Robbert Overmeer News Today

Smoke signals: will public cannabis ban deter nuisance tourism?

Young Britons are the target for a crackdown on antisocial behaviour in the city – but are they the real problem?

Amsterdam’s mayor wants a ban on cannabis sales to tourists amid a wider push to formalize the country’s billion-dollar ‘coffeeshop’ sector. Those in the industry say the famously progressive country is at risk of being left behind.

Updated: 11 Jan 2021, 18:17 TOURISTS face being banned from Amsterdams famous cannabis coffee shops as part of measures designed to discourage drugs tourism and organised crime. The proposals, put forward by mayor Femke Halsema, will see only Dutch residents allowed to enter the citys 166 marijuana-selling cafes. 5 Tourists face being banned from Amsterdams famous coffee shops as part of plans to reduce drugs tourismCredit: AFP - Getty The measures, expected to come into force next year, are s...

Last modified on Tue 12 Jan 2021 09.06 EST Non-residents face being banned from Amsterdam’s cannabis coffee shops as part of wide-ranging plans to discourage organised crime and cut back on drugs tourism that have drawn mixed reactions from residents and business owners. Backed by police and prosecutors, the city’s mayor, Femke Halsema, has tabled proposals allowing only Dutch residents to enter its 166 marijuana-selling coffee shops, with the measure likely to come into force sometime next...

‘She has dared to do it!’ Reactions to Amsterdam coffee shop ban plan