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Discussion => Off topic => Topic started by: anothergirl on September 09, 2012, 12:22 am

Title: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: anothergirl on September 09, 2012, 12:22 am
I'm seeing a lot of conflicting info on this, but is it true that the coffee shops will still be able to accept tourists until Jan. 1? I figured the regulars here would tend to know this stuff  :)
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: Cicero on September 09, 2012, 12:34 am
I'll go to haarlem or even Rotterdam.

This presents no significant problems to the almighty Cicero.
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: Cicero on September 09, 2012, 01:41 am
I'll go to haarlem or even Rotterdam.

This presents no significant problems to the almighty Cicero.
Think you missed the boat on that one. Pretty sure it was January of this year that the laws changed.

Clear-link

http://www.dutchnews.nl/news/archives/2012/09/maastricht_mayor_does_uturn_ov.php

Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: nosaj_thing on September 09, 2012, 01:58 am
will this be the sort of law that is not enforced?

or are they seriously cracking down?
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: raven92 on September 09, 2012, 02:15 am
Sigh, this is not a good step for this to be going backwards. Lets hope this totally backfires and they reverse it
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: ithasbegun on September 10, 2012, 01:12 am
In the southern provinces,  Limburg, Noord-Brabant and Zeeland, the new law applies since 1st of May 2012. In the rest of the country, including Amsterdam, it is planned to go into effect 1st of January 2013. The law makes it illegal for coffeeshops to sell to persons without a Dutch ID and a copy of the city records that states his address. When you have showed that you become a member and get a membership card/item and you can use that together with your ID for future purchases.

That is the plan, but we have to see if they will follow through with all this. Because 12 September there are elections and it is likely the political landscape changes. And in the areas where it is in effect already it isn't a definite success.

 In Maastricht the first day the law applied 38 of the 39 coffeeshops closed because only 100 persons became member at one shop. 390 people were fired because of it, and since then illegal trade exploded. Smokers just didn't feel comfortable registering themselves to buy some weed. And especially Amsterdam would suffer considerably on the economy, as did Maastricht.
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: weednation on September 10, 2012, 05:25 am
 Seeing how chill everyone is about smoking weed there I bet that even if they enforced that law, a tourist can easily just ask a local resident to buy it for them.
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: Anonymous63 on September 10, 2012, 06:51 am
wow, I am surprised how ridiculous the drug laws are... its just my opinion, but I believe everyone would be better without them  ::)
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: Anonymous63 on September 10, 2012, 07:17 am
Whenever you ban something, you create an underground market.

I don't remember who said that, but I wanted to post it here :P
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: 3gr2k on September 10, 2012, 10:52 am
And anyway as if ud b going to coffee shops

id rather go to their supliers, coffee shops sell best seeds but aint many and pricey
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: HarmReduction on September 10, 2012, 11:07 am
I hear that it has been made law however it does not seem to be implemented I know people from here still visiting them
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: tdank on September 10, 2012, 12:03 pm
not good news at all, shud be in Dam the week before christmas, so at least il be able to enjoy the freedom just before it ends.
does anyone know the effects this will have on smart shops?
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: Kappacino on September 10, 2012, 01:04 pm
What the fuck happened?

Can any of you Dutch shed some light on this..

Did some morons get baked and drown in the canal? Or are you just tired of all the English tourists?

Way to kill off your tourist trade. I suppose it's a good thing you've still got the hookers. As soon as you get rid of them all you'll have left is the architecture and the cool flag, and who the fuck ever went to Amsterdam for that? ;) Actually, I'm pretty sure we all went to the dam to "admire the architecture".

I've heard that Prague is becoming the new Dam anyway. Weed is still illegal for foreigners but the Czech mentality is very laid back from what I hear.. only a matter of time before they realise they're sitting on a gold mine and make it a full industry.

Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: Twelve_Pickles on September 11, 2012, 10:20 pm
i can vouch that the Czech are very laid back and very open with their cannabis use.
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: Knomo on September 11, 2012, 10:38 pm
What the fuck happened?

Can any of you Dutch shed some light on this..

Well the government made a plan for a so called 'Weedpass' you can only obtain one if you're a Dutch citizen and only buy weed when you have a Weedpass (you have to buy at the same shop as well) You can see it as a clubcard, a coffeeshop can have max 2000 registered cards and so the max amount of members a coffeeshop can have is 2000 Dutchies.
The idea came together with the help of the German government that wanted to stop Germans from buying drugs in Holland and than reselling (or smoking it) in Germany.. Of course the politicians in their ivory tower don't realize that the people will still go to Holland to buy it, only illegally from kiddo's on the street, and in this way making the purchase AND the use (because there is no quality control on the streets) more dangerous.. The weedpass is already required in some parts (southern) of Holland and a massive increase of street violence and disturbances is noticeable.

Today there are elections for the parliament and there will probably a coalition between 3 parties, one of them have the canceling of the weedpass in their election program... Soooo you all just have to wait and see what happens, for now the weedpass will still go into activation nationwide at Jan 1 2013.
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: strea70 on September 26, 2012, 03:51 am
Wow that is crazy.. I really hope it gets cancelled before, never been to Amsterdam and been hearing story after story of friends going there :( .. I will have to get my hands on such a weed pass illegally then haha, perhaps SR vendors for weed passes will be the next hot thing on here ..
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: ralph123 on September 26, 2012, 03:48 pm
It really sounds like a plan for a monopoly and to try to increase their population but not really because how many coffee shops do they have? Couldn't each one have a full membership with the size of the population already?
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: ithasbegun on October 08, 2012, 05:32 am
Well, the elections don't appear to have a positive effect, allthough a government hasn't been formed jet, so nothing is certain. But the party to which the person that came up with this bad plan belongs has become the biggest party off all, and a new record for the party itself.  There is some resistance by local politicians, because it's not working. Every honest analysis will confirm that. And the warlock that concevied this knew it also I suppose, he just isn't telling his real motives.
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: HarmReduction on November 03, 2012, 06:57 pm
News article in the media today

ALMOST TWO million tourists who visit Amsterdam every year to consume cannabis in its famous “coffee shops” will still be able to get stoned legally after January next, despite fears that a controversial new ban would exclude foreigners.

Although the ban will still come into effect across the Netherlands in the new year, the new Liberal-Labour Party coalition government has given local councils the power to opt out – and the mayor of Amsterdam, Eberhard van der Laan, says the city’s 220 cannabis cafes will remain open to everyone.

The tighter regulations were proposed by the Liberal-Christian Democrat coalition that lost power last April, and the new opt- out clause is part of a wider rethink that will substantially relax plans to turn the coffee shops into private members’ clubs open to Dutch residents only.

The rethink will also abandon the hugely unpopular requirement that even Dutch users of the cafes would have to register for a wietpas or “weed pass”, which customers maintained was an unacceptable invasion of their privacy and coffee shop owners said would ruin their businesses.

However, the new government says customers will have to be able to present evidence of age to prevent sales to minors, and it is to go ahead with a plan to place a maximum limit on the level of THC – tetrahydrocannabinol, the active ingredient in cannabis – in the drugs on sale. A ban on so-called “drugs tourists” was introduced on a trial basis in the south of the country on January 1st last in response to complaints about public nuisance – but a recent report by Maastricht university said one result of this had been a noticeable increase in street dealing, including to young teenagers.

Mr van der Laan, a consistent critic of the proposed ban, has welcomed the opt-out.

“A ban would have undone all the good work that has been achieved in recent years. We would have seen more robberies, more arguments over fake drugs, and less quality control – all the old problems would have come back.”

Other cities such as Rotterdam and Haarlem have been similarly critical – and are also expected to try to sidestep the ban.
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: PrincessHIGH on November 03, 2012, 07:48 pm
I'm seeing a lot of conflicting info on this, but is it true that the coffee shops will still be able to accept tourists until Jan. 1? I figured the regulars here would tend to know this stuff  :)

I read this report in the Daily Mirror (a popular British national daily tabloid, for those of you that aren't in the UK) yesterday, good news! 'Up in smoke: Dutch government axes planned ban on tourists buying cannabis in coffee shops' (clearwebalert) http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/cannabis-still-available-at-amsterdam-coffee-1412186
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: theman22 on November 03, 2012, 08:47 pm
I'm seeing a lot of conflicting info on this, but is it true that the coffee shops will still be able to accept tourists until Jan. 1? I figured the regulars here would tend to know this stuff  :)

I read this report in the Daily Mirror (a popular British national daily tabloid, for those of you that aren't in the UK) yesterday, good news! 'Up in smoke: Dutch government axes planned ban on tourists buying cannabis in coffee shops' (clearwebalert) http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/world-news/cannabis-still-available-at-amsterdam-coffee-1412186

happy days they knew theyd lose out on a lot of tourism and money..im heading there on tuesday for a few days of messiness and to get a good smoke since the law was suppose to kick in thankfully ill be able to go in the new year (for a smoke anyway)
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: thecrackhead on November 03, 2012, 09:34 pm
I'm seeing this whole situation like me, I'm always saying that I'll quit the drugs and weed and I'll start saving up for some random bullshit.

I always say: I'll do it from tomorrow, Monday, next week, next year but ill never do it because I like what I'm doing and I`ve created a character that hopefully will last a bit more after I die.

So our little friend Amsterdam here is like me he quits weed every year :D

Glad I've been in Amsterdam already you should go too!
Title: NO to WEEDPASS
Post by: wsg on November 04, 2012, 04:35 pm
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2012/10/30/dutch-amsterdam-weed-marijuana/1668761/

This is only a partial victory
11:50AM EDT October 30. 2012 -
AMSTERDAM (AP) — The incoming Dutch government has ditched plans for a national "weed pass" that would have been available only to residents and that would have effectively banned tourists from Amsterdam's marijuana cafes.

However, under a provisional governing pact unveiled this week, cities can bar foreigners from weed shops if they choose.

The pact says that it wants only Dutch residents to have access to marijuana cafes, but leaves enforcement up to cities. Amsterdam opposes a ban, which would hurt tourism.

Some cafe owners said Tuesday that they are satisfied Dutch weed policy will remain unchanged, while others criticized the lack of clarity.


Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: buybuy555 on November 04, 2012, 09:18 pm
they have been talkin about this for yrs and every yr now it always goes the same way, i wouldnt worry guys, at the end of the day money talks and bullshit runs the marathon, the tourist trade in amsterdam keeps the dutch economy afloat, speak to any dutch citizen about credit cards,HP, loans or mortages, none of them do it, their economy is so strong because of the tourist trade they do not have to exploit their citizens and this is why they are one of the few countries in the world that are not in debt to the elbow...

in my opinion the dutch have their shit sorted yrs ago, its seems to me its new political parties trying to get votes by trying to pass new legistration/ideas onto the younger generation. Even if it did pass, i give 1 yr max n it would be back the same old tricks, cos theres to much infrustructure based on the sale of weed just to give up like that...

Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: Zulu on November 05, 2012, 12:43 am
this wont effect Amsterdam itself, much to many tourist dollars to be had here. the outlying towns will change
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: bucklemyshoe1 on November 05, 2012, 02:13 am
i cant see haarlem or zaandfort to change their laws- they are like amsterdam without the tourists.
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: tommygun on November 05, 2012, 02:27 am
I doubt Amsterdam will change, I was there  last year and they were talking about this, also that you couldn't smoke cigs in coffee shops.  Didn't stop anyone from doing it thought.
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: amymolly on November 05, 2012, 03:42 pm
Glad to hear amsterdam is opposing the ban! suppose to be there in a couple pf weeks.
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: Knomo on November 06, 2012, 12:37 am
they have been talkin about this for yrs and every yr now it always goes the same way, i wouldnt worry guys, at the end of the day money talks and bullshit runs the marathon, the tourist trade in amsterdam keeps the dutch economy afloat, speak to any dutch citizen about credit cards,HP, loans or mortages, none of them do it, their economy is so strong because of the tourist trade they do not have to exploit their citizens and this is why they are one of the few countries in the world that are not in debt to the elbow...

Lol that's not even remotely true, tourism contributed a total of 2.1% to our GDP in 2011. For the debt thing, we're closing in at 70% GDP which is the same amount as Spain has..
Title: Re: New law going into effect in Amsterdam...
Post by: buybuy555 on November 06, 2012, 10:08 am
lol sorry me bad  ::)

m just goin with what i hear from friends, u cant always believe what people tells you, springs to mind all of a sudden...

thanks for setting things straight...