Amsterdam bans cannabis use on the streets of the red light district
The country known for cannabis tourism is cleaning up the streets of its famous tourist destination. The city will also restrict alcohol sales.
Amsterdam’s weed-friendly coffee shops have been a destination for cannabis tourists for decades. But locals grow weary of visitors smoking in the popular red-light district, which is also the center of the city’s legal sex work.
That’s why the legislature prohibits residents and visitors from smoking cannabis in the Red Light District. In addition to the ban on smoking weed, Amsterdam said it would step up measures to prevent alcohol sales, which are already banned after 4pm Thursday through Sunday.
“Residents of the old town experience a lot of harassment from mass tourism and alcohol and drug abuse on the streets. Tourists also attract street vendors, which in turn encourages crime and insecurity. The atmosphere can get gloomy, especially at night. People who are under the influence also stay around longer.”
Municipality of Amsterdam
In 1976, the Netherlands passed a policy known as “gedoogbeleid,” meaning the “Dutch model,” which said the government would openly ignore the use of cannabis, even though the plant remained illegal. Hundreds of coffee shops soon sprung up in the red light district of the capital, Amsterdam. But with legalization now spreading around the world, Amsterdam citizens and officials have become less 420-friendly.
In addition to the ban, many of Amsterdam’s famous cannabis cafes are also closing. In 2022, government researchers found that 58% of foreign tourists visiting Amsterdam mainly come to use cannabis in coffee shops. Last year, the city decided to reduce the number of cannabis-friendly coffee shops from 166 to 70. Officials hoped to continue serving the local market but curb visitors who have coffeeshops high on their Dutch travel to-do lists.
“The problem is: there are just too many of them,” said Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema in early 2022. “The drug tourists are the reason for an increasing demand for marijuana,” which the citizens of the country did not subscribe to.
With the worldwide bud boom, Amsterdam is no longer the only option for 420-friendly travellers. Here are 17 countries that could soon overtake Amsterdam as the top destination for traveling smokers.
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