The Mayor of Amsterdam is considering putting restrictions on cannabis tourism, citing studies showing that a third of visitors would come less often if they were banned from the famous “Coffee Shop” of the city that sell marijuana. The proposal comes from the problem of city leaders to reduce congestion suffered by the areas of Wallen and Singel, with a high concentration of red light businesses and the sale of cannabis.
The research was commissioned by Femke Halsema, Mayor of Amsterdam, who wants to reduce the number of coffee shops in the city. In a survey about the city, Researchers determined that 34% of those who come to Wallen and Singel would visit it less often if foreigners were prohibited from entering the Coffee Shop. The figure was even higher for tourists from the UK.
“For British visitors, Coffee Shops are by far the top most cited reason for coming to Amsterdam (33%),” the agency said. “They mention less walking or cycling in the city as the main reason (21%) than the average (32%) and, on the contrary, they indicate more frequently that a cheap trip was the main reason (11% compared to 6% on average) ”.
The survey of visitors to the Wallen and Singel areas between the ages of 18 and 57 also found that 11% would stop visiting Amsterdam altogether if the ban on entry to the Coffee Shop by foreigners were to take place. Among visitors of all nationalities, 40% said they would continue to visit the city but refrain from enjoying cannabis. Halsema attached the survey results to a letter to members of the city council, announcing his intention to explore ways to reduce the attraction of drug use by tourists.
Mellow Yellow was the first Coffee Shop to open in Amsterdam.
Will this measure work the prohibition of Cannabis for tourists?
Banning foreigners from coffee shops would not end cannabis tourism. More than one in 5 (22%) said they would have someone visit the coffee shop for them, while another 18% said they would find another way to get marijuana.
The Mayor of Amsterdam also announced her willingness to address the city’s tolerance for cannabis, which allows coffee shops to operate, but prohibits marijuana production. The lack of grower licenses forces coffee shops to buy on the black market and are sometimes supplied by unscrupulous drug gangs.
In his letter to city council members, Halsema said he wanted to see “a study this year to reduce tourist attraction of cannabis and local regulation of the black market …”
In another effort to reduce congestion in Amsterdam’s most popular tourist destinations, the city council announced Thursday that tour groups will be limited to 15 people and will be banned from entering the Wallen district and other areas with windows of sex workers.
Come on, if you want to take a cannabis trip to Amsterdam, do it now or never!
