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Dutch crack down on drug tourists
AMSTERDAM – The Dutch government is concerned that drug cafes are becoming a drag on the country’s reputation.
It plans to reserve hundreds of cannabis-vending coffee shops for locals, AFP reports.
The Dutch cabinet said it wanted to “limit the nuisance and crime risks”.
“The consensus is that it should be much more difficult for tourists to buy from Dutch coffee shops,” justice ministry spokeswoman Karen Temmink explained.
The Netherlands decriminalised the consumption and possession of fewer than five grammes of cannabis in 1976.
There are some 700 licensed coffee shops.
Several border towns complain of the burdens associated with a weekly influx of tens of thousands of tourists, mainly Belgian, French and German.
Among recent steps taken to deal with these problems, Amsterdam has said it would halve its number of coffee shops, citing criminality, while other cities are to close those within a certain radius of schools.
Ian Jarrett
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