[StRa]

Maastricht mayor does u-turn over cannabis club membership

Wednesday 05 September 2012
Locals in Maastricht should no longer have to formally register as marijuana users to buy soft drugs from the city’s cannabis cafes, mayor Onno Hoes said in a letter to councillors on Wednesday.
Since May 1, cannabis cafes in the south of the country have been turned into member-only clubs in an effort to keep out foreigners. Only locals, who can prove they live in the area, are allowed to sign up for membership.
According to Nos television, Hoes says the number of foreigners trying to buy soft drugs has fallen so sharply that the membership cards are no longer necessary.

Official register
At the same time, so few locals have registered as cannabis users that changes need to be made in the way the membership system works. Because locals are reluctant to register, ID and an official council certificate stating where they live should be sufficient to buy marijuana, the mayor is quoted as saying.
Nos says Hoes also hopes this will reduce the number of street dealers who have appeared since the ban was introduced.
The marijuana pass system is due to be introduced in the rest of the country, including Amsterdam, in January next year. Amsterdam’s mayor Eberhard van der Laan and a majority of the city council are strongly opposed.
Amsterdam
Junior justice minister Fred Teeven told the capital’s local television station AT5 on Tuesday the introduction of the pass in the capital would take place in consultation with the city council.
‘The weed card will be introduced in Amsterdam but we will take local government into account,’ Teeven said.
Coffee shop holders welcomed the minister's statement, saying it showed the government is beginning to change its position.
Election
Meanwhile, opponents of the weed card have been campaigning for the legislation to be reversed in the September 12 general election.
According to Joep Oomen of the legalise cannabis movement voting for any political party on the left is good and any party on the right is bad.
Several parties, including Labour, are also calling for better regulation for marijuana production. Although cannabis is illegal in the Netherlands, users can have up to five grammes for personal use or four plants without prosecution.

What do you think about the mayor of Maastricht's change of heart? Have your say using the comment form below

© DutchNews.nl

https://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archive...s_uturn_ov.php

[AmsterdamnesiA]

That's some good posative news To me it sounds like people were not wanting to register their details and using street dealers instead.
"Hoes says the number of foreigners trying to buy soft drugs has fallen so sharply that the membership cards are no longer necessary." I wonder this is the real reason or if it's the dealers hassling people (like they used to in Amsterdam 10+ years ago) and/or loss of tax income that lead them to this decision?

[Avinash.miles]

seems like good news...

[Darkcity]

steps in the right direction

[Jon 54]

That's the best news that I've heard from the Netherlands in a long time. There is still time to reverse the damage that has been done by the ultra conservative right parties. I believe that the heavyweights in the Marijuana-coffee shop scene Arjan,Derry,Soma,Henrik and the others can push to have this new law reversed or amended before it takes effect in Amsterdam. When the politicians come to realize the Marijuana tax revenues that will be lost and the services to run a city of Amsterdam get more expensive every year I think that at least within the city limits the law will be negated for good. Jon 54

[stasis]

I Simply Adore the Flexibility that the "Leaders" Show in the Netherlands. For Whatever reason, it shows Co-operation.. And a willingness to re-evaluate Political decisions.

Our "You Ess Hay Gummint" sure could benefit from a tack such as this one. We get dictated to, and told what is best for us. Most of Us already have Parents...

Thanks for the Article, OP....

[gaiusmarius]

thanks for the news StRa, lets hope Amsterdam never implements that stupid weed pass system.

[meltybubble]

Great news.

[theclearspot]

I think this only affects locals, foreigners are still barred from going to coffee shops. But yes how good is that, local politicians listening to people...never would happen is gestapo UK.

Not only will street dealers be on every corner in Amsterdam, there will be numerous cannabis delivery services springing into action in the main cities...many of these delivery services will cater to foreign tourists. My guess is that the cops won't actively pursue delivery services unless they become highlighted in the media.

As much as I have really enjoyed my visits to the Netherlands over the past 20 years, I won't be returning if coffee shops are closed to tourists....what's the point?

What we need is just one city in the Netherlands to stand up and say no to cards, no to banning foreign tourists in coffee shops and no to telling them how to run their own city and then just maybe that will cause a chain reaction and these laws will be ignored or thrown out....I'd visit that city for a holiday and I'm sure thousands others would too.

Since the main reason these laws are coming in is due to complaints about the deteriorating quality of life from the local residents who are subjected to rowdy, obnoxious drunken assholes crowding up their sidewalks then the best way to fix this would be to set aside "a Cannabis zone" away from residential areas that foreign tourists will be able to go there to buy pot, socialize etc....that way residential suburbs in Amsterdam and other tourist visited areas/cities will be mostly drunken asshole free and the many tens of thousands of ganja smokers who regard Holland as their cannabis Mecca will still come and spend their money.

Ironically and sadly though, when a workable solution or compromise is not considered or implemented then the streets will for sure become even more obnoxious with greasy street sellers the politicians won't repeal the laws (Number rule for politicians - never admit you are wrong!), then they will of course "get tough on crime" and spend more money and the onerous presence of aggressive police will be everywhere.

I also hope tourist arrivals in the Netherlands drop dramatically which might wake them up to try to do something better than banning foreigners from buying a few grams of hash....let's face it, there are lots of foreigners from far away places like New Zealand, Australia, Japan and the USA who only have a toke every few weeks or so and when they want to travel to Europe for a holiday usually visit Holland as it has coffeeshops, but when these are closed to them, I guarantee that these many thousands of tourists will go to other countries in Europe as Holland, as nice as it is, doesn't have a lot going for it compared to other neighboring countries.

and the other hope is that another country or city in Europe will open up their minds and relax their cannabis laws and it becomes the new "cannabis Mecca"