Dutch to bogart weed
An 'economy-sized' blunt is fired up in protest. (AP)
A popular reason to visit the Netherlands is about to go up in smoke.
The Associated Press reports a national “pass the weed” law will prevent foreigners from purchasing marijuana in the zillions of “coffee shops” lining the canals of Amsterdam.
City leaders in Amsterdam must feel like they’ve been hit in the head with a wooden shoe because stoned tourists (and multiple dikes) help keep their fabled city afloat.
The new law, which will take effect throughout the country by 2013, will turn coffee shops into private clubs with membership open only to Dutch residents.
The national government argues the move will help crack down on so-called “drug tourists,” couriers who drive over the border from neighboring Belgium and Germany to buy large amounts of marijuana and take it home to resell.
Soon, the only reason to visit Amsterdam may be its rich history, culture, fantastic museums and tawdry sex shows. The local beer remains overrated.
Tell us what you think about the site
Customer Care »
Vacation stops, manage subscriptions and more
AJC Services
Sections
Other Editions
Visitor Agreement | Privacy Statement
© 2013 The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
53 comments Add your comment
Grob Hahn
April 27th, 2012
11:12 am
When will governments learn that laws will NEVER stop addiction and drug use? What Holland has done will effectively reduce tourism which will reduce revenue which will reduce the number of jobs. While I would never suggest that ALL tourists head there for pot, the number who do is by no means small. It will be interesting to watch the effect this has. Personally, I think the US should establish a specific legal marijuana zone on each coast. It would demonstrate the fiscal feasibility we all know exists.
Grobbbbbbbbbb
Alan Gibson
April 27th, 2012
11:13 am
If the true intent of the law had been to prevent smuggling weed out of the country then they would have simply placed a limit on the amount that could be bought per visit. This would have stopped the smuggling, but not harmed the tourist industry. The actual intent of this law appears to be to remove stoned people from the streets. The smuggling issue was just used to counter arguments about lost tourism. I expect now that you can only buy it in ‘clubs’ the next step will be limiting it’s consumption to those premises, and limiting the amount per day.
Oswald Bunch
April 27th, 2012
11:38 am
I went to Amsterdam in ‘09 and let me tell you the Red Light district is full of drop dead gorgeous eastern European girls. Too bad I was too drunk to get it up. Major letdown! I don’t smoke marijuana so this change doesn’t affect me.
Mike Smith
April 27th, 2012
11:52 am
Oswald, maybe you should switch to smoking and stop drinking….
First, you wouldnt have that….um…problem, and second, youd be able to see that those “drop dead gorgeous” girls are not nearly that pretty.
People who think prohibition works should ask themselves a couple of questions. First, if they made pot legal in this country would you smoke it? (If your answer is NO then you dont have a dog in this fight)
The other question is: do you think prohibition prevents anyone who wants to smoke pot from doing so? I know people who have been stoned every day for 25+ years. (full time employed and highly productive, highly compensated, highly stoned individuals)
J
April 27th, 2012
12:01 pm
Looks like I neeed to work some extra hours to take a trip over this fall.
missnadine
April 27th, 2012
12:06 pm
I have been to Amsterdam a few times for business. I was told by my Dutch colleagues that only tourists would be caught dead in a coffee shop. Most of these are run by West Africans, so not sure if they are legal residents. I would imagine that most of these places will shut down, and only the top tier will remian.
dirty south bird
April 27th, 2012
12:07 pm
I just performed in the Netherlands…Dec 19 in Utrecht and Dec 20th in AMsterdam @ Jet Lounge. It was an amazing experience and they love our dirty south flavor & treated us like KINGZ!!!!!
I would go back just to visit Rembrandt’s House & Anne Frank’s House & kick it at all the spots Van Go hung out at….but yes wont be the same without the COFFEE
420 Boss
April 27th, 2012
12:12 pm
As a former Weed dealer I used to love the fact that dumb politicians keep weed illegal in any way.
Marijuana Laws + High Demand = MAJOR PROFITS FOR DEALERS…..LMAO @ Politicians
Joey M
April 27th, 2012
12:20 pm
I’ve used this argument and nobody can give me a reasonable rebuttal. If a woman has the “right to choose” when it comes to pregnancy citing “It’s my body”, why can’t I purchase Codene, Marijuana, etc over the counter? It’s my body. My right to choose. And don’t give me the argument that more people will be killed in traffic collisions, alcohol will always lead the world in collisions caused.
Boff Johnson
April 27th, 2012
12:26 pm
just come to Colorado. It is cheaper and we have better buds. You can get your herb and go on a hike instead of sitting in a cafe