https://sputnikglobe.com/20230210/amsterdam-looks-to-sober-up-as-cannabis-ban-looms-over-red-light-district-1107288153.html
Amsterdam Looks to Sober Up as Cannabis Ban Looms Over Red Light District
Amsterdam Looks to Sober Up as Cannabis Ban Looms Over Red Light District
Sputnik International
The restrictions are seen as part of a campaign to prevent tourists from what the authorities described as a "holiday from morals."
2023-02-10T09:06+0000
2023-02-10T09:06+0000
2023-02-10T09:06+0000
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Under new regulations unveiled by the city of Amsterdam in a bid to tidy up its image and alleviate resident's growing concerns, smoking cannabis in the streets of its famous red light district will be illegal.The Dutch capital is world-famous for its cannabis cafes and entices millions of tourists every year. However, the seamy side of the vibrant nightlife has sparked vocal complaints among local residents, who are complaining about street dealers, drug and alcohol abuse, as well as rampant crime.Further measures by Amsterdam's city council to alleviate the residents' concerns include forcing restaurants and bars to close by 2am on Fridays and Saturdays and banning any new visitors from entering the old city district after 1am. Furthermore, the council will ask vendors to completely remove alcohol from their shopfronts, or hide it from view, from Thursday to Sunday after 4pm. Last but not least, sex workers will also have to close their venues at 3am.The new laws will come into effect in mid-May, as part of the authorities' struggle to mitigate the disruption, reduce nuisance caused by tourists of the disorderly variety and improve the "liveability" of the Nederlands' largest city.In addition to the new laws, the Amsterdam council will launch a campaign, also in the coming spring, to discourage tourists from visiting the city solely for the purpose of drugs, alcohol and frivolous sex, which the authorities described as "holiday from morals."Diederik Boomsma, the leader of the local Christian Democrats, wholeheartedly welcomed the new restrictions.The Netherlands is regarded as one of the most liberal countries in the world. The sale and use of soft drugs in so-called coffeeshops has been tolerated for years. While it is illegal to sell or possess drugs, the Netherlands has a peculiar "toleration policy" that allows the sale of cannabis under strict conditions, one of which includes orderly behavior.Prostitution, however, is fully legalized. Amsterdam’s red light district is one of the country's most well-known tourist attractions, with hundreds of windows in which prostitutes seek to attract the attention of thousands of customers and tourists passing through.The Netherlands also became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage and euthanasia.
https://sputnikglobe.com/20221007/delayed-gratification-amsterdam-postpones-plans-to-create-erotic-centre-1101606657.html
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cannabis use, red light district, city of amsterdam, improving liveability, "holiday from morals"
cannabis use, red light district, city of amsterdam, improving liveability, "holiday from morals"
Amsterdam Looks to Sober Up as Cannabis Ban Looms Over Red Light District
The restrictions are seen as part of a campaign to prevent tourists from what the authorities described as a "holiday from morals" and stop what has been described as droves of "glassy-eyed tourist zombies."
Under new regulations unveiled by the city of Amsterdam in a bid to tidy up its image and alleviate resident's growing concerns, smoking cannabis in the streets of its famous red light district will be illegal.
The Dutch capital is world-famous for its cannabis cafes and entices millions of tourists every year. However, the seamy side of the vibrant nightlife has sparked vocal complaints among local residents, who are complaining about street dealers, drug and alcohol abuse, as well as rampant crime.
Further measures by Amsterdam's city council to alleviate the residents' concerns include forcing restaurants and bars to close by 2am on Fridays and Saturdays and banning any new visitors from entering the old city district after 1am. Furthermore, the council will ask vendors to completely remove alcohol from their shopfronts, or hide it from view, from Thursday to Sunday after 4pm. Last but not least, sex workers will also have to close their venues at 3am.
The new laws will come into effect in mid-May, as part of the authorities' struggle to mitigate the disruption, reduce nuisance caused by tourists of the disorderly variety and improve the "liveability" of the Nederlands' largest city.
In addition to the new laws, the Amsterdam council will launch a campaign, also in the coming spring, to discourage tourists from visiting the city solely for the purpose of drugs, alcohol and frivolous sex, which the authorities described as "holiday from morals."
Diederik Boomsma, the leader of the local Christian Democrats, wholeheartedly welcomed the new restrictions.
"Some days you can’t even walk around the centre without breathing in the persistent stench of cannabis fumes, with glassy-eyed tourist zombies staggering about. That has to stop. Amsterdam needs to finally get rid of its image as a Valhalla for paid sex and drugs," he told Dutch media.
The Netherlands is regarded as one of the most liberal countries in the world. The sale and use of soft drugs in so-called coffeeshops has been tolerated for years. While it is illegal to sell or possess drugs, the Netherlands has a peculiar "toleration policy" that allows the sale of cannabis under strict conditions, one of which includes orderly behavior.
7 October 2022, 12:51 GMT
Prostitution, however, is fully legalized. Amsterdam’s red light district is one of the country's most well-known tourist attractions, with hundreds of windows in which prostitutes seek to attract the attention of thousands of customers and tourists passing through.
The Netherlands also became the first country in the world to legalize same-sex marriage and euthanasia.
