Dutch government seeks to ban tourists from cannabis cafes

[Amerigo Vespucci]

Dutch government seeks to ban tourists from cannabis cafes

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2010/11/dutch-ban-tourists-cannabis-cafes/



AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - The Dutch government said on Wednesday it wanted to ban tourists from buying cannabis in "coffee shops," where hash is on sale legally, as part of a national crackdown on drug use.

The Netherlands has one of Europe's most liberal soft drug policies and its coffee shops are a popular tourist attraction, especially in Amsterdam and border cities near Belgium and Germany.

But some cities near the border with Belgium have clamped down on drug tourism, and the Dutch minister for security and justice confirmed Wednesday a wider crackdown after coalition parties agreed to push for a ban in September.

The government, which took office last month, has agreed to limit the sale of cannabis to Dutch residents to curb crime linked to its production and trading.

"No tourist attractions. We don't like that," the minister, Ivo Opstelten, told public broadcaster NOS Wednesday.

"The heart of the problem is crime and disturbances surrounding the sale. We have to go back to what it was meant for: local use for those who would like it."

[Fuzz]

1. Dislike

[Blues Heron]

2. great push it back out to the alleys. brilliant strategy.

so the baristas are going to be doing ID checks now? Don't think so...

Fail

[theaocp]

3. This has "terrible idea"

written all over it. These people are single-handedly taking money out of their own citizens' pockets for no good reason whatsoever. Good luck with that. :eyes:

[divineorder]

5. We won't ask for Id and Don't Tell Us You're Out of Town

Somehow the cafes will find a way to accommodate the tourists. This is so economically irrational that I can only chalk it up to outside pressure from the puritans in the United States.Economically irrational in that the cafes are drawing business cross the border at a time when other businesses are contracting, and no country is immune from the need for more tax revenue. But when have puritans ever cared about other people's happiness or money? The cafes existence is proof that a more tolerant approach to weed can work, so the puritans have to stamp it out before Americans really get the idea that legal cannabis is okay. But we all know prohibition of something harmless and profitable never works. There will be a way.

There looks like there will be a secondary market soon for locals who sell cannabis to other locals who then sell it to the tourists. Or foreign folks will be "guests" who share a local's stash or just set up dates there and then imbibe later at someone's home.

[librechik]

4. sad end to an era

but maybe this new govt will prove unpopular, and maybe they won't like losing the tourist revenue, maybe it won't improve the crime situation. A new democratic and more liberal regime could change things back. We'll see.

[TygrBright]

6. Dudes, seriously...

...with an HONEST attempt not to sound patronizing, Americo-centric, or in any other way negatively biased against your wonderful, highly civilized country that I like and admire...

...um... without the cannabis cafes, you DO realize that your ENTIRE tourist industry will devolve into a few dim history scholars, garden fanciers, and some Euro-bus tour stops at the Anne Frank house, right?

Which is FINE, if you don't care about the tourist economy's contribution to your hospitality industry, your collateral retail sector, transport, etc.

Fine. Really.

ummm...

Go for it, dudes.

amazedly,
Bright

[chidy]

8. "dim??"

since when are history scholars "dim?" /history scholar/

but otherwise, yeah. this is going to backfire, bigtime. i feel sorry for them, really. in the sense that while they have a system that works, because every place else is still run by puritans, the crime element still plagues the dutch. it's a shitty no-win situation for dutch politicians. this is a bad time to kill your own economy.

[CrownPrinceBandar]

7. Terrible idea.......

Want to see a huge drop in your tourism? Go for it. Your VanGogh's and your Vermeer's will only carry you so far.

[DonCoquixote]

9. The dutch

OK Europe, after spending the Bush years slamming us, you spend the Obama years imitating us.

[Initech]

10. We're about to find out what the driving force behind Dutch tourism is.

[Freetradesucks]

11. Interesting......

So a country where it has been legal for years is now going to criminalize it to cut down on crime, yet many here in the United States contend that if we legalize it, it will reduce crime.....hmmmmmmm

So who is right? Perhaps the bottom line is that citizens doing drugs is bad for society? I'm not passing judgement at all, just trying to make sense of these two polar opposites views. It seems both have been tried, and the result is the same?

I don't know, what do you make of this? The Dutch are certainly not prudes, if they are doing this they must honestly think that it will improve their quality of life.

[RainDog]

12. it's not legal. it's decriminalized. And it's still illegal to grow cannabis in The NL

they're not trying to make it criminal to have cannabis cafes. they just don't want to have cannabis tourists. that's not criminalizing.

they want to restrict the cafes to citizens because people from Belgium, Germany, France, etc. go to cities on the border and cause traffic jams and people in those cities aren't happy about the tourism - tho they're probably happy with the money the tourists bring.

A decade ago, one avg. cannabis cafe inside the nation made more than 400k a year - but ones on the border could make double that b/c of tourists. That was a decade ago. I wonder if the people who are talking about this have thought through the issue - if the aggravation of younger people coming into their towns to go to a cafe is worth the loss of revenue.

But other nations like Germany and Belgium and France need to develop their own system of cafes or some form of distribution - I don't see why they don't - they're giving money away. Belgium, allows possession of small amts already. The attitude in Belgium, tho, is often that those "Dutch folks" go overboard just to prove how liberal they are. funny, but that's a stereotype.

The right wing is in power in The NL right now - they've gained power b/c of a backlash after the murder of Theo Van Gogh, etc... and all over Europe there is an immigrant backlash b/c of all of the fall out after 9-11 and terror cells in Hamburg and London, etc. etc. Right wingers aren't generally accommodating of others. But they are usually pretty interested in money.

There are lots of other things to do in the NL, tho. The Rijksmuseum, the nude beaches, a Sprookworden theme park, tulip festivals, skiing in the north...