Amsterdam council to vote against banning tourists from coffeeshops
The largest party would not support the measure in the end because there were not ‘sufficient guarantees’ that the city would act to reduce street dealing and police the streets
Friday, September 30, 2022
Amsterdam council will vote against a proposal to enforce a national ban against tourists in coffeeshops, where cannabis is smoked. Mayor Femke Halsema formally proposed temporarily banning non-residents from the city’s 166 coffeeshops in April, in a 13-page briefing. This is already a national law, enforced in some places, but Amsterdam had negotiated a formal exemption. At a long debate in the city hall, the majority of parties were against the policy. Although the mayor, who is responsible for law and order, does not need to have the support of the elected council, she has said that she wants this before enforcing a national law that already exists, the so-called i-criterium. (See also: Amsterdam considers banning ‘cannabis tourists’ from its coffee shops)
