new govmnt set... addressing the press @ 16:00

[treetop]

Dear Grey Area Fans,

We promised to keep you updated about the Weed Pass, so here we go again....

Today's newly formed Dutch Government has decided the Following about the weed pass and soft drugs:
The Weed Pass itself has been abandoned, but access to coffeeshops remains reserved to Dutch residents with an identity card or residence permit along with an excerpt from the population register. The enforcement of these criteria shall be done in consultation with municipalities concerned and, if necessary, phased in, taking the local coffee shop-and security policies into account so there is local customization.
We will combat drug tourism and organized drug crime with force. Drugs-runners and illegal street drugs will be dealt with firmly. The level of active substances in soft drugs will be bound to a maximum.
Officially that basically means that nothing has changed and just the word 'Weed Pass' has been removed.

But unofficially I think it means that they will use the non-dutch clause in the southern provinces to try to lessen the constant stream of drugs tourists and that nothing will change in the big cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and some northern bigger cites.

I base this on an interview with the Mayor of Amsterdam last week, who couldn't be the least bit concerned about the weed pass anymore. He's made abundantly clear that Amsterdam doesn't want the weedpass and sees no use for it. Amsterdam is completely happy with the way it has been going for the past 30 years and welcomes all tourists to their Hotels, Museums and.... Coffeeshops.

In other words.... as I've always said, the chance that Amsterdam will enforce these new coffeeshop criteria is i.m.h.o. very slim to none!

There will be a maximum set for active substances in weed, but there's no details whatsoever about how they plan to do that and when that should go into effect, so also that plan still seems miles away.

When new information on these subjects comes in, we will update you as usual!

So no more cancelations of trips now please! It's business as usual and nothing has changed! Until further notice everybody is still very welcome after January 1st 2013!

Hope to see you in Amsterdam soon!

Your loyal Grey Area Team

Also the GreenHouse bloke Arjan whatisface is claiming total victory.

[StillSmokin]

But unofficially I think it means that they will use the non-dutch clause in the southern provinces to try to lessen the constant stream of drugs tourists and that nothing will change in the big cities like Amsterdam, Rotterdam, The Hague, Utrecht and some northern bigger cites.

I base this on an interview with the Mayor of Amsterdam last week, who couldn't be the least bit concerned about the weed pass anymore. He's made abundantly clear that Amsterdam doesn't want the weedpass and sees no use for it. Amsterdam is completely happy with the way it has been going for the past 30 years and welcomes all tourists to their Hotels, Museums and.... Coffeeshops.

In other words.... as I've always said, the chance that Amsterdam will enforce these new coffeeshop criteria is i.m.h.o. very slim to none!

That sounds more like the Dutch way that I like, bit of common sense and just "let it slide" if it aint causing a problem.

Fingers crossed

[la2019]

This is as official a victory as we'll ever get! But make no mistake - we win! In politics, no one ever really concedes a loss over legislation (not counting actual elections, of course), but instead make compromises. The non-residency thing is a non-starter; it gives cities that need and/or want to restrict tourists the legal foundation to do so (although it might be illegal by EU standards), while letting places like Amsterdam conduct business as usual because doing anything else is just crazy!

Of course, these are just my opinions, could be wrong and all that. But I really feel like this is the moment we've been waiting for (well, those of us that sweated this at all, at any rate).

If I owned a shop, I'd name a strain on my menu "Weitpass" now that it's officially dead, both for the irony and the subtle reminder.

[treetop]

This is as official a victory as we'll ever get! But make no mistake - we win! In politics, no one ever really concedes a loss over legislation (not counting actual elections, of course), but instead make compromises. The non-residency thing is a non-starter; it gives cities that need and/or want to restrict tourists the legal foundation to do so (although it might be illegal by EU standards), while letting places like Amsterdam conduct business as usual because doing anything else is just crazy!

Of course, these are just my opinions, could be wrong and all that. But I really feel like this is the moment we've been waiting for (well, those of us that sweated this at all, at any rate).

If I owned a shop, I'd name a strain on my menu "Weitpass" now that it's officially dead, both for the irony and the subtle reminder.

1000th name for power plant upcoming.

[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."

[dconstrukt]

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.

[Uncle Ron]

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

[davex4]

Amsterdam will not ban tourists from coffee shops, says mayor

Thursday 01 November 2012

Tourists can continue to use Amsterdam’s 220 cannabis cafes, even if they are not resident in the Netherlands, the Volkskrant quotes the capital’s mayor Eberhard van der Laan as saying on Thursday.

The new cabinet is pressing ahead with banning non-residents from the country's cannabis cafes, but says enforcing the ban will be carried out together with local councils, taking local policy into account.

This means the city can take its own line, the Volkskrant says. At least 1.5 million of the city’s seven million visitors a year go to a coffee shop – the name for licenced cafes where small quantities of marijuana can be sold for personal use.

http://new.dutchnews.nl/

BUT, its still not official

"No green light

However, a spokesman for the justice ministry told news agency ANP later on Thursday Van der Laan had not had permission from Opstelten to ignore the new rules and that the mayor has jumped to conclusions.

While the approach to each city would be tailor-made, it had not yet been decided how the new rules would be implemented, the spokesman said."

[Cisco]

It's certainly not over unfortunately , Oppenheim or whatever his name is has now said Amsterdams mayor shouldn't have said that (I think?!)

[BigDanHaze]

LOL!
Really,It's all still just speculation it seems....