Amsterdam, Netherlands--The use of marijuana has long been tolerated in Amsterdam. The Dutch have a policy of "gedogen," which uses the police to control public drug use and aggressive outlaw dealers but otherwise tolerates private use and possession.
Amsterdam is also known for its coffee shops, where people can buy and smoke marijuana. But a crisis loomed over Amsterdam's cannabis scene, albeit for a while.
Mayor Femke Halsema, in April, asked for the support of the residents-only law in coffee shops due to safety concerns. The mayor has the final say on law and order and wanted a temporary ban on non-residents from the city's coffee shops – by enforcing a national residents-only rule known as the i-criterium.
Many people worry that the coffee shops provide a back door for criminals. Smoking and possessing weed for personal use are tolerated, but commercial cultivation is an offense — a reason why coffee shops end up buying illegally from criminals. The criminality of the matter is a sentiment that is shared by the center-right People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) which proposed its ban two years ago.
"It's one of the few 'knobs' that we can turn on a local level to curb the major nuisance in the city centre and adjust our drink-drug image," local party leader Claire Martens told the Observer via The Guardian.
"Amsterdam is too beautiful for that and the residents deserve better. The bachelor parties and the European tourists who come here by car to smoke weed, sleep in their car and make noise are not adding any value to the city," Martens added.
Others are worried that street dealers would increase in Amsterdam. "Our main objection is that young people will be tempted under the wing of the large drug criminals," said Sheher Khan, head of the local Denk party, as per The Guardian. "The i-criterium will make it possible for them to lure young men into street dealing. It is happening now. The question is: do you, as government, want to make it worse?"
The council's response
During a city hall debate before the official vote to enforce a national ban against tourists in coffeeshops, Fatihya Abdi said that Labour PvdA would not support the proposed measure because there are insufficient guarantees that the city will act to reduce street dealing or police the streets.
Amsterdam residents shared their thoughts during the start of the meeting, Dr. Ton Nabben, a criminologist at the Amsterdam University of Applied Sciences, admitted to having a problem with criminals in the city. However, he stated that coffee shop bans wouldn't address the problem, as the argument itself was "built on thin ice."
Dr. Nabben noted that legalizing and controlling the substance will help more.
Khan additionally added that there was no solid evidence that proved soft drugs supported the hard drug trade. A ban, he said, could lead to an increased demand for cannabis and, consequently, street dealing.
Others voiced their support for cannabis tourism as well. A coffee shop owner noted that the "drunk" and "screaming" tourists were more of a nuisance.
"I have had my coffee shop for 30 years and the moment [customers] do anything with cocaine, I throw them out," he said in a report. "I don't see hard drugs around me."
The mayor does not need the local council's support to enforce a national law; she noted that she wanted the council's opinion.
The official council vote is on October 5.