Dutch Bar Foreigners from Southern Cannabis Cafes

Submitted by Phillip Smith on Wed, 11/09/2011 - 3:47am (Issue #708)

Drug War Issues

Politics & Advocacy

No one other than Dutch residents will be allowed to buy marijuana in southern Holland cannabis coffee shops after January 1, the Dutch Justice Ministry said Tuesday. The stated objective of the move is to spare locals the nuisance of drug tourism, but if the experience of one city is any indicator, it will also spare locals millions of dollars in receipts.

coffee shop in Amsterdam (wikimedia.org)

For more than a year, the center right government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte has been considering making coffee shops members only clubs, with a "cannabis card" reserved for Dutch nationals required to enter one of the country's 670 cannabis cafes. The new policy is being rolled out regionally, with southern border provinces the first to see it go into effect.

"The measure will come into force for the provinces of Limburg, North-Brabant and Zeeland, the provinces most affected by drug tourism, on January 1," Justice Ministry spokeswoman Charlotte Menten said.

The new policy will be extended nationwide in January 2013, Menten added.

The southern city of Maastricht holds some clues as to what impact the new policy will have. In a pilot program since October 1, the city's 13 cannabis cafes have been allowed to serve only Dutch, Belgian, and German customers in a bid to reduce drug tourism from France. The Daily Telegraph reported this week that cutting off the French will cost the city nearly $42 million a year in revenues, the equivalent of the loss of 345 full-time jobs.

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Comments

Danas (not verified)

Strange feeling

I have this strange feeling that all this nonsense about locals only has not originated in Holland but from the great drug warriors, the USA. I've been to Amsterdam during the peak of tourism and I've seen a whole lot less trouble than UK...

Wed, 11/09/2011 - 5:00am Permalink

Bhonze (not verified)

Hello Vamsterdam

Ok; that makes cents in an economy like today's. Lets just cut off our nose to spite our face. Amsterdam is over rated any more. The US now has better weed so you don't have to travel very far. We also have our friends in BC who have plenty of good bud. Amsterdam needs to get those folks out of office before they become completely a thing of the past! Just wait for 2012 BABY! everyone will be going to Colorado to smoke it up!!!

Wed, 11/09/2011 - 10:46am Permalink

Dr Nuke (not verified)

Dutch Banning of Cannabis use by Foriegners

The Dutch were always one of the jewels in the crown of liberal Europe, and now this: an attempt by the Dutch government to curtail cannabis consumption by preventing its sale to people from other countries. Imagine this policy applied to tobacco or coffee: it would be regarded as undemocratic, economically unviable, and plain ridiculous. Prohibition must be in its death throes, because these developments show signs of delirium.

Thu, 11/10/2011 - 3:52pm Permalink

SurferArtist age 71 (not verified)

Foreigner Access

A Foreigner wishing to buy Ganja in Holland will have no problem as they can have a Dutch person buy it for them, perhaps with a small fee to do so...the only result Holland will have from this imposed useless new restriction is that Holland will be subject to less tax/fee income and less jobs...as dumb as..not to mention prohibition world wide is on the way out, and Holland will have to completely open up anyhow, providing income and jobs..a no-brainer..the current govt has a vision maybe as far as their nose goes..no worries, they will soon be gone...

Thu, 11/10/2011 - 8:30pm Permalink

Robert Goodman (not verified)

effect on other countries

Does this put pressure on other countries to institute coffee houses, once the safety valve that Holland has been closes?

Thu, 11/10/2011 - 10:18pm Permalink

Dave Rabbitt (not verified)

Other Sources

With home growing rampant in the UK and the knowledge to grow good weed easily found on the internet. I can get better weed here... Bye Bye Holland I hope you enjoy poverty and suckling on the teat of Right Wing AmeriKKKa

Fri, 11/11/2011 - 12:21am Permalink

Moonrider (not verified)

Dave Rabbitt

America is NOT under the control of the "right wing". Actually, Canada (one country in America) is as authoritarian left and socialist as the EU; these uSof A (another country in America) are more in the throes of authoritarian left wing, progressive, socialist dogma than any other political philosophy (even our "right wing" politicians are more left than right -- just look at the cast of candidates for president our media have named the top tier, they are all fully interchangeable with Obama, our left wing president, all except Ron Paul); and Mexico (yet another country in America) is not following ANY dogma except the dogs of war, There are also the many, many countries in South America, almost all of which are authoritarian left socialist.

So many people seem to be oblivious to the fact that those in the authoritarian left quadrant of the political square have more power in this world than any other quadrant (I don't understand why, they do all the peoples of the world more harm than any other single group) and NONE of them are even saying ANYTHING close to ending prohibition. You REALLY NEED to get out of your partisanship blindfold, wake the hell up and see the truth, for a change.

Fri, 11/11/2011 - 9:53pm Permalink