Dutch city bans foreign tourists from cannabis coffee shops

The city of Maastricht has implemented the ban to show the government that a nationwide restriction on foreign tourists won’t work.

01/10/11 9,103 Views 14 Comments

Pre-rolled joints at a coffee shop in Amsterdam

Image: AP Photo/Peter Dejong, File

FROM TODAY, CUSTOMERS wishing to smoke cannabis in one of Maastricht’s coffee shops will have to be able to prove they’re either Dutch, Belgian or German.

The city is implementing a ban on the influx of ‘drugs tourists’ who arrive into the city to visit one of the 700 coffee shops, causing traffic problems and public order headaches.

The BBC reports that while Belgian and German visitors will still be welcome, those who don’t hold approved passports will be asked to leave the coffee shops.

According to CNN the ban is not enforceable by law, and police will not be employed in carrying out identity checks.

The ban was agreed on by the Society of United Coffeeshops. Al Jazeera reports that it’s actually intended to show the government that a nationwide restriction on foreign tourists entering coffee shops won’t work, and will instead create more illegal activity.

The Dutch government is planning to make coffee shops accessible only to Dutch citizens, but a date for enforcement is not clear.

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Emer McLysaght

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Galactic Overlord 01/10/11 #

3 106

The issue about drug taking etc is one thing.
However, only allowing people on the basis that they have to be either Dutch, Belgians or Germans….humm… that is a totally different ball game right there. I bet you that is against EU law.

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Titus d 01/10/11 #

11 130

Causing traffic problems? "Yesh we have a pileup of stoners at exit 6"

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mart_n 01/10/11 #

5 60

Amsterdam is an old city with a rich history. I can see the reasoning behind them wanting to protect that history.. I mean right now, to many around the world, Amsterdam equates to drugs, hookers & loud binging tourists. In all my years of visiting the city, I have very rarely seen the ‘locals’ partake in the vice activities.

Weed isn’t the problem.. laws in other countries are the problem.

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- Dan Druff 02/10/11 #
  
  1 12
  
  It’s Maastricht, not Amsterdam, where they’ve done this. They extended the cafe licenses in Amsterdam only recently till 2015, I think
  
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- Giz Pyro 02/10/11 #
  
  0 11
  
  Yup.. That and our society’s attitude towards drugs. Here in Ireland we seem to still have the reefer madness approach to natural drugs and as a result people tend to go to places like the Netherlands and go overboard.
  
  I can only imagine how tedious this is for the Dutch authorities and citizens.. Dutch citizens are all able to behave like normal human beings, ther attitudes toward drugs are far more healthy than ours.. It’s just the tourists causing all the trouble (and bear in mind, alcohol is frequently involved and this doesn’t mix very well with other substances) they come over and make Dutch towns look like Irish or English ones.. Filled with yobbos, urine, vomit and fights.. It would make you embarrassed to be Irish (or English). In fact, that happens no matter what holiday destination is popular, it’s not limited to The Netherlands..
  
  How come other weed smokers and the Dutch people themselves don’t behave this way?
  Perhaps that’s the question we should be asking.. The attitude towards drugs is very different over there – and as a result, their citizens make far more responsible decisions about drug use (unlike us). If we were to remove the ridiculous ban on plant matter and be a bit more honest with our teenagers about the pros and cons (explaining that as a teen the real reason you shouldn’t ingest any drugs – including alcohol – is because the brain is not finished growing and it could cause permanent brain damage, not "if you smoke dope you’ll end up on heroin!!")
  Perhaps we should take a "leaf" out of their policies around drugs, because prohibition and propaganda is part of what makes us morons when it comes to them..
  
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Andy Kavanagh 01/10/11 #

23 167

The job he was elected to do. I’m sure Luke Ming doesn’t need to go to the Dam every time he wants to smoke weed, that’s what the toilets in the dail bar are for…

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Dirt Lancaster 01/10/11 #

14 55

What about the hoooores?

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- gary power 01/10/11 #
  
  16 44
  
  I think you mean the ladies of leisure..
  
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gothic-twilight 01/10/11 #

5 22

The Netherlands for the past couple of years have been taking a bit of a turn to the right. I used to go to the Netherland quite a lot and found that most of the people using the coffee-shops were locals. Only the larger city centre Coffee shops were full of American/British/Irish tourists.

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John Manahan 01/10/11 #

11 36

What a ridiculous idea and not at all what u would associate with the normally far sighted Dutch. Easy to get around this ‘law’ – stand a few yards from coffeeshop entrance, ask passing Dutch citizen to purchase some luscious herb, pay said citizen small fee for their courtesy and time and mission accomplished. At least the authorities will become aware pretty quickly that this would be unenforceable and economic suicide if rolled out nationally.

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- Mark Stanley 01/10/11 #
  
  4 38
  
  Quite similar to the antics Irish teenagers undertook to obtain alcohol illegally.
  
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Mark Stanley 01/10/11 #

26 37

Lol hundreds of bewildered and confused stoners roaming the streets. Still at least they are doing something.

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gary power 01/10/11 #

79 92

Whats poor Ming Flanagan going to do ???

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Den Ni Chroinin 02/10/11 #

2 5

Holland wouldn’t be my number one holiday destination except that I can go to a coffee shop, take that away and there would be no point to visit. I have seen enough

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Dutch city bans foreign tourists from cannabis coffee shops