Amsterdam Proposes Banning Tourists From Cannabis Coffee Shops

The COVID-19 pandemic has given one of European tourists’ favorite destinations, Amsterdam, a reprieve from its usual crowds of foreign visitors, and the city is looking to make some lasting changes before tourists return to its historic, canal-lined streets.

Mayor Femke Halsema is looking ahead in hopes of improving the flow of tourism, as well as locals’ quality of life. To that end, she has proposed new regulations that would prohibit foreign visitors from accessing any of the city’s 166 cannabis coffeehouses, which make up nearly 30 percent of the Netherlands’ coffee shops, CNN reports.

On January 8, Halsema sent a letter to councilors in which she proposed implementing a “resident criterion”, a policy that would only permit locals to patronize the city’s signature coffeehouses, to better control coffee shops’ supply chain and keep tourism more manageable. The proposal is set to be reviewed by Amsterdam’s city council later this month.

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Per COVID-19 lockdown measures, Amsterdam’s nonessential businesses, including its coffee shops, remain closed for the time being, although they are currently able to offer takeout and delivery service.

Currently, Amsterdam’s website discourages people from traveling to the Netherlands unless it’s strictly necessary. But, it’s what conditions might be like once the COVID-19 crisis has been brought under control, shops open and tourism returns that concerns officials.

The question of whether to restrict coffeehouse use to residents isn’t a new one, as Halsema was already considering such a proposal at this time last year and, back in July 2019, advised councilors that coffee shops can put, "the quality of life in the city center under pressure."

Making things slightly awkward is the fact that it’s perfectly legal to purchase cannabis at a coffee shop in the Netherlands, but the production of the plant is illegal—which is the reason that authorities want to keep an eye on the shops’ supply chains.

Back in 2012, Amsterdam was actually on the other side of the argument, fighting against proposed nationwide restrictions of coffeehouse use to Dutch residents. The Netherlands’ different municipalities also have varying rules about coffee shops, and a residents-only regulation already exists in the southern city of Maastricht.