Amsterdam BANS cannabis from its famous red light district
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Amsterdam PROHIBITS cannabis in its famous red light district
- New laws announced yesterday aim to improve the quality of life for residents in the capital
- Restaurants and bars will have to close at 2 a.m. and sex worker venues at 3 a.m.
Amsterdam will soon ban cannabis in its notorious red light district as part of new city regulations.
The new laws, which were announced yesterday, will take effect from mid-May and aim to improve the quality of life for residents, who have long complained of disruptions caused by tourists, the BBC reports.
Local media reported that a majority of local councilors supported taking measures to reduce nuisance to residents.
The city council announced that under the new laws, restaurants and bars will have to close at 2am on Fridays and Saturdays, the old district of the city will be closed to new visitors after 1am and sex workers will have to close their shops. locals at 3 am
“The atmosphere becomes terrible, especially at night,” a city spokeswoman said in a news release.
The new laws, which were announced yesterday February 10, will take effect from mid-May and aim to improve the quality of life for residents, who have long complained of disruptions caused by tourists. (in the image: a customer buying cannabis in a coffee shop). in the city center of Amsterdam)
Many people are under the influence [of drugs and alcohol] and walk for a long time. This comes at the expense of a good night’s sleep for residents and the livability and safety of the entire neighborhood.”
The sale of alcohol is already prohibited from Thursday to Sunday from 4:00 p.m. in shops, liquor stores and cafes in the red light district.
As part of the new laws, vendors will also have to completely remove alcohol from their windows during this period, or hide them from view.
In the Dutch capital it is illegal to consume alcohol in most public spaces.
Amsterdam is a popular tourist destination with millions of visitors each year, many of whom travel to the city for the cannabis cafes.
These cafes sell cannabis under strict conditions, as long as the cafes do not cause a nuisance to their neighbours.
Locals have complained that tourists attract drug dealers and that drug and alcohol abuse is driving up crime rates in the city.
Currently, the possession, production or trafficking of drugs is a criminal offense in the Netherlands, with the exception of the cafeteria which operates under the ‘tolerance policy’.
Between 4:00 p.m. and 1:00 a.m. Thursday through Sunday nights, smoking cannabis will also be prohibited in public spaces in the city center.
If this doesn’t work, the council said it would also consider banning smoking outside of cafes.
The government has already cracked down on the nuisance caused by cannabis cafes by banning tourists entirely.
Amsterdam city council has also outlined plans to launch a “stay away” campaign in the coming months, targeting tourists who come to the capital for the purposes of drugs, alcohol and sex.