Amsterdam To Keep Tourist Out Of Coffee Shops! (Again)

deprave

deprave

New Member
[video=youtube;at32lnzfpqU]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=at32lnzfpqU[/video]

No More Marijuana for Tourists in Amsterdam

News by Mark Berman Opposing Views
(6 Hours Ago) in Society / Drug Law
If you like to travel to Amsterdam in order to smoke marijuana legally, you may want to book one final trip very soon -- pot will soon be banned for tourists.
According to a report in the New York Daily News, the Dutch government on Friday announced that by the end of the year, tourists will no longer be allowed to buy marijuana at Amsterdam's infamous "coffee shops," or even enter them.
The right wing government, which came into power last year, said it is making the move to fight crime and promote good health.
"In order to tackle the nuisance and criminality associated with coffee shops and drug trafficking, the open-door policy of coffee shops will end," Dutch health and justice ministers wrote in a letter to the country's parliament.
Critics say the ban could severely damage tourism to The Netherlands, particularly Amsterdam, home to 220 coffee shops, which themselves are big tourist attractions. They also fear it could lead to a black market for drugs.
The new rules will also make it difficult for locals to buy pot. Amsterdam residents would have to sign up at a coffee shop for a one-year membership, and each shop will have a maximum 1,500 members.


Can anyone confirm or deny if its for real this time?
 
deprave

deprave

New Member

Amsterdam Marijuana Cafes Could Close to Tourists: An Opportunity For L.A. Pot Shops?

By Dennis Romero, Fri., May 27 2011 at 2:48 PM

Categories: Marijuana



​This could be a great opportunity for Los Angeles, the marijuana capital of America. Turns out Amsterdam might not want your weed-smoking tourist business anymore. Associated Press reports that "the Dutch Cabinet says it will push ahead with plans to force anyone wishing to purchase marijuana at the country's weed cafes to first obtain an official pass -- a move designed to curtail tourists from buying the drug."
We'll take 'em, right L.A. pot shops?
Under the cabinet plan, Amsterdam's famed cafes will have to chose between regulars and tourists, as they'll only be able to issue 1,500 permits each.
[NSFW video]:
Bummer, dude. Besides crappy trance music, cannabis cafes are Amsterdam's number one draw, if you ask us.
But one city's loss can be another's gain.
California's medical marijuana laws would probably have to change in order to tap into this tourism gold mine. "Patients" have to have California IDs to get medical pot. (This would make hard for all but the most resourceful tourists -- a.k.a. Mexicans on Alvarado Street -- to get their weed on).
And you can't smoke it out in the open at a "cafe" here as far as we know.
But this could be good for business. Think about it, Tom Ammiano.
 
deprave

deprave

New Member
Associated Press

Dutch Cabinet commits to anti-marijuana plan

Associated Press, 05.27.11, 12:14 PM EDT
AMSTERDAM -- The Dutch Cabinet says it will push ahead with plans to force anyone wishing to purchase marijuana at the country's weed cafes to first obtain an official pass - a move designed to curtail tourists from buying the drug.
Prime Minister Mark Rutte says he plans to begin rolling out the system in the country's south later this year, an area popular with French and German buyers, before moving on to Amsterdam's famed tourist cafes later in his term.
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Justice Ministry spokesman Wim van der Weegen said Friday the supreme court must still rule on whether foreigners can be blocked entirely.
Regardless, he said the plan will prevent cafes from issuing more than 1,500 permits in all, forcing shop owners to choose between tourists and their regular customers.
 
Ernst

Ernst

Well-Known Member
Since I did visit in 2009 I did catch the essence of Dutch society.

At the time the two biggest complaints were open urination and dog poop on the side walks.

In Amsterdam I remember many flavors of cannabis shops that ranged from out of the way to main street level so there could be issues the Dutch don't approve of surfacing. They do like things to be transparent.
Where I thought the main conflict was, was with German traffic. Folks crossing into and coming simply to score.

So yeah, the may shut it down. Been a rumor for a while.
 
deprave

deprave

New Member
open urination and dog poop? they have street sweepers everyday, seems pretty clean to me, I went in 2009 last also.
 
sharon1

sharon1

Active Member
Hmmm...they're calling Los Angeles the pot capital of the world.
I thought Oakland held that dubious distinction, lol.
 
Ernst

Ernst

Well-Known Member
That is what I understood and outside some pub you could smell the piss on the bridge going over a canal. The public urinals were cool tho..
 
deprave

deprave

New Member
sharon1 said:
Hmmm...they're calling Los Angeles the pot capital of the world.
I thought Oakland held that dubious distinction, lol.
Click to expand...
Yea well so is every other city that has legal pot who published an article about this lol - this article was from an L.A. based source, its not oakland its denver, o wait vancover, o wait flint lol
 
deprave

deprave

New Member
ah okay, I was probably too buzzed to notice or it was gone by the time I got there, I even rode the canals entirely in a pedal boat haha
 
Ernst

Ernst

Well-Known Member
Well I only smelled the pee outside one pub.. I can't remember if it was the Australian or British one and don't ask me what street.. It seems like it was just a couple canals over from the Pollinator but I was in flight at altitude most of the time.

For you who go for the first time realize there is much more to Amsterdam than the Coffee Shops and that the "touristy" stuff is fun too. Be sure to do those things. get a pack of tickets for stuff like the museums.
Double Plus Good!

I didn't get to the paddle boats and I would like to have but I did get up at 4-5 AM without an alarm day after day when I went to bed at 11 pm most nights.
It's was a work out trying to cover as much as I could in 10 days.
Oh and my advice for all who go! Have a backpack to put stuff in because anything you have in your hands may get lost after a few stops.
Also, zip the zippers all the way over and down so that to unzip requires one to tug up on the pack or you will have people unzipping your pack and others reaching into them to get stuff.
That was one scam I had done on me and the other was those African fellows you get warned about. That is a serious issue too. Stay away from them as well.

----

If they ban tourists then they will just increase black market sales.
 
deprave

deprave

New Member
ya the brits and the africans there for sure are nothing but trouble, you will hear the brits(i forget the local slang for them but they are British) shouting and arguing and then the african gentlemen will try to motion you over to talk to them and then try to run a scam on you, I just ignore both types of people when I am there.
 
Ernst

Ernst

Well-Known Member
The worst for me was that Australian Dance club. Man Pot haters extreme!
Don't even think of some live music, drinks and smoking around there from what I could tell.
 
X

xKuroiTaimax

Well-Known Member
I went in April and I think I'm really going to miss waking up, jumping on the Metro and strolling in to a coffeeshop full of friendly talkative people and cheap draw. I think this will really change the atmosphere of Amsterdam, instead of being 'one of them' as a pot smoker (they really do like you to feel like you've known eachother for years!) you are an Outsider... It's going to get pretty awkward. You won't blend in with the locals flashing your card and how complicated is it to get one anyway 0_0

This is sad, you meet alot of nice people just wandering in and out of different coffeeshops all day. Customer relations matter, It's nice to be remembered- I think if that sweet guy I got hash off of last time has to shut his doors on me I'll... Cry!!! *whines*

I can't afford to go all the way to LA, and Amsterdam is beautiful for its parks, canals and Eurostar links! X3

Brits aren't stupid enough to get themselves too unwelcome in Dam. They only behave themselves and show the reserved side of classic Britishness in coffeeshops, one because Brits are uptight with social interaction and two because they save all their rowdiness for places like Benidorm, Magalouf and Ibiza where they have nothing to lose. Booze is legal and everywhere, and Brits like alot of it.

I saw one drunk Australian in the street and alot of hilarious Germans, pissed as hell, dancing on the roof of the campervan and singing with a hosepipe.
 
Razztafarai

Razztafarai

Well-Known Member
End of an era, I went 5 times alst year. These right wing political decisions in the Netherlands are becoming a disaster. They make 400 million Euros in taxation on Cannabis every year, why would any sane government cut off it's nose to spite it's face in a time of eceomonic down turn. Becasue they're insane, this is absolutely bonkers.

Oh and by the way, pardon my language but fuck you buddy:

deprave said:
ya the brits and the africans there for sure are nothing but trouble, you will hear the brits(i forget the local slang for them but they are British) shouting and arguing and then the african gentlemen will try to motion you over to talk to them and then try to run a scam on you, I just ignore both types of people when I am there.
Click to expand...
^ What a load of racist tosh
 
Ernst

Ernst

Well-Known Member
I discount the racist aspect. Sure we need to clearly see that line and not cross it but the hustling was a real experience for me. I checked it out when I was there and it's true or was for me anyway.
 
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