The last smoke for Amsterdam's hash tourists?

[Puffin13]

The last smoke for Amsterdam's hash tourists?
09 Dec 2010

Amsterdam - The Netherlands' famous coffee shops are locked in a battle with the Dutch government, which wants to ban foreigners from buying legally available cannabis joints. Opposition to the proposal is so strong that the European Court of Justice is devoting time to the matter.

It takes no more than 10 minutes after arriving in Amsterdam by train to buy a joint. There are plenty of bars and cafes beside the central station with names like Rastababy or Funny People offering cannabis to customers. It's a legal business and there are about 230 of these coffee shops, as they are known, operating in Amsterdam.

Many of the coffee shops' customers come from abroad. But, if the government has its way, the shop owners will be cut off from that lucrative business.

The Netherlands' coalition government of centre-right liberals and Christian democrats wants to turn the country's 670 coffee shops into member-only clubs, which would prevent anyone who is not an "adult resident of the Netherlands" from buying cannabis.

If the ban comes into force, the government will establish a network of computers in the coffee shops that can read electronic ID cards to stop foreign patrons from getting around the system and ensure no one buys more than the legally allowed five grams of marijuana per person per day.

When Justice Minister Ivo Opstelten announced the proposal, he received praise from town councils along the Netherlands' frontier. Those city councils have been complaining for years about juvenile cannabis smokers from Germany and Belgium.

But coffee shop owners in Amsterdam and the city authority joined together to raise opposition to the ban. Amsterdam's Social Democrat mayor Eberland van der Laan says the proposal is a step backward to a less tolerant society.

"Coffee shops were invented in Amsterdam," says van der Laan. Amsterdam's authorities backed reforms in 1976 to legislation governing illegal drugs that allowed licensed coffee shops to sell "soft drugs."

Van der Laan argues that if the coffee shops are barred to foreigners, then "we will soon have the same conditions we had in the past with drug dealers back on our streets."

Van der Laan says dealers would then offer heroin and other highly addictive substances along with cannabis. "Coffee shops made it easier to control the consumption of soft drugs. We have everything under control there."

The mayor rejects criticism that he is more concerned with securing Amsterdam's revenue from foreign visitors than with controlling drug consumption.

He says only a quarter of Amsterdam' annual four million visitors visit coffee shops after they have been to the city's museums and art galleries. "Most tourists don't come for the coffee shops but they would be bothered by dealers if they were not allowed to visit them."

However, Justice Minister Opstelten is determined to push the ban through without any exceptions. He wants Amsterdam to follow the example set by other cities such as Maastricht, where the authorities have already introduced the ban.

But, for the moment, the ban is not being enforced, as the city's association of coffee shops has taken a case to the European Court of Justice in Luxembourg. The association's members argue that the ban on foreigners contravenes EU citizens' rights.

A verdict is expected before the end of the year. But there are indications it will go against the coffee shop owners. Neighbouring countries such as Germany are also in favour of the ban because many foreigners don't just buy joints in the Netherlands, but frequently take products containing cannabis home with them.

Attorney Yves Bot is representing Maastricht in the case. He argues cannabis is not a product subject to the EU's regulations governing trade. He also says the Netherland's cannabis tourist business is merely a covert form of Europe's illegal drug trade.

Source

[donpacino]

This is just saying more of the same stuff we allready know.

Some people believe that if the government gets it's own way in the south then they may leave amsterdam alone as some of the pressure will be removed. Either way there is gonna be a battle, even the mayor of amsterdam is opposed to this idea.

[westerkerk]

So it's just a ban on cannabis joints then? Ok I'll take my bong and a water pipe

A verdict is expected before the end of the year.

This verdict is entirely for the Maastrict case right? With a sort of underlying story on whether the principles of such a ban would be acceptable under EU regulations?

Seems to me that if this ruling goes against the coffeeshops in Maastrict, other cities will have no choice but to follow. They'll have nothing to argue, not a leg to stand on...

Even so... Implementing a network of computer systems across all coffeeshops could take some time indeed. I also reckon their first step will be to close those within 350m of schools. Pointless putting computer systems in those. Who knows when that will be.

[CannaSir]

This is all looking rather grim. By making the c.shops member-only they will be able to effectively decimate the weed trade for most shops whilst not taking the degree of flak they would on a total ban. It looks suspiciously like a phase to me. Next phase, closing them altogether, will be much easier when the arguments regarding 'lost revenue' have been forgotten. Home-growers all over the world will be thanking their lucky stars they have their own supply for the coming times! Watch weed prices soar if they ban the whole thing altogether! Thank f#*k I'm coming to town in a few days time!

I feel a smoke-a-thon coming on!

[Kingdoc]

I think they will shut some coffeeshops down myself! ie the ones near schools & old peoples homes especialy,But a total ban on overseas people i doubt will happen,They may put the age limmit up to say 21 & cut the number of grams you can buy down to say 2 or 3 but i dont think we will go back to the pre 1976 situation,I didnt think i would say this but amsterdam IS saturated with coffeeshops! half of them ive never even set foot in during my 11 years ,& How would they police such a ban anyways? if you worked in a coffeeshop would you be able to buy for yourself? if you bought on the street would it be a criminal offence?,Sounds like to me people are more terrified of the coffeeshop scene being abondoned into the hands of street dealers! more than the actual coffeeshops themselves now ,Not saying some locals are not pissed off with the status quo but its way better for everyone than dealing openly in the streets,KD.

[Boner]

Old peoples homes?

[Kingdoc]

Old peoples homes?

Not homes as such boner! retirement community`s if you have your pc hat on today,:lol:.

[puffpuffgive]

maybe limiting to 2-3g would dissuade people coming to border towns just to pick up, whilst not alienating the rest of the world from the coffeeshops entirely. although it'd probably just turn into a trek around all available c/s's to pick up the maximum stash possible.

[westerkerk]

Just crack down on the borders, which are the real problem area here and a major driving force behind this. Pressure from border countries and pressure from the EU to do something about it.

They've gone route one on this the Dutch gov, instead of dealing with issues at their own borders they're forcing this crap on everyone just to fucking deal with it, indirectly. I fucking hate that

I can see big changes for Amsterdam in the next 12-18 months - big, big changes.

Maastricht aside, if they're going to introduce this nationally they have big preparations to make, in the outer districts of NL they'll surely trial this first before imposing it on Amsterdam. I'd say it gives us all at least 9 months.

[xxxcronicxxx]

maybe limiting to 2-3g would dissuade people coming to border towns just to pick up, whilst not alienating the rest of the world from the coffeeshops entirely. although it'd probably just turn into a trek around all available c/s's to pick up the maximum stash possible.

Back in 1994 you could get up to 28grams/per person, from a coffeeshop.
These are the last days of how we know Amsterdam. (old skool knows what im saying)

[seanlyall]

I actually get upset reading some of these threads

People who have probably never had a joint in their life trying to ban it

[steven]

maybe limiting to 2-3g would dissuade people coming to border towns just to pick up, whilst not alienating the rest of the world from the coffeeshops entirely. although it'd probably just turn into a trek around all available c/s's to pick up the maximum stash possible.

Back in 1994 you could get up to 28grams/per person, from a coffeeshop.
These are the last days of how we know Amsterdam. (old skool knows what im saying)

Hmmmmm old skool, those were the days

[Pauli Wallnuts]

I actually get upset reading some of these threads

dont m8, stoners are a paranoid bunch

[dpgsoulja89]

This is all looking rather grim. By making the c.shops member-only they will be able to effectively decimate the weed trade for most shops whilst not taking the degree of flak they would on a total ban. It looks suspiciously like a phase to me. Next phase, closing them altogether, will be much easier when the arguments regarding 'lost revenue' have been forgotten. Home-growers all over the world will be thanking their lucky stars they have their own supply for the coming times! Watch weed prices soar if they ban the whole thing altogether! Thank f#*k I'm coming to town in a few days time!

I feel a smoke-a-thon coming on!

I can predict that in about 5 or 6 years..itl b like the headshop thing,completely closed..and everyone will be back to street dealers..is thats so bad..weed is weed no matter where it comes from

[TheGinSoakedGirl]

Nothing pithy or incisive to had I'm afraid. I think the squeeze is starting with this self righteous government and within two years there may well be just a few a members only shops left in the dam

Time to sit back, some nice ssh and play the old Bowie number, 5 years:

Pushing through the albertcuypmarkt
So many stoners sighing
News had just come over
We had two years left to toke in
Budtender wept and told us
Katsu was really dying
Cried so much her face was wet
Then I knew she was not lying

I think I saw you in abraxas
Drinking milk shakes cold and long
Smiling and grinning and looking so stoned
Don't think you knew you were in this tome
And it was cold and it rained
So I felt like a stranger
And I thought of amnesia
and I wanted to get back there

We got two years, roll one for me
We got two years, what a smooth high
We got two years, clean out the bong
We got two years, that's not very long