According to The Guardian, the authorities in Amsterdam are discussing the possibility of imposing a ban on tourists visiting “coffee shops” – special establishments that sell cannabis.
Femke Halsema, mayor of the city, said the new ban will help fight crime, including the distribution of hard drugs.
According to the Amsterdam City Hall, 100 of Amsterdam’s 166 coffee shops cater primarily to tourists.
Recall that the People’s Party for Freedom and Democracy (Volkspartij Voor Vrijheid en Democratie, VVD) two years ago proposed to ban tourists from using marijuana, noting that “Amsterdam is too beautiful for this, and its inhabitants deserve better.” The mayor’s office of the capital of the Netherlands discussed this issue a year ago.