Amsterdam to outlaw cannabis-smoking in red-light district streets
‘Historic’ clampdown on tourist excesses aims to make life more bearable for local residents
Friday, February 10, 2023
Smoking cannabis on the street in Amsterdam’s red light district will soon be illegal, the city council has announced, as part of a range of bylaws designed to deter tourist excesses and make life more bearable for despairing local people. With more than 18 million visitors thronging its narrow 17th-century streets last year, Amsterdam’s residents have long complained that the busiest parts of the city centre, including De Wallen – the red light district – were becoming unlivable. The council said in a statement that smoking joints in public in the inner city would be outlawed from mid-May, adding that it was prepared to consider extending the ban to the terraces of cannabis “coffeeshops” if necessary. (See also: Amsterdam bans smoking cannabis outdoors in the red light district)
