The free availability of hash and marijuana attracts a lot of tourists to the Netherlands, but the new Dutch government has plans to prevent them from buying it. The politicians claim dope-smoking tourists are responsible for higher levels of crime and other social aggravations.
The government wants 'coffee shops' - where cannabis is sold - to become private clubs, only accessible to adults residing in the Netherlands. Meanwhile, coffee shop owners suspect that this sort of anti-tourist discrimination may be a violation of European law.
For now, tourists are still free to buy weed in Amsterdam. Or as one tourist put it: "It's nice to be here because you are free to do what you want, without restriction. That's something you don't have in other places."
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hi! amsterdam is a very fun city, but without the weed, i don't know.. there are a lot of places cheapest and warmer than holland, because sincerally, the arquitecture is not the most beautiful, the only food can buy for less than 20 euros pizza and burguer, the ducth people are not the friendliest, the prices like monaco and the fuckin humidity kill my knees.. but the coffee shop next street it's always the oasis in the desert.. is the only reason for my and thousands of tourist to go.. so today is a very bad day for everyone, for us the tourists because our vacations brake forever and for the locals a huge loss of money.. who in the world have the power now on holland?? the nazis or what? i never saw any incident because the weed in amsterdam, please got out in spain on valencia, barcelona, madrid, ibiza, etc.. on nights, that's "the bronx" but holland feels like heaven! at less for the mafs it's a god day ( provably goverment friends ) from know they can sale weed on coffe-shops door to the outsiders.. today it's a very sad day for me.
Come on Holland get a grip on reality. We all know that the above segregation on not allowing tourists not to buy weed is totally out of the question especially as tourism contributes a large amount of money to the coffeeshops
Prohibiting tourists from buying weed would be the worst decision ever made by the Dutch which I regard as being the most intelligent people on earth. I think the problem is more about the people who shuttle to & fro during the week to buy their 5 grams. Youngsters fill their cars upto 5 people and therefore drive away with 30-35 grams total. This is where the border police should step up their efforts to deter these trips. They should carry out more drug tests on motorists and confiscate any excess of 5 grams per car. Coffeshops near borders should bare some of the costs to carry out these actions, therefore pushing up the price of weed and therefore making cross-border "collections" very expensive. People would resort to "popping in" much more rarely and would drive down criminality.
But don't align yourselves with the rest of the "ignorant" politicians that most of Europe has, it just won't work.
Don't ever give up your identity as an open society. The Netherlands is the coolest, most free, the most responsible, and the most non-hypocritic country in the world. Don't give in to pressure. God bless the Nederland. Don't backtrack. I admire you everyday from afar.
Hiram2, go smoke a blunt and take a drive, huh? You'll sleep a whole lot better. Let power's self-serving ideas wash over you like a school of fish dissipating for class as your slightly mental crop is razed to the ground by some other reality. Hiram1.
It's true that the coffeeshop clientele is largely tourists, especially in Amsterdam. But observe the behavior of tourists in other so called 'party destinations'. Better or worse? Should alcohol be banned in Munich and Vegas?
In spite of legalization, Dutch people smoke less than the citizens of their neighbouring countries. The problem is not that marijuana is freely sold in the Netherlands, it's that it's illegal elsewhere. Politicians of other lands should not allow puritanical values to overwhelm logic and common sense.
This new "law" is strange as far as the Dutch policies are known for their individualism around the world. Pot for the residents only sounds like the policy makers want to achieve kind of medal for the most weed users in the world. EU has certain laws and as far as I've seen like or dislike these laws are being obeyed.
Tourists cannot be responsible for high crime rate as after getting high both the tourists and the residents have the same thought process and i.e to enjoy.
Before you comment on the subject of cannabis, you should really educate yourselves! Marijuana is safer than the alternative; alcohol. The cannabis plant can be used as food, fuel, fiber, medicine, paper...and the list goes on and on. It is one of the first plants cultivated for use by humans. It has a long long history of service to mankind. Marijuana has NEVER killed anyone! Can the same be said of alcohol?! NO! Can the same be said about prescription medicine? NO! Even coffee and aspirin has killed more people than cannabis ever will. Dont believe the lies the governments of the world have been spewing for decades. Research it yourself! Cannabis is one of the best NATURAL medicines in the world and is able to treat so many diseases and conditions. It has even been proven to cure cancer! Cannabis is also THE most nutritious food for humans and animals. Research it for yourself! Dont believe all the governments propaganda! Dare to think for yourself!
"Before you comment on the subject of cannabis, you should really educate yourselves! Marijuana is safer than the alternative; alcohol."..........You are right that one should really educate himself/herself before attemtping to justify one mind-altering drug over another mind-altering drug. First, you made comments that marijuana, alcohol, prescription medicines never killed anyone than you stated " Even coffee and aspirin has killed more people than cannabis ever will." Question after your mind clears: Does it or does it not kill? Second, both it and the user kills. When a person uses either alcohol or marijuana, which alters their thinking process, the person kills. The user kills because he or she has alter the little thinking process they already had by driving on motorways and putting innocent lives in danger. Both marijuana and alcohol over a period of time destroys people both physically and mentally. Do the research and stop letting marijuana and alcohol addiction do your thinking for you. "Dare to think for yourself" and do not let the drug do it for you, mate."
Bear in mind that legislation will not discriminate between Dutch and non-Dutch but residents in Netherlands and non-residents. Many laws and provisions, like property taxes, street parking permits, availability of unemployment benefits, are applicable only to residents of a given country.
A foreigner expat or exchange student, legally residing in NL, will be able to "buy her/his leaf".
There is a broad, undiscussed problem: selling and using marijuana is legal, producing it is not. Hence you have a problem that is looked the other way around. I think that together with curbs on "drug tourism" could come a new framework for the production of marijuana.
By the way, I never smoke it and I hate the mere smell of it.
Citizens, governments, and tourists should respect an individuals choice to smoke or not. Its just a leaf.
"Its just a leaf."...........One should have a right to do anything as they please as long as it does not affect the rights of others to do as they please. The only problem is: People who use mind-altering drugs such as marijuana and alcohol don't care or respect the rights of others who only want to live and have equal rights. Thousands of people are killed by people on motorways throughout the world are killed by those who have their minds altered by either alcohol or marijuana or a combination of both. It is just a leaf but when used by idiots, it becomes a lethal weapon. If you must have your mind alter, do it at home and not on the motorways where innocent humans become a target.
Smoking pot make you dumb. It is for recreational purpose so the law is backwards. Only tourists should be able to use it unless you want a whole country who makes it's decisions while high. How does this effect children, unborn and 2nd hand? A mind is a terrible thing to waste.
Your misuse of your second language, English questions your "dumb". You have posted the most stupid posting i have read in a long time.
"The politicians claim dope-smoking tourists are responsible for higher levels of crime and other social aggravations."....How did the politicians come to this conclusion? If one is a European citizen and one is free to travel freely with the union, one would believe that each citizen would be responsible for obeying the laws in the host nation. For example, unless there is a German law stating that it's citizens must follow all of it's laws or even specific laws outside of it's national boundries, the law would be an arbitrary and capricious. Therefore, if a law states the speed limit on the motorways of Germany are set at a maximum of 120, does that mean a German on vacation in the Netherlands can not exceed the German speed limit even if the the Dutch allow a faster speed limit. In closing, the Netherlands is trying to stop a drug problem by punishing and accusing it's foreign tourists of higher levels of crime and social aggravations brought on by mind-altering drugs like marijuana. It doesn't matter if marijuana is legal or illegal because the drug breaks down man's ability to control those social controls we need in order to live as civilised humans. If the Dutch are going to tolerate Wacky tobacco, let those "dope tourists" have the same right as any Dutch citizen. Don't become like the French and say who is or isn't an European citizen.
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