Experts warn that keeping tourists out of Amsterdam coffee shops won’t be easy
Halsema plans to finalise her plans later this year, and has pledged to work out ways of tackling street dealers. The city council itself is divided on the issue
Dutch News (Netherlands)
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Wednesday, May 26, 2021
Suggestions that foreign tourists be banned from Amsterdam’s cannabis cafes, or coffee shops, have been greeted with alarm by experts. ‘The plan is doomed to fail’ criminologist Ton Nabben told a meeting of city councillors. ‘It will be disastrous for feelings of public safety, particular in alleys and dark corners.’ In January, Amsterdam’s mayor Femke Halsema published a plan to reduce nuisance and crime caused by the soft drugs industry, by enforcing a national law which means only residents can buy from the coffee shops. But opponents say it will lead to more crime and nuisance, as street dealers return and tourists go underground to use drugs. (See also: Support deprived areas or risk social cohesion collapse, mayors tell next cabinet)
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