Amsterdam Tourism and Convention Board - Eye on Amsterdam

[The Lawspeaker]

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Amsterdam Tourism and Convention Board - Eye on Amsterdam

[Arne]

AMSTERDAM, April 29 — A controversial law that will make it harder for foreign tourists to buy cannabis at the Netherlands’ famous coffee shops has been upheld by a Dutch court.

The law, which reverses 40 years of liberal drugs policy in the Netherlands, is targeted at the many foreigners who have come to see the country as a soft drugs paradise and to tackle a rise in crime related to the drug trade.

The law, which goes into force in three southern provinces on May 1 before going nationwide next year, means coffee shops can only sell cannabis to registered members.

Only locals, whether Dutch or foreign residents, will be allowed to join a coffee shop, and each coffee shop will be limited to 2,000 members. Some users regard the requirement to register as an invasion of privacy.

Fourteen coffee shop owners and several pressure groups challenged the law in the courts, saying they should not be asked to discriminate between locals and non-locals.

A lawyer for the coffee shop owners said they would appeal.

The Dutch government, which collapsed at the weekend, had also planned to forbid any coffee shops within 350 metres of a school, with effect from 2014.

The government in October launched a plan to ban what it considered to be highly potent forms of cannabis — known as “skunk” — placing them in the same category as heroin and cocaine. — Reuters

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/images/uploads/2012/april2012/29/trav_weed.jpg

http://www.themalaysianinsider.com/litee/travel/article/dutch-court-upholds-ban-on-tourist-trade-in-cannabis/

[The Lawspeaker]

Ooh god that law is so stupid. Maastricht (http://www.nrc.nl/nieuws/2012/05/31/drugsoverlast-maastricht-in-maand-verviervoudigd-schuld-wietpas/) is a nice example as they were catapulted 20 years back in time: dealers are now out on the street and they are dealing out in the open. And the police simply can't fucking cope.

[Arne]

Ooh god that law is so stupid. Maastricht is a nice example as they were catapulted 20 years back in time: dealers are now out on the street and they are dealing out in the open. And the police simply can't fucking cope.


‘Liberal’ the Netherlands Joins War on Drugs

May 29


For some reason, the Dutch government has suddenly decided to wage war on marijuana. As most foreigners undoubtedly know, the Dutch ‘tolerate’ the use of this soft drug. Heck, it’s one of the primary reasons hundreds of thousands of tourists flock to Amsterdam every year; that and the famous Red Light District.

Well, the government has now decided that enough is enough. Justice minister Ivo Opstelten announced last week that he’ll introduce a so-called weed-card. Dutchmen who want to smoke weed have to show this card to the coffeeshop owner. If they don’t own one, they can’t buy themselves a joint.

Although the card is obviously an annoyance to many Dutchmen, the ones truly hurt by it are the tourists; the card will only be available to Dutch citizens.

The Dutch tourist branch is, therefore, not exactly charmed by Opstelten’s plan. And why would they? They could very well face losses of hundreds of millions of euros – and that at a time when Europe’s economies are already struggling.

Not only will this plan be enormously costly, it’s also likely to be extremely ineffective: many tourists will undoubtedly find a Dutchman willing to buy some drugs for them (against a minor fee, of course). Perhaps they’ll even be able to buy it themselves – not in a coffee shop but at a street corner.

Which brings me to my third (and final) objection to Opstelten’s unsavory plan: drug dealers will undoubtedly take over the streets. Heck, perhaps even entire neighborhoods. And how is the government going to combat that? With the tiny, useless Dutch police force? Right. Well, that’s at least going to be… entertaining.

Being tough on crime is a wonderful idea, but declaring war on soft drugs isn’t exactly a smart move; especially not when a country is facing many other – real, rather than imagined – problems.

* Although I’m pro-legalization of soft drugs, by the way, I don’t use it myself. Just to make that clear.
http://www.theatlanticright.com/2011/05/29/liberal-the-netherlands-joins-war-on-drugs/

The Dutch are kissing the Arse of Americans a bit too much by now :/
I never were in Amsterdam to be honest, but many People spoken about visiting Amsterdam to buy some Dope.
I mean, if they don´t need the Money....

[The Lawspeaker]

May 29


http://www.theatlanticright.com/2011/05/29/liberal-the-netherlands-joins-war-on-drugs/

The Dutch are kissing the Arse of Americans a bit too much by now :/
I never were in Amsterdam to be honest, but many People spoken about visiting Amsterdam to buy some Dope.
I mean, if they don´t need the Money....
I agree with you. Most people going to Amsterdam are actually American and British and they go there purely for the dope or to fuck a couple of Polish or Russian hookers. Now they are also closing down the Red Light District so what are we going to get ? Hmm that's right: we get more human trafficking and more prostitutes working on the street (without safety precautions.. that's right) or just hidden away in a house and now we also get more drug dealers out on the street. Isn't that brilliant ? :rolleyes:

[Arne]

drug dealers out on the street. Isn't that brilliant ? :rolleyes:
Drug Dealers on the Streets ??
We know them here under this Look..
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RMerQi7uf1Y/0.jpg

Tourists will love it more or less..

It´s maybe too much American Influence giving orders to the Dutch how to Proceed..
Which is just stupid.
We Germans don´t need any Orders given from the Americans aswell..

I don´t think it will be a good efford for the Tourist Industry in the Netherlands to go that way.

[The Lawspeaker]

Drug Dealers on the Streets ??
We know them here under this Look..
http://i.ytimg.com/vi/RMerQi7uf1Y/0.jpg

Tourists will love it more or less..

It´s maybe too much American Influence giving orders to the Dutch how to Proceed..
Which is just stupid.
We Germans don´t need any Orders given from the Americans aswell..

I don´t think it will be a good efford for the Tourist Industry in the Netherlands to go that way.

It will have disastrous consequences. Think about it: more crime, less income for the government so the national debt will only grow.

The last thing that we need is any American influence. What we need is to legalise it completely and consider it a normal commodity and then we can have legal traders selling it and legal farmers growing it and as an added bonus we would have more tourists and thus more national income.

[Arne]

It will have disastrous consequences. Think about it: more crime, less income for the government so the national debt will only grow.

The last thing that we need is any American influence. What we need is to legalise it completely and consider it a normal commodity and then we can have legal traders selling it and legal farmers growing it and as an added bonus we would have more tourists and thus more national income.

German Police treat People very randomly on the Streets searching for Drugs etc..
They don´t have anything better to do..
Their Stupid..

[The Lawspeaker]

German Police treat People very randomly on the Streets searching for Drugs etc..
They don´t have anything better to do..
Their Stupid..

While they should be hunting down real criminals.