Maastricht bans cannabis coffee-shop tourists
 

A ban on some foreign tourists has come into force in the cannabis-selling coffee shops of the Dutch border city of Maastricht.

City authorities say the influx of tourists buying soft drugs is threatening public order and causing major traffic problems.

Coffee shop owners say the ban won't work and will hit the local economy.

However, the ban does not apply to visitors from Germany and Belgium who are the majority of foreign customers.

The move comes ahead of a proposed nationwide crackdown being discussed in the Dutch parliament.

The BBC's Anna Holligan says the ban is being seen as a test case that could be implemented in other Dutch towns and cities.

There are about 700 coffee shops in the Netherlands. The cultivation and sale of soft drugs through them is decriminalised although not legal.

An estimated 6,000 people visit Maastricht's coffee shops every day - most making the quick trip across the border from Belgium and Germany.

But from Saturday, anyone who doesn't hold a Dutch, Belgian or German passport will be told to leave.

Hi-tech security scanners have been set up to check passports and ID cards, and police will carry out random checks.

City authorities say drug tourists pose a threat to public order.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-15134669


Note: 1 October 2011 Last updated at 01:25 GMT

Maastricht resident here - I have never noticed drug tourism here. Traffic problems, yes. But that's not the fault of drugs :)

I thought the Dutch government was going to introduce a national ban as of next year anyway?


I haven't been to the Netherlands in about ten years - guess I'd better go again soon! :D

How exactly can the Maastricht authorities discriminate in favour of German and Belgian tourists and against everyone else? In fact, Can the Dutch authorites in general stop people from EU member states having the same rights as Dutch people? I wonder how long it will be before the big money behind coffee shops sponsor a test case.

The Belgian/German exemption seems odd. Considering that the vast majority of drug tourists in Maastricht are going to be day trippers from either of these countries, why bother putting through legislation if you're then going to exempt 95% of the people who would be hit by it?

Traffic Problems .... yeah some "wobbling" pretty good on the road .... and the economy will suffer because they smoke ... what development, :haha:

Why should you drive when you can fly....

Tell me...:O:

i won't ha... ha...oops

Personal experience.....:hmmm:

Get rid of the drugs and you would solve the problem. Guess that makes too much sense.

Yea.. right.
We see how well that works in the US.. :haha:

Deal with different drugs, that abound in the market is obviously the ideal ... but a utopia, unfortunately, :yep:

That doesn't change the number of people doing drugs, it just takes the money from it and gives it to criminals.

Right!

Prohibition ?

The vast amount of drugs used in the US come from outside the country. Why do you think there is such resistance to truly securing the borders? You surely didn't think it was all about immigration, did you?

The "war on drugs" in the US has been one of the biggest and longest running jokes in our history. Ranks right up there with the "war on poverty".

You want to stop drug use - you cut off all the supply.

"You cut off all the supply"...no easy task but a very good option.

I disagree.

You create the supply yourself and control it.

In the US we should give away free heroin, meth, and all of the addictive drugs that make junkies commit crimes. In exchange for getting it free, they have to attend short [10 minute] lectures on rehab, offer them help to kick the habit, and help them take control. Bottom line is a junkie is going to be a junkie until he/she decides to stop. Until they make that choice, give em the crap they need without forcing them into prostitution or other criminal activity that preys on society.

Then legalize and tax the crap out of recreational drugs like pot. Make is a legitimate crop, legal to import and put tariffs on. Control it like alcohol.

Then we wouldn't have drug cartels terrorizing border towns. They'd go broke. It would take all of the drug money out of the hands of organized crime and could then be controlled and possibly slowly eliminated.

If they close the legal market, the black market will rise again, with all it's problems: bad weed, sale of hard drugs, crime, etc... :nope: There won't be one marijuana consumer less.

A drug free society is an utopia. The war on drugs is no war, as wars can be won. The Netherlands had a pretty good model.
Interestingly enough the percentage of pot smokers in the Netherlands is lower than in its neighboring countries - also the percentage of juveniles who smoke pot - maybe the attraction of forbidden fruits is not there.

Regarding the US: I find Alaska's handling of the issue pretty good and pragmatic - yeah, those damned liberal blue states! :know:

I heard it a week ago, when a friend told me that a coffee shop owner in Maastricht told him that they will continue to sell to Germans but not to the French, couldn't believe it first.
The plans were first to sell only to Dutch, I wonder why they made the exceptions, hard to say how big the economical influence of the coffee shop owners is. My guess is that it could be also a proposal by the police, as they are very pragmatic over there and have certainly better things to do than arresting people with small amounts of weed.

For God's sake let the Germans have some fun on the weekends...:O:

For my own little tourist jaunt some years ago, we used public transport the whole time - I was generally in no fit state to drive anyway. We had a polite, english time in amsterdam, enjoying such sights and museums as were available.
If we went to a bar/pub we reservedly enquired if it was ok to 'smoke' as we didn't want to offend by just lighting up a bifta like some ganja n00b. We were universally received with polite thanks for having the courtesy to ask. Most places were ok with it, and those who weren't were quite happy for us to occupy their canal-side seating and indulge over a pint or two. Many pleasant hours were spent this way, soaking up the sights and sounds of such a beautiful city.
It was still an unnerving experience smoking a skunk spliff over a pint at the out door seating and having a friendly chat with the local plod, who were keen to tell us of the best museums and welcoming clubs with live music at the weekends.
One club we ended up at was one of the most exceptional venues I have ever been to. Not only for the first rate musicians who played a storming blues set all night long, but for the open and welcoming nature of just about everyone in the building. Despite there being a 'no slpiff' policy and only alcohol to grease the wheels we had a good chat with several different bunches of people, some of whom came from other countries, especially to this venue for such a great night out. It was an evening to surpass many I've spent in my homeland.

I can honestly say, there were only four times that I felt uncomfortable in amsterdam.

The first was being accosted by the doorman to a shady club, asking us in to see the live sex show - after all, it only being my second day there and being quite hideously stoned, it was more than my prim little english mores could accommodate at such short notice. :oops: :haha:

The second was fending off the smackheads begging for money; they were really quite persistent - had it been later at night and with less people about I'd not have been surprised if mere repetitive begging had turned into a mugging.

The third, I am sorry to say, was because of a large group of my northern cousins and their brash and unpleasant interest in .... yes .... football. That ever present stain on our reputation both at home and most especially in foreign climes.
More specifically, Celtic fans. They are neither unique or original in the way they made the city centre of amsterdam an extremely intimidating place to be, with their loud and prolific numbers. Such is my universal experience of football fans.

Funny how I never feel the same undertow of violence when confronted with the spectacle of thousands of rugby fans in my home city.

The fourth was realising that it was almost impossible to get my grubby hands on a full english breakfast anywhere. Though I was offered some very nice dutch gin, instead of the ubiquitous fry-up, by the rotund and bombastic fellow who ran the campsite we were staying at. Yes, we camped in the middle of a city... how dutch is that? :-?

My only question is why only the belgians and ze germans? I can perhaps understand keeping germany sweet and loaded; no one is going to get any more ideas of european invasion when there's smokes and brownies to be had, not to mention hookers too, if you can still walk :-j
But why belguim? :doh:


EDIT: had I known about him back then, I'd have sought out the place where Chet Baker met his end. I believe I walked right past it on several occasions.