Amsterdam may be a melting pot of art and culture, but it’s known for sex and spliffs.
So, it’s no surprise Amsterdam Mayor Femke Halsema’s “total weed ban for tourists” has sent travellers into a tailspin.
Of course, the Van Gogh museum, the Vondelpark, the Anne Frank House and Dam Square will still be there. As will the city’s incredible architecture, stunning canals, parks and nature.
But as Happy Mag and Pedestrian TV report, that’s not what brings so many visitors to the city every year. So, why the change? Well, it turns out Mayor Halsema isn’t interested in boosting tourist numbers. Instead, she wants to increase the quality.
According to Happy Mag, the Mayor is keen to tackle the issues associated with Amsterdam’s reputation for drugs and sex. A recent survey showed that 30-50% of tourists might reconsider visiting if they couldn’t access cannabis. While most cities would be alarmed at fewer visitors, Amsterdam has long been overwhelmed. Originally built for a population of a million, the city now faces over 17 million foreign visitors annually, many drawn to the Red Light District and the city’s relaxed drug laws, putting immense strain on local infrastructure.
Predictably, tourists are not enamoured by the proposed change. From “Don’t ruin one of the best cities in the world!!” to “Would kill the city off if they did this,” Twitter was full of Space Cadets expressing their opinions.
Before you rush to book your flights, though, it’s worth remembering the city has discussed banning weed numerous times in the past, and the decision has never stood.
In fact, going back through the “Amsterdam weed ban” Twitter search history, you see the same discussion play out every couple of years, with the latest rollback of the proposal coming in 2012…
… and the latest ban suggestion coming in 2014.
As they say: there’s nothing new under the sun.
