War on Drugs spreads to Amsterdam =(
 

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/4853788.bin
AMSTERDAM - The Dutch government on Friday said it would start banning tourists from buying cannabis from "coffee shops" and impose restrictions on Dutch customers by the end of the year.

The Netherlands is well known for having one of Europe's most liberal soft drug policies that has made its cannabis shops a popular tourist attraction, particularly in Amsterdam.

Backed by the far-right party of anti-immigrant politician Geert Wilders, the coalition government that came into power last year announced plans to curb drug tourism as mart of a nationwide program to promote health and fight crime.

"In order to tackle the nuisance and criminality associated with coffee shops and drug trafficking, the open-door policy of coffee shops will end," the Dutch health and justice ministers wrote in a letter to the country's parliament on Friday.

Under the new rules, only Dutch residents will be able to sign up as members of cannabis shops.

Dutch customers will have to sign up for at least a year's membership and each shop would be expected to have only up to 1,500 members, a justice ministry spokesman said.

The policy will roll out in the southern provinces of Limburg, Noord Brabant and Zeeland by the end of the year and the rest of the country next year, the spokesman said.

Amsterdam, home to about 220 coffee shops, is already in the process of closing some in its red light district. Some officials have resisted the measures, saying they will push the soft drug trade underground.

Some Dutch border towns including Maastricht and Terneuzen have already restricted the sale of marijuana to foreigners.

© Copyright (c) Reuters


Read more: http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Du...#ixzz1NoByMEkT

http://www.theprovince.com/sports/Du...783/story.html

I don't think many Vancouverites care too much about this, since we are called Vansterdam for a reason...

Guarantee you the Dutch will find a way around this.

Why on earth would they do this anyways? What good reason is there to go to Amsterdam if all the vice is gone or inaccessible? No one goes to Amsterdam to go to a coffee shop for coffee or to ride a bike around or whatever.

It's like why the fuck do they think people go to Vegas? It isn't to see Celine Dion or the Blue Man Group.

They would do this cause some government official got paid off from some interfering idiot from the states. It's just like here and in america, special interest groups get a lot of pull and managed to get our Parliamentary members to vote on things their constituents would never go for.

Red light hookers with display windows?

If theres a demand people will find a way to supply
Cool, if this goes through there will be a weed dealer on every corner
Prohibition = Giving $$$$$$ to illegal suppliers

geert wilders always fuking around

Jews
Posted via RS Mobile

It saying from tourists 'buying' weed. Maybe a loophole can be 'buy a $5 cup of coffee, get a free joint'

i thought those were banned awhile ago

Oh, well then I guess there is no reason to go.
Posted via RS Mobile

Does anyone have any information as to why they're doing this?

"In order to tackle the nuisance and criminality associated with coffee shops and drug trafficking, "

What criminal activity are they talking about?
and drug trafficking? are they referring to hard drugs like coke and meth?