Amsterdam closed to tourists?

[NMTBxxHTSP]

Hey, i was talking to my friend about Denver the other night and he told me that Amseterdam was closed to tourists a month or two ago. is this true to anyones knowledge or is this common knowledge that i some how missed? thanks

NMTBxxHTSP Reviewed by NMTBxxHTSP on 11-05-2005. Amsterdam closed to tourists? Hey, i was talking to my friend about Denver the other night and he told me that Amseterdam was closed to tourists a month or two ago. is this true to anyones knowledge or is this common knowledge that i some how missed? thanks Rating: 5

[GreenMachine]

i hope not i planned to take a trip there when i turned 18

[NMTBxxHTSP]

I just googled it (maybe i should have done that before i posted, sorry) and i couldnt find anything on it. the closest i came was some scare involving a plain from to amsterdam to key west but it was key west that was closed. false alarm i guess, sorry about that.

[sexyflblonde]

I just got back from Amsterdam a few days ago...it's definitely NOT closed to tourists! I was surprised to learn that Mushrooms are also legal and easily available for purchase over there.

[sobriquet]

i could come up with 100 reason this isn't true, i'll stick with a few:

- too costly too enforce
- many legal implications (families couldn't visit)
- it would destroy the local economy

[jahjahjahjah]

you have to be 21

[Mansel]

Well here's an email I recieved...

Info supplied by a friendly reporter

Take care
Don

Report:

Brits on holiday in Amsterdam will no longer be able to visit the city's
famous coffee shops after the government announced plans to ban tourists
from smoking cannabis from January.

The Netherlands' conservative government says it wants to reverse the
country's image as a "drugs paradise" by only allowing natives to legally
smoke pot in the licensed cafes.

The plans were revealed to Austria, which will take over EU Presidency
from Britain in January, and the United Nations, reported Austrian
broadsheet Der Standard.

Spokesman for the Dutch Justice Ministry, Paul van Voorst, dismissed fears
the legislation changes would lead to a flood of lawsuits from tourists
claiming they were being discriminated against, saying: "You can't sue
against something that is forbidden by law." The number of cannabis
coffee shops in the Netherlands has almost halved in the last five years,
with 750 now open across the country.

Ton Cramer from the Health Ministry said it was becoming increasingly
likely that marihuana would be banned altogether. He said advanced methods
of cultivation of the plant were leading to an increase in the amount of
Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active ingredient of cannabis, found
in the drug. He said if a current study finds that higher levels of THC
increase personality dysfunctions in the marihuana smokers, then cannabis
could be classified as a hard drug.


The Dutch Justice Ministry has told (METRO) "this is a pilot scheme,
limiting sales only to Dutch natives, will begin in Maastricht in January
and if successful could be spread throughout the country. They are using
Maastricht first because of concerns about Belgians and Germans crossing the
nearby border to buy cannabis, a 'drugs tourism' they are under pressure to
stop. The scheme would be operated by asking for buyers' passports or proof
of Dutch citizenship, or having people register in
advance for permission to buy cannabis.

End

[jakenthegentiles]

wellthenmaby illjust have to "move there " for a week or 2

[Reefer Rogue]

There's always hobos and fake passports. :rasta:

[daves19]

Well here's an email I recieved...

Stop posting this shit...it's only propaganda...

In this article the justice shitter says...
"dismissed fears
the legislation changes would lead to a flood of lawsuits from tourists
claiming they were being discriminated against, saying: "You can't sue
against something that is forbidden by law."
Well to my knowledge there's nothing illegal in a coffee shop itself...
"will no longer be able to visit the city's
famous coffee shops"

Please people do not care about these news...they want to spread doubt around so it is easier to pass that law, but there is nothing serious for the next few years...