Amsterdam Weed Tourism May Be Under Threat Due to Repressive Regulations

The Netherlands, specifically the capital Amsterdam, have long been known for their liberal policies and lax regulation of cannabis use, however, things may soon change. Weedists who fantasize about one day visiting the famed weed mecca, and leisurely lighting up a joint while relaxing in a local coffee shop, may not get to check that wish off their bucket list after all, due to new policies being implemented by the government to prohibit tourists from joining in the consumption of cannabis.

Government officials have put forward a bill which will effectively end weed tourism in the Netherlands. The bill introduced a new regulation, in which a “weed pass” will be made available to citizens and permanent residents, but not to foreign visitors. Way to hog all of the weed for yourselves, Netherlands government officials!

The Netherlands has more than 650 ‘coffee shops’, where individuals can purchase small quantities of cannabis. 214 of these coffee shops are located in Amsterdam alone. But this number has been steadily declining in the past few years, with harsher regulation of tourist’s cannabis use. It has yet to be implemented in every city in the Netherlands, and indeed, there are still some locations with coffee shops where tourists can still purchase cannabis. But if the government gets its way, it will turn all the coffee shops into private clubs, only accessible to Dutch residents and limited to 2,000 customers per shop.

This is a harsh turn around for Amsterdam, which has enjoyed lenient regulation of cannabis for over two decades. ABC News interviewed several patrons of Amsterdam coffee shops back in 2012, when news of the new regulations had first gotten out. One frequent tourist, Gavin Harrison, said, “I think it’s going to be a shame for Amsterdam, I think it’s going to lose a lot of tourists.”

Liza Roodhof warned that Amsterdam tourists would just turn to the streets to buy their weed if it becomes barred in coffee shops. “If you make it so that tourists can’t buy weed in a coffee shop, then they’re going to buy it on the street. So you add more problems than you solve,” she said.

The government made their determination clear when they cracked down on organic cannabis farmer Doede de Jong, fined him a quarter million euros and sentenced him to two months jail time and 100 hours of community service. The dutch justice department chose Doede de Jong specifically to make an example of, because he is the last outspoken cannabis grower and civil rights activist of the Netherlands. You can read VICE News, extensive interview with him here.

It is a very sad day for weedists across the world who hoped to one day visit this iconic weed locale and enjoy some herb there.