Several java stores in Amsterdam sell more than espresso. As a bastion of the local economy, these coffee houses have sold weed to foreign tourists and locals since the 1970s. According to the Los Angeles times, however, the cannabis trade will soon no longer be accessible to foreign vacationers. The right-wing party of the Dutch government has implemented a new regulation that will ban the sale of cannabis to foreign vacationers and severely limit residential access to the "soft" narcotic.
Pot ban is 'tourism suicide'
Long known for its liberal policies on weed sale and use, The Netherlands has proven to be a popular travel destination for the young and curious. Espresso stores for instance Mellow Yellows started to show up when "soft drugs" were decriminalized in the 1970s in the Netherlands. Currently, there are about 750 java stores in the country, 220 of which are located in the red light districts of Amsterdam, the capital city.
The new Dutch law requires only 1,500 members are allowed at every java shop while they have to get one year "dope passes" to get cannabis in the future, reports the Daily Mail.
The outcry from critics has been deafening, as it is predicted the anti-tourist marijuana legislation will cost The Netherlands millions of pounds annually in lost revenue. Moreover, there is concern the law will push the narcotic business underground again, as Dutch residents will likely take to selling marijuana to vacationers at inflated rates.
Dutch authorities want to stop sale of illegal drugs
While the cannabis industry at Dutch coffee stores has been legal for a while, the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice recognize that weed isn't the only drug changing hands. Authorities are hoping that the new regulation will curtail the sale of "hard drugs" that are illegal including GHB.
The ministry addressed lost revenue concerns in a statement:
"We attract other types of tourists apart from drugs tourists."
Quick change
There are already laws against selling cannabis in Dutch border towns. These consist of Maastricht and Terneuzen. By the end of the year, the new policy will go into impact for the southern provinces of Limburg, Noord Brabant and Zeeland. The ban will be required in all of the Netherlands next year.
Espresso shop culture in Amsterdam (Warning: Adult language, drug references)
Articles cited
Daily Mail
'Tourism suicide': Holland bans foreigners from cannabis coffee shops
Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice
Los Angeles Times
Netherlands: Pot shops to be off limits to foreign tourists
Reuters
Pot ban is 'tourism suicide'
Long known for its liberal policies on weed sale and use, The Netherlands has proven to be a popular travel destination for the young and curious. Espresso stores for instance Mellow Yellows started to show up when "soft drugs" were decriminalized in the 1970s in the Netherlands. Currently, there are about 750 java stores in the country, 220 of which are located in the red light districts of Amsterdam, the capital city.
The new Dutch law requires only 1,500 members are allowed at every java shop while they have to get one year "dope passes" to get cannabis in the future, reports the Daily Mail.
The outcry from critics has been deafening, as it is predicted the anti-tourist marijuana legislation will cost The Netherlands millions of pounds annually in lost revenue. Moreover, there is concern the law will push the narcotic business underground again, as Dutch residents will likely take to selling marijuana to vacationers at inflated rates.
Dutch authorities want to stop sale of illegal drugs
While the cannabis industry at Dutch coffee stores has been legal for a while, the Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice recognize that weed isn't the only drug changing hands. Authorities are hoping that the new regulation will curtail the sale of "hard drugs" that are illegal including GHB.
The ministry addressed lost revenue concerns in a statement:
"We attract other types of tourists apart from drugs tourists."
Quick change
There are already laws against selling cannabis in Dutch border towns. These consist of Maastricht and Terneuzen. By the end of the year, the new policy will go into impact for the southern provinces of Limburg, Noord Brabant and Zeeland. The ban will be required in all of the Netherlands next year.
Espresso shop culture in Amsterdam (Warning: Adult language, drug references)
Articles cited
Daily Mail
'Tourism suicide': Holland bans foreigners from cannabis coffee shops
Dutch Ministry of Security and Justice
Los Angeles Times
Netherlands: Pot shops to be off limits to foreign tourists
Reuters
Dutch government to ban tourists from cannabis shops
The Dutch government on Friday said it would start banning tourists from buying cannabis from "coffee shops" and impose restrictions on Dutch customers by the end of the year.
www.reuters.com
