[Aagotiq]

Oh, crap. I know a lot of Libs like to go to Amsterdam and "partake" of the culture there. Americans are sooooo old fashioned and the Dutch are sooooo sophisticated and enlightened.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20110527/...dutch_cannabis

Dutch government to ban tourists from cannabis shops

– Fri May 27, 3:32 pm ET

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) – The Dutch government on Friday said it would start banning tourists from buying cannabis from "coffee shops" and impose restrictions on Dutch customers by the end of the year.

The Netherlands is well known for having one of Europe's most liberal soft drug policies that has made its cannabis shops a popular tourist attraction, particularly in Amsterdam.

Backed by the far-right party of anti-immigrant politician Geert Wilders, the coalition government that came into power last year announced plans to curb drug tourism as part of a nationwide program to promote health and fight crime.

"In order to tackle the nuisance and criminality associated with coffee shops and drug trafficking, the open-door policy of coffee shops will end," the Dutch health and justice ministers wrote in a letter to the country's parliament on Friday.

Under the new rules, only Dutch residents will be able to sign up as members of cannabis shops.

Dutch customers will have to sign up for at least a year's membership and each shop would be expected to have only up to 1,500 members, a justice ministry spokesman said.

The policy will roll out in the southern provinces of Limburg, Noord Brabant and Zeeland by the end of the year and the rest of the country next year, the spokesman said.

[enlinnyGoob]

Why would anyone need to buy drugs from Amsterdam when they can get everything they'd want from Utah?

Traffic stop yields 100 pounds of marijuana in Utah

Heroin use, arrests on the rise in Utah

[tevyrefficy]

Allow an "enlightened" American to weigh in Reg. Remember, I spent two semesters in the Netherlands, and have gone back to visit many, many times. All told, I may have spent a year in Holland.

I will agree with one thing that you say, there are many people who go to the country for its loose drug policy. I am not one of them. I've never smoked a joint or tried a space cake. Except for second-hand smoke, I'm 100% pot-free. I still support the policy which has been in place until now because pot is on par with alcohol and safer than tabacco. Without the tar and such, said second-hand pot smoke isn't going to kill me. Hard drugs are not tolerated, although users are treated as victims, not criminals.

I am disgusted by people who go to Amsterdam just for the vices, and I know such people exist. While I loved both groups of Americans I studied with while over there, I was very, very disappointed in the handful during my second semester who spent almost all their three-day weekends going to Amsterdam. They did this despite having Eurail passes which could get them to about 90% of the current EU. I know there are others who go just for the drugs, and maybe for the sex, and focus on Amsterdam. Honestly, I love most of the other cities I've been to in the country much more than Amsterdam because they are less crowded, cleaner and have some great cultural and historical attractions, just as some foresake in Amsterdam. I've been to many of them: Den Haag (the Hague), Utrecht, Eindhoven, Nijmegen, Groningen, Maastricht, Arnhem... All are awesome, although I'm not as big a fan of Rotterdam. Truth be told, they all have coffeehouses and most have red light districts or brothels if one really feels the need to partake.

That all said, your American spin is misleading and some might take it as offensive. It's not just Americans who go. As the article says, this is about the far-right trying to keep others out of the country, even for visits. To somebody who is familiar with the recent history and geography of the area, this is abundantly clear. Over the past years, as the EU came into existance, there has been a push by the ultra-right to keep others from the EU out, especially people from Turkey to be blunt (drug pun not intended). This is probably the only thing that makes the far-Right just that. The original star of the party, Pim Fuyten, was stuanchly for closing the borders, but was himself openly homosexual and pro-abortion.

What makes it obviously about immigration to me is where this is supposed to take effect: South Limburg is a small strip of land sandwhiched between Germany and Belgium, while Zeeland and Noord Brabant border Belgium. Northern Limburg is right up against the German border with a major train hub to Germany in the city of Venlo. Venlo is a known destination for Germans who want to get high, just seconds past the former driving checkpoint (when there was no EU) and with has bars such as the Reflex a few thousand meters from the train station. Most of my time in the country was spent in Limburg, so I know this all very well. I'm willing to bet that the far-Right is setting the example in the other counties because of the ease of access from Belgium and therefore France.

I'm very surprised the far-Right is taking this stance where its neighbors are concerned. It doesn't strike me as something to keep out people from more... Muslim-based, shall we say, countries. It seems more about keeping everyone out of the country, which is surprising and upsetting. The truly enlightened Dutch usually love tourists, although some animosity does exist with the older generations due to World War II. Still, in Limburg, it's a friendly rivalry (if that), as people cross the border both ways regularly to shop, dine, drink and hang out.

That all said, that's why I think this plan is destined for failure. This will be a financial disaster for a country which you Reg would normally love to make fun of because of its high tax rate. I'd say a majority of the Dutch don't smoke pot at all, and it is mostly a tourist industry. I doubt many of these places will come near the 1,500 person limit for membership, and I think many of these establishments will close down without non-Dutch clienete. That's plenty of taxable revenue that will be lost in this plan, and unless they make the membership dues virtually unaffordable, I'm guessing that's money that won't be reclaimed by the shops or the government.

[PhillipHer]

You'll probably want to bold and underline three or four phrases so he'll know what to read, because he'll never make it through the whole thing.

[11Pecepebra]

He won't read a word. Like his man-crush Rush Limbaugh, he just likes to drop one load and move on a few feet and drop another.

[tousuarshatly]

Always on someone else's yard and never picking up after himself.

[SantaGanstag]

A great post and two great comments, not all lost though, I read it all.

I agree completely with the post by dB44, my brother lived in Holland for 6 years and still has friends there and reads Dutch papers online and what db wrote echos all I have heard and read. I have been to Europe plenty but never to Holland but would love to and not for the vices, (hell Denver is little Amsterdam), but rather for the culture, the Van Gogh and Ann Frank house top the list and I bet with a little investigation I would have more destinations then time.

It will be interesting to follow this story and see if the loss of tourism and revenue does not have the Dutch officials thinking twice, but it is immigration based without a doubt.

[lXwVlTgO]

I know a response from Reg is unlikely, but it was a fun post to write, and very important to me as it's somewhat personal: Taking shots at a country that is like a second home to me and is home to some of the most open (not just minded, as Reg makes fun of, but friendliest) countries I have ever visited on a whole. If there's a stereotype some should be proud of, I think the "Dutch Uncle" one for the people's honesty is one of them.

Thanks, Down. Your response helps prove what a waste Reg is. Nevermind his stupid "Liberal American" mentaility, while totally not understanding or choosing to be ignorant of the international aspects of the situation. It's nice to know my stance is one that is widely accepted. I wrote my post as a personal response, and the only thing I read on the topic was the OP in this thread. It's great to know I can make logical arguement just by knowing something, rather than spew hate and regurgitate crap. I'd rather be an open-minded thinker over a lemming any day.