Netherlands to ban tourists from marijuana 'coffee shops,' concerns over Amsterdam to

[Harry Gypsna]

Can you go to coffee shops and get high in 2014 if from US?

Amsterdam, yes Haarlem I think so. Other cities, it's a matter of whether they have decided to enforce the rule change.

If you go to Maastrict, you've fucked it.

 

[baccas]

Yes just stick to the large citys away from the boarder.

 

[bigAl25]

Dear Amsterdamians, The direction of your political party in power in restricting access to coffee shops by tourists seems "stupid". As the US moves towards better ganja laws, Colorado, Washington, hopefully more to come, why would we now visit your wonderful country? From a toker and grower, vote those dumb asses out of office. Just my humble suggestion. Peace and respect.

 

[halschriver]

there is too much rumors around, if you need some fundamental information check the new book: Coffeeshop Guide Amsterdam
www.cofdam.com

or

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Coffeeshop-Guide-Amsterdam/509287169162392

 

[Sativied]

Dear Amsterdamians, The direction of your political party in power in restricting access to coffee shops by tourists seems "stupid". As the US moves towards better ganja laws, Colorado, Washington, hopefully more to come, why would we now visit your wonderful country? From a toker and grower, vote those dumb asses out of office. Just my humble suggestion. Peace and respect.

We got some nice windmills and dikes

For the first time in many decades the ruling party in Amsterdam is no longer the PVDA (labor party) but D66 (democrats). PVDA wasn't that anti-coffeeshop in Amsterdam until the national elections resulted in a cabinet with PVDA+VVD (liberal democrats, but obviously a misnomer). The MoJ responsible for the absurd new approach, Ivo Opstelten, is from the VVD. The mayor of Amsterdam signed the Joint regulation manifest suggestion he know is caring less about pressure from The Hague (the city where the national government operates).

There will still be many coffeeshops in 2015 in Amsterdam and other cities. Only a few you need to avoid (in the south, south-east). Check out coffeeshop Andersom in Utrecht for example, or take a train ride to Groningen over the 'afsluitdijk' and see something more of the Netherlands than just the inside of a coffeeshop. While shops are being closed, new shops are opened too. Nearly every municipality that has coffeeshops in its cities and towns agree on having a minimum amount of coffeeshops. For example, a new exclusive (whatever that means) coffeeshop "Aux Herbes” in Laren (fairly close to Amsterdam).

Maastricht and a few similar towns are rather exceptional. Close to Maastricht is Heerlen for example, the mayor there, one of the initiators of the Joint Regulation Manifest, plans on ignoring the MoJ's repressive approach and wants to regulate grows as well.

Bad news often makes for more popular news, but really, it's not THAT bad here yet, especially not in Amsterdam. There will more than likely be coffeeshops in the Netherlands in the foreseeable future.

As the US eventually goes from a republican to a democratic majority and the other way around, we WILL have a different government sooner or later. Polls in both congress (the equivalent anyway) and public surveys clearly show a majority for legalization. The irony is that the right-winged liberal democrats (vvd) is creating so much resistance that other socialistic parties may eventually get their way, which is regulation by letting jobless people on social welfare grow in government owned municipality grows and forcing coffeeshop to buy from them (need I bring up the 15%...).

Anyway, unless you go to some border cities in the south and a a couple of exceptions elsewhere (Hardewijk comes to mind) there's no ban or anything to be concerned about.

 

[Siever]

I wonder if this is due to international pressure from...let's say imperialist USA, Britain, etc.

At this pace, if people don't take to the streets soon, we may lose our rights for free air!

Of course it is.
I live in Belgium which is Holland's bordering country(and it used to be part of it 184 years ago). I've seen a couple documentaries on Dutgh TV and there they stated that it was a part of it.
The biggest reason is Opstelten, their prime minister who sais that he is backed up by a lot of Dutch

 

[Sativied]

:lol: It's not like I know how the prime minister is in Belgium but no, Opstelten is actually the Minister of Justice, and neither he or our prime minister (Mark Rutte) is backed by a lot of people. Especially not Opstelten, who's currently under fire in the cabinet as well ( http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2014/03/junior_justice_minister_under.php )

Our prime minister didn't say much about what Opstelten is doing, however, very recently at the Agricultural University in Wageningen, when asked by students why they aren't more liberal about growing mj (it's all about growing mj and coffeeshops buying mj, the socalled 'backdoor' policy. Not users, not coffeeshops selling MJ), he replied roughly translated:

"Don't start with that trash, it will lower your IQ and will cause you to become demented earlier". Also, "if we do that, then if I call to Berlin, they will tell me to clean up that mess we got first".

Opstelten frequently refers to EU and UN restrictions that make it impossible for us to legalize.

So yes, international pressure, at least, that's what they say. It's nothing more than lies. The truth is, the first coffeeshop was recently opened in Berlin, Barcelona now has more Social Cannabis Clubs than Amsterdam has coffeeshops and other countries in EU are starting to get more and more tolerant. Belgium and Germany do complain, not about coffeeshops or export from the Netherlands, but about our repressive approach that is causing many growers to move across the border causing a major workload for Belgium and German police.

 

[Marimbera]

The weedpass in the South sucks big time! What a shit on the streets the last 2 years, even kids deal dope now! All rules of this Dutch Government regarding cannabis is a reinvented Dutch war on drugs.. Utter failures Minister Opstelten !!! Just 608 coffeeshops in the Netherlands now and going down... ��

 

[mik']

+1​

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infortunately....​

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I started to go to Amsterdam and Roterdam late 80's ....​

great memories of Madness moments!​

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end 90's too, yet !​

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In the year 2000 be much less boring and regulate !​

I'm not going in Holland since 2006 or 2007 ! things have changed and the politicians are hunting al Ganja has European under pressure. If I have to go to a country "ganja" now is Spain !​

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Respekt !​

 

[Marimbera]

Mi gusto Barça

 

[CrimCity]

Not American, but - Canadian