In a country famous for tolerance, cannabis “coffee shops” that allow locals and tourists alike to legally purchase the drug, will soon become a thing of the past in the Netherlands.
Tolerated in the Dutch country since 1976, the coffee shops have proliferated, with 220 in Amsterdam alone.
By prohibiting foreign visitors from buying cannabis, the Dutch cabinet announced on Friday (May 27) that it hopes to reduce drug tourism, promote healthier living, and fight organized crime.
Only citizens will be able to purchase the drug at coffee shops where membership will be capped at 1,500. The new measures will affect primarily the south, and extend north to Amsterdam by year end.
For their part, some municipalities are against the new rules, claiming it will only move soft drug sales on to the street, making it more difficult to control.