{"id":55102,"date":"2022-04-14T15:01:28","date_gmt":"2022-04-14T15:01:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/amsterdam-moves-forward-with-plan-to-ban-tourists-from-weed-cafes\/"},"modified":"2022-04-14T15:01:28","modified_gmt":"2022-04-14T15:01:28","slug":"amsterdam-moves-forward-with-plan-to-ban-tourists-from-weed-cafes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/merryjane.com\/news\/amsterdam-moves-forward-with-plan-to-ban-tourists-from-weed-cafes\/","title":{"rendered":"Amsterdam Moves Forward With Plan to Ban Tourists From Weed Cafes"},"content":{"rendered":"

Amsterdam’s mayor is moving ahead with her plans to ban tourists from the city’s famous cannabis coffee shops<\/u><\/a>, despite concerns that the move will increase street-level black market sales.<\/p>\n

Since taking office in 2018, Mayor Femke Halsema has been working to reform<\/u><\/a> Amsterdam’s reputation as a haven for weed and sex work. Cannabis is actually illegal in the Netherlands, but Amsterdam and several other large cities have allowed residents and tourists to buy and smoke weed at designated pot cafes. Weed cultivation remains entirely prohibited, though, which guarantees that the strong demand for hash must be provided by the black market. <\/p>\n

As many as 3 million tourists<\/u><\/a> reportedly visit Amsterdam’s weed coffeeshops annually, and many more scope out the city’s famed red-light district. Tourists have brought the city millions of dollars in extra income every year, but waves of annoying, stoned tourists and rising real estate prices have convinced city residents and lawmakers to finally crack down on sex and weed tourism. <\/p>\n