It's Looking Good For Us Now... The Tide Is Turning!!!

[treetop]

2 things:

Someone owes Shaggy (I think it was him) an apology, because he was right.

Second, I guess Veggie can no longer compare the wietpas with the Holocaust.

Those were dark uncertain times.

[BigDanHaze]

Great News! Looking forward to the annual Spring trip in prolly June instead of March for a little warmer weather yay!

[dconstrukt]

i just read this and it sounded encouraging for AMS...

http://seattletimes.com/html/travel/201 ... ana30.html

No national ban on tourists in Amsterdam marijuana cafes
Dutch government ditches 'weed pass' plan that effectively would have barred tourists.

AMSTERDAM — The incoming Dutch government has ditched plans for a national "weed pass" that would have been available only to residents and that would have effectively banned tourists from Amsterdam's marijuana cafes.

However, under a provisional governing pact unveiled this week, cities can bar foreigners from weed shops if they choose.

The pact says that it wants only Dutch residents to have access to marijuana cafes, but leaves enforcement up to cities. Amsterdam opposes a ban, which would hurt tourism.

Some cafe owners said Tuesday that they are satisfied Dutch weed policy will remain unchanged, while others criticized the lack of clarity.

Marijuana trafficking is technically illegal in the Netherlands, but people can't be prosecuted for possession of small amounts and the drug is sold openly in designated "coffee shops."


http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/10/3 ... 43646.html

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2012/10/30/a ... weed-pass/

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/worl ... a/1668761/

They're ALL reporting this as a victory for us.

Seems like as vague as this new law is, the cities are open to enforcing it or not.... which in AMS, i'll say 99.9999999% its not gonna be enforced.

Victory?

[Uncle Ron]

It's over, shut it down...
..

[Marco]

It's over, shut it down...
..

Well, I am not sure this new government will last ten minutes. Huge controversy about a proposed enormous hike in health insurance for many in the middle class here (300+ EUR per month per person!!!!). People are pissed, including yours truly.

[Rob_OG]

It's over, shut it down...
..

Well, I am not sure this new government will last ten minutes. Huge controversy about a proposed enormous hike in health insurance for many in the middle class here (300+ EUR per month per person!!!!). People are pissed, including yours truly.

+1
Private health insurance in the UK = £42 for two
"Socialised" state insurance in NL starts at 7X that for one

I don't spend 300 euros a month on anything other than rent. It could get ugly still, and the wietpas seems to be a real horse-trading law.

[Uncle Ron]

It's over, shut it down...
..

Well, I am not sure this new government will last ten minutes. Huge controversy about a proposed enormous hike in health insurance for many in the middle class here (300+ EUR per month per person!!!!). People are pissed, including yours truly.

My comment was me 'taking the piss'; I wrote the same thing on other threads with the weed pass as the main topic.

I feel your pain, and then some (maybe)...
I pay 235 Euro per month for health insurance, and that only includes partial dental.
This past July I had a tooth pulled and two old fillings replaced - total bill = 1300 Euros: Insurance paid 200, I'm paying 1100 in five easy monthly installments...
The health care industry may someday rival the military industrial complex in revenue generated...
...sad

[matt1376]

I normally go to the Netherlands on my own these days.

I go into a coffeeshop, don't act like a twat, buy some gear and drink, sit down and relax.

Then a big group of Scottish or Irish or English guys on a stag do, all pissed up; or a group of French or Spanish kids come in all getting I.D'd to make sur they are over 18.

Now that pisses me off.

Ban all those wankers for sure - but let the rest of us just get on with it and enjoy !

[john quays]

matt 1376 i hear you x5. Like yourself, a solo traveller, well behaved and (in my case) soberly dressed. Gangs of kids and stag dos aren't great for the image I suppose, but in the end, they have the same right as us to enter the shops. Pain in the arse.

Used to particularly enjoy the coffeeshops in Tilburg and Breda but that's over now. So even though it seems that coffeeshops may still remain open to us foreigners in the Dam and other cities, the wietpas episode has caused some highly regrettable damage to coffeeshop culture.

[smeetiva]

Well after the past few days there has been a lot of confusion surrounding the wietpas and whether it is going to be introduced or not. After recently the new Dutch government decide they would keep the wietpas but leave it down to the mayo
rs to enforce. We can count are chickens and our eggs the Mayor has agreed to keep Coffeeshops open for Tourists in Amsterdam Woop three cheers for Mayor Eberhard van der Laan. We won feels nice http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2 ... ourist.php

Big thank you to Nol Van Schaik and Peter Lunk for there endless work

[Lazaris]

Mayor Eberhard van der Laan is an excellent example of a conscious politician.

He even threw a few bones to the closed-minded politicians with the water about watching the shops closely and agreeing with keeping the strength of the weed below 15%....blah blah blah

This is good news, but now the politicians have a way of keeping the cannabis cafe businesses on a very short leash.

Obviously it is much better than if the wietpass was introduced

[Marco]

NOT SO FAST

Van der Laan has no permission from Opstelten '
1/11/12 1:19 p.m. hours
"Mayor premature to claim '
Exterior of Greenhouse Coffeeshop in Amsterdam. © Reuters

Mayor Van der Laan has no permission to tourists after 1 January to allow in coffeeschops. That represents a spokesman Minister Ivo Opstelten of Security and Justicewhether. He says the mayor of Amsterdam with his conclusion is premature, says the NIS .

In The Times, Van der Laan morning that coffeeshops in Amsterdam stay open for tourists now wietpas of table.

The caretaker government would allow only members in Dutch coffeeshops. They had to subscribe to wietpas to get, but which only disappears. Customers of coffee shops should soon have a identity card or residence permit and a certificate of residence show to prove that they live in the Netherlands.

Inspected shall be governed by the new coalition agreement "in consultation with the municipalities 'reliever phases' and 'which is connected to the local coffee shop and security' that 'customization' is supplied. These agreements make it possible for Amsterdam coffee shops to stay open for tourists, says Van der Laan.

A spokesman says Opstelten customization will be applied, but still to be worked out how that turns out. The Ministry will consult with municipalities that need customization.
(By: Editorial)

[dconstrukt]

its over.

looks like we officially won.

woop woop.

http://translate.google.nl/translate?sl ... ml&act=url

[Quazer]

My last contribution to the weed pass topic:

http://new.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2 ... ourist.php

[Marco]

its over.

looks like we officially won.

woop woop.

http://translate.google.nl/translate?sl ... ml&act=url

Did you read my post above?