Amsterdam wants to ban cannabis smoking in red light districts from mid-May

Amsterdam announced Thursday plans to ban people from smoking cannabis in the capital’s Old Town centre. The ban affects De Wallen, part of the city that includes the red light district. In addition to plans to force sex workers to close windows early and limit alcohol sales in neighborhoods, the city’s political leadership is also investigating the possibility of halting the distribution of soft drugs in the area in the late afternoon and early evening. I’m here. .

A series of proposals will be presented to residents, entrepreneurs and other interested parties shortly. She has four weeks to provide feedback before discussing measures across the city council.

With parliament-wide approval, people in De Wallen will be banned from using soft drugs on the streets from mid-May. The city said its goal is to reduce tourist disruption and make life easier for people living in the area.

The city warned, “If smoking is not enough to reduce the inconvenience, we will consider the possibility of banning smoking on the terraces of nearby coffee shops.” Additionally, Mayor Femke Halsema and a coalition of aldermen leading the city will investigate whether people can also be banned from collecting soft drugs at businesses in De Wallen. May apply from 12:00 am to 1:00 am. Political leaders have yet to decide whether they have the power and ability to enforce such a ban.

“Old city center residents are structurally and disproportionately plagued by congestion and nuisance caused by mass tourism and substance abuse in public spaces. It attracts a lot of street vendors that cause “The atmosphere can get dark at times, especially at night. Many people are affected and hang out for long periods of time.” Sometimes we restrict access to areas.

Halsema and aldermen have already said they intend to limit the hours sex work businesses can operate. can do. The city wants to limit it from April 1st to 3am.

Meanwhile, restaurants, cafes and nightclubs that serve food and drink must close by 2am instead of 3am or 4am as they do now on weekends. Locations with terraces should close their outdoor areas at 1am, an hour earlier during the summer months. The city also wants to ban businesses with catering licenses from letting new visitors on their premises after 1am. These proposals will also be launched by him at the beginning of April.

In addition, Amsterdam’s mayor and city council want to tighten restrictions on alcohol sales in De Wallen. Already, retail stores, snack bars and liquor stores must stop selling alcohol at 4pm Thursday through Sunday. “This measure will apply indefinitely and will be strengthened from mid-May. Alcoholic beverages must be protected or removed from shops during the hours when the ban on the sale of alcoholic beverages applies,” the city said in a statement. said.

“Residents in the old city center are structurally and disproportionately plagued by congestion and nuisance caused by mass tourism and drug abuse in public spaces,” the city claimed. “The measures are part of a package announced last year to combat crowds and nuisances in the red light district,” the city continued. It degrades and undermines the “safety of the whole region”.