Amsterdam to ban coffeeshops selling weed to tourists

The mayor may be heading for a clash with the city council
NL Times (Netherlands)
Tuesday, April 12, 2022

nl amsterdam weedMayor Femke Halsema plans to go through with a ban on coffeeshops selling weed to tourists in Amsterdam, she said in a letter to the city council. According to her, the enforcement of the residents-only criterion is "necessary" for the municipality to get a grip on the coffeeshop market and "inseparable" from any relaxation of the cannabis policy, such as regulated cultivation or expanded trade stocks, Het Parool reports. Over three million foreign tourists visit coffeeshops in Amsterdam every year, making the capital's cannabis market uncontrollably large and a portal to serious crime. Some tourists may resort to street dealers, but research could not estimate how many.  (See also: Amsterdam mayor plans to press ahead with tourist cannabis cafe ban)