Why Amsterdam is banning marijuana use in its red light district

Amsterdam has banned smoking cannabis on the street in the red light district to tackle crime and “anti-social” behaviour. Smoking joints will be prohibited in canal-lined streets of the Dutch capital where there are brothels, sex shops and strip clubs, the city council said in a statement on Thursday (9 February). The slew of measures, including new restrictions on alcohol, will come into effect from mid-May, BBC reported citing city authorities. The Netherlands’ capital, known for its liberal laws on sex work and the usage of drugs, has long received complaints from its residents over the city becoming “unlivable”. What else will be banned from May in Amsterdam? How ‘over-tourism’ has affected the Dutch capital? Let’s take a closer look. Amsterdam brings new curbs Sex workers will have to close their venues at 3 am from mid-May rather than 6 am. The city council said that the opening times for restaurants and bars would also be cut back. Moreover, no new visitor will be allowed to enter the old city district after 1 am, reported BBC. [caption id=“attachment_12139542” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Sex workers in the red light district will have to close their venues at 3 am from mid-May. AFP File Photo[/caption] The sale of alcohol at shops, liquor stores and cafes in the red light district – known as De Wallen – is already illegal from Thursday to Sunday after 4 pm. From now on, vendors will have to completely remove the bottles from display at that time or hide them.

Consuming alcohol in most public spaces is banned in Amsterdam.

“Residents of the old city center experience a lot of nuisance from mass tourism and alcohol and drug abuse on the street,” the Municipality of Amsterdam said in a statement, as per CNN. “Tourists also attract street dealers, who in turn promote criminality and insecurity. Especially at night, the atmosphere can become grim. People who are under the influence also stick around longer,” it added. The municipality further said: “Residents cannot sleep well and the neighborhood is becoming unsafe and unliveable.” The city council is also ready to mull extending the ban to the terraces of cannabis “coffee shops” or marijuana cafes if the need arises, as per The Guardian. The Dutch law outlaws marijuana but possession of anything under five grams has been decriminalised since 1975. The Netherlands also has a “toleration policy” that permits “coffee shops” to sell cannabis under several conditions. Notably, only Dutch residents can purchase cannabis in these coffee shops, but there is an exception in the shops in Amsterdam. Out of the total 570 coffee shops across The Netherlands, 166 are in Amsterdam, Deutsche Welle (DW) reported citing Health Ministry and city data. ALSO READ: Germany joins 'pot club'. Which are the countries that have legalised cannabis? ‘Historic’ move The initiative which comes from Amsterdam’s first female mayor, Femke Halsema, has been hailed as a “historic intervention” by the Dutch newspaper Het Parool, which said that for years the city has been known globally “where everything was possible and everything was permissible – including smoking weed on the street”, reported The Guardian. Halsema has said earlier that she wants to promote Amsterdam as a tourist hotspot for reasons other than sex and drugs, according to a DW report. The mayor is also in favour of barring tourists from the capital city’s cannabis coffeeshops. ‘Over-tourism’ in Amsterdam  These new measures have come as Amsterdam is experiencing “over-tourism”, especially since the lifting of COVID-19 curbs. The Dutch capital, famous for its cannabis cafes, attracts millions of tourists every year. As per CNN, around 10 per cent to 15 per cent of Amsterdam’s tourist industry comes from the red light district. [caption id=“attachment_12139562” align=“alignnone” width=“640”] Smoking joints will be prohibited on the street in Amsterdam’s red light district. Reuters File Photo[/caption] This year alone, more than 18 million overnight visitors are expected to reach Amsterdam, reported CNN. Besides these measures, the Amsterdam council has also planned a “stay away” campaign in the spring to dissuade tourists from travelling to the city only for drugs, alcohol and sex, as per BBC. Speaking to Het Parool about the new steps, Sofyan Mbarki, a city councillor, said, “It will take a lot of patience”. “We have presented a package with a vision and we must stick to it. We must all put our shoulders to the wheel together behind this vision. Whether you live here, work, do business or visit the city: everyone, ultimately wants a livable city,” The Guardian quoted Mbarki as saying. Previous initiatives Many initiatives, including by locals, have been taken to reduce the nuisance caused by visitors in Amsterdam. In 2020, guided tours were banned from passing sex workers’ windows. The “We Live Here” campaign is aimed at making visitors aware that ordinary people live in the red light district. Earlier, Amsterdam’s city council had prohibited rentals through Airbnb and other platforms in three areas in the old city centre. However, vacation rentals were allowed again after a court scrapped the ban in 2021. Last year, fed-up locals started ‘Wallen watch’ where they patrol the streets to keep ‘rowdy’ tourists in check, reported DutchNews.nl. With inputs from agencies Read all the  Latest News ,  Trending News ,  Cricket News ,  Bollywood News , India News  and  Entertainment News  here. Follow us on  Facebook,  Twitter and  Instagram.