Amsterdam city council majority against plan to ban tourists from coffeeshops
Amsterdam will not ban international tourists from its coffeeshops. A majority in the city council indicated on Thursday evening it will vote against mayor Femke Halsema’s plan to do just that, Het Parool reports.
The PvdA, GroenLinks, PvdD, Volt, SP, and FvD stand opposed to the proposal. They referred to Ton Nabben, a criminologist at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences. He warned that banning tourists from coffeeshops could result in more online and street sales, risk underprivileged youth being recruited as new dealers, and would not keep tourists away.
The proposed ban only has support from the VVD, CDA, and JA21 - which represent eight of the 45 seats in the city council.
The parties asked the mayor to consider alternatives like having coffeeshops sign a new covenant on good behavior, obliging them to be transparent about their finances, banning cannabis advertising in all shops, and a general ban on smoking cannabis in public spaces.
Halsema argued that the residents-only criterium is necessary to cool down “the heated market.” She still believes that banning international tourists from coffeeshops will mean fewer of them will visit the city and said it is not proven that vulnerable young people will enter the street trade.
She also raised doubts about whether the alternative proposals will help reduce the demand for cannabis in the city. She will respond more substantively to the suggestions at a later date. “That needs research,” she said.
The mayor asked the council to keep the ban “simmering” in their heads.
