Want to smoke a joint in the city center? Well, you’d better get started soon, because starting in mid-May, there will be a ban on smoking weed in the area.
Of course, you can still enjoy a joint at home, but it’s no longer allowed on the street. This new measure, along with a few others, was announced on Thursday by Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema, who aims to reduce drug-related crime and tourism in the area.
People have been coming to Amsterdam for years to visit the famous coffee shops, and this type of tourism has long been seen as a problem by the authorities. The Old City is known to many as the red-light district, although the area has much more to offer than just brothels and coffee shops.
There is also interest in banning the sale of cannabis products in coffee shops between 4:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m., with the same goal of making the neighborhood safer. Additionally, cafes will no longer be allowed to admit customers after 1:00 a.m.
Some will, of course, argue that this could reduce tourism in the area, but the city says:
‘Residents of the Old Town suffer greatly from mass tourism and alcohol and drug abuse on the streets […] Tourists also attract street dealers, who in turn contribute to crime and insecurity.’
The ban on smoking cannabis in the Old Town takes effect in mid-May, and we’ll have to wait and see how this plays out. Cannabis is still illegal in the Netherlands, but possession of less than 5 grams was decriminalized in the 1970s, which is why many tourists come to the city to enjoy it.
