is happening and one in particular saying that theres a majority of dutch citizens that do not think its the smart thing to be doing. What happens in the rest of the country is still a mystery and we are yet to see what stance city officials are going to take on this but with elections comming up in september its possible that it really could go either way.

However with that said, i am still planning on taking my new-years trip at the end of this year an regardless of what happens i would still bet that i'll be having a quality time with the nicest herbs an hash come new-years eve/day in amsterdam.

I've read a fair few comments people have left with this defeatist attitude on the whole thing which is dissapointing cos the end-result is far from being called yet.

[Marco]

The CDA only has 3 seats on the council there. FUCK THE CDA.

[hilian2]

Do they not realise that the "drug tourists" put a lot of money into the economy?
When I go, I pay for a hotel, spend money in restaurants, shops, markets as well as coffee shops.
Without that money people are gonna lose jobs and hotels will prob have to close too.
I always take at least per day £150 and spend most of it.
GET REAL ASSHOLES.

[DC]

"Hope' is a great thing that usually achieves nothing.

[Occasional Bowl]

...FUCK THE CDA.

I think that sort of behaviour is best left to the 'specialist' porn market.

But seriously 3 representatives! That's not much of a mandate and perhaps more than a little arrogant.

[youngian]

I've read a fair few comments people have left with this defeatist attitude on the whole thing which is dissapointing cos the end-result is far from being called yet.

What make you say that, I understood the Wietpas is a done deal?

But having said that the smoking ban was never fully enforced in Holland and they do have a tradition of flexibility in interpretating the law, hence the coffeshop system springing up in the first place.

[the.jetsharks]

Yea i think the plans in place to have it done by the start of next year but there is a small possibility that the government that implemented it wont still be in power come september. an on top of that you got a city that relies pretty heavily on the cannabis industry with a history of the coffee shops starting from flaunting the current legal system as you mentioned, an also you got the tobacco ban that is currently law but yet its rarely enforced too.

Truthfully fucks knows whats going to happen but what might end up helping is when city officials like the mayor weigh into the discussion cos when this first hit the news they were saying he wasn't to happy with the idea.

The odds might not be the best for us but im only going to believe that were fucked when the final calls made an i see it first hand that people are being turned away from the shops in amsterdam.

[la2019]

Yea i think the plans in place to have it done by the start of next year but there is a small possibility that the government that implemented it wont still be in power come september. an on top of that you got a city that relies pretty heavily on the cannabis industry with a history of the coffee shops starting from flaunting the current legal system as you mentioned, an also you got the tobacco ban that is currently law but yet its rarely enforced too.

Truthfully fucks knows whats going to happen but what might end up helping is when city officials like the mayor weigh into the discussion cos when this first hit the news they were saying he wasn't to happy with the idea.

The odds might not be the best for us but im only going to believe that were fucked when the final calls made an i see it first hand that people are being turned away from the shops in amsterdam.

Man that totally sums up the way I'm seeing this too. You never know...

[Lloydy]

I hear all of this talk about Amsterdam falling to its knees once the tourist ban comes into place but I’m really not so sure. When you walk around you see such a mixture of people from all sorts of backgrounds coming to enjoy various activities with coffee shops of course being just one but I would say by no means the primary reason.

Something I have noticed over the last few years is the increasing number of ‘suits’ on the flights that I’m on and I tend to go twice a year and have been the last several years. I’m becoming more aware of Amsterdams burgeoning international business boom with more and more company’s having regional offices, conference centres and facilities so I think this is all part of the evolution of this great City. Just my thoughts

[Marco]

I hear all of this talk about Amsterdam falling to its knees once the tourist ban comes into place but I’m really not so sure. When you walk around you see such a mixture of people from all sorts of backgrounds coming to enjoy various activities with coffee shops of course being just one but I would say by no means the primary reason.

Something I have noticed over the last few years is the increasing number of ‘suits’ on the flights that I’m on and I tend to go twice a year and have been the last several years. I’m becoming more aware of Amsterdams burgeoning international business boom with more and more company’s having regional offices, conference centres and facilities so I think this is all part of the evolution of this great City. Just my thoughts

No doubt. Take a look at the development around central station with the Vodafone and Tom Tom HQ. Amsterdam is increasingly a center for online companies, design, advertising in addition to the long-standing industries such as ICT, flowers, etc.

[Saxon]

Talk of the Dutch economy collapsing is utter nonsense. As is usual, people make reactionary along the lines of "Amsterdam will go bust without us smokers!!" because they are upset about the impending coffeeshop situation and need to let off a bit of steam. Tourist smokers spend a significant amount of their time traipsing from one coffeeshop to another and so, overestimate just how important coffeeshops are in the grand scheme of things. If the coffeeshops all close, it won't really make much of an impact on the Dutch economy as a whole.
But, and it's a big but as far as Amsterdam is concerned, it will have a significant impact on Amsterdam's tourist industry. About a third of all visitors to Amsterdam cite the coffeeshops as the main, or significant, reason for visiting the city. That's many millions of people. Most coffeeshop visiting tourist are usually of the budget or standard spending type. When the wietpas is introduced it will have a major effect on budget and mid-range hotels and budget or cheaper restaurants. As these sort of places usually operate on low margins but high turnover, it could see many go out of business within weeks or months. There will be a knock on effect for jobs for cleaners, chefs and cooks, waiters, delivery drivers and others involved in the hotel and restaurant trade. As well as other tourist related businesses like boat and guided tours, bike rental etc.
That's why the Mayor and Amsterdam city council are opposed to the wietpas. They know it will have a huge effect on the local tourist industry. It could takes years to recover. They have been trying to attract wealthy tourists to Amsterdam for years now, but that's what all European cities want to do. Without the unique hook of the coffeeshops, Amsterdam's tourist trade will find itself in a very competitive market.