Amsterdam bans cannabis in its red light district

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It will soon be illegal to smoke cannabis on the street in Amsterdam's red light district under new regulations unveiled by the city.

The laws will come into effect from mid-May and aim to improve liveability for residents who have long complained of disruption caused by tourists.

Sex workers will also have to close their venues at 3am.

Local media reported that almost all councillors supported taking action to reduce nuisance to residents.

The city council also announced on Thursday that restaurants and bars would have to close by 2am on Fridays and Saturdays and no new visitors would be allowed into the old city district after 1am.

Currently, the sale of alcohol from shops, liquor stores and cafes in the red light district is illegal from Thursday to Sunday after 4pm. Now, the council will ask vendors to completely remove alcohol from their shopfronts during that time, or hide them from view.

[alex8912]

Another "NIMBY" story. Yet the people who live there know it's been that way before they lived there.  This happens all over the world now. Almost weekly reports. 

[hotchilli]

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

Another "NIMBY" story. Yet the people who live there know it's been that way before they lived there.  This happens all over the world now. Almost weekly reports. 

Maybe it's now got out of hand where before it was within tolerated limits.

[Purdey]

Pity a reason wasn't given for the ban. Visitors getting high while tapping windows? Drunks throwing up in the canal? 

[PETERTHEEATER]

5 hours ago, Black Ops said:

Sex workers will also have to close their venues at 3am

Now that's an unusual euphemism.......????

[Bluespunk]

2 hours ago, alex8912 said:

Another "NIMBY" story. Yet the people who live there know it's been that way before they lived there.  This happens all over the world now. Almost weekly reports. 

Nonetheless, it’s fair enough. If people genuinely do not want it happening where they reside I can understand that. 

[puchooay]

6 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

Nonetheless, it’s fair enough. If people genuinely do not want it happening where they reside I can understand that. 

It's been going on for many years. Likely longer than many of the residents have lived there.

 

Those that moved in while is was going on have no cause for complaint. Don't like it, why move there?

[Bluespunk]

14 minutes ago, puchooay said:

It's been going on for many years. Likely longer than many of the residents have lived there.

 

Those that moved in while is was going on have no cause for complaint. Don't like it, why move there?

Don’t agree I’m afraid.
 

If people live somewhere and enough of them are in favour of changes such as those being put into action in the OP then, as far as I’m concerned, fair enough. 

[alex8912]

4 hours ago, puchooay said:

It's been going on for many years. Likely longer than many of the residents have lived there.

 

Those that moved in while is was going on have no cause for complaint. Don't like it, why move there?

That's the point. I also think ( from my own local experiences) that often the newer residents are the ones that often are the most vocal ). As you said. These people have either lived or moved into the most famous red light district probably in the world! The marijuana part is just a joke to add to their drama. Poor dears. You know what they can do? Move!!

[alex8912]

6 hours ago, hotchilli said:

Maybe it's now got out of hand where before it was within tolerated limits.

They just had a couple YEARS of Covid and nothing almost at all went on. It's a complete NIMBY act. They should MOVE!! 

[alex8912]

5 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Nonetheless, it’s fair enough. If people genuinely do not want it happening where they reside I can understand that. 

They can move!! Let's have Bangkok close down Silom at 11 or somewhere else like that because the owners of the luxury condos on the side streets think it's too much now. As known the prostitutes and pot were there waaaay before. It's always been a loud party area. This has been going on at least for many decades. Now the ( probably ) newbies are up in arms.  They should move. 

[Bluespunk]

45 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

They can move!! Let's have Bangkok close down Silom at 11 or somewhere else like that because the owners of the luxury condos on the side streets think it's too much now. As known the prostitutes and pot were there waaaay before. It's always been a loud party area. This has been going on at least for many decades. Now the ( probably ) newbies are up in arms.  They should move. 

They don’t have to move as their legitimate concerns are being dealt with. 

[Mac Mickmanus]

1 hour ago, alex8912 said:

That's the point. I also think ( from my own local experiences) that often the newer residents are the ones that often are the most vocal ). As you said. These people have either lived or moved into the most famous red light district probably in the world! The marijuana part is just a joke to add to their drama. Poor dears. You know what they can do? Move!!

Its the local residents who don't want it , people who live there.

   The consumers are more likely to be people from outside the area, like tourists who drink and smoke in the streets for the novelty value and because they can 

[alex8912]

15 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

They don’t have to move as their legitimate concerns are being dealt with. 

I certainly don't see the Dutch police even making this something out of nothing/ past history. Closing down the central area at 1am won't last or be enforced either. Not very liberal of them. 

[puchooay]

21 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Don’t agree I’m afraid.
 

If people live somewhere and enough of them are in favour of changes such as those being put into action in the OP then, as far as I’m concerned, fair enough. 

So, someone finds a property they'd like to buy. They have a survey and local searches are completed.

 

The purchaser ignores everything in those documents, buys the property and moves in.

 

Then, and only then, they start to complain about what goes on around them. How stupid can you get.

 

If you don't like it, don't move there.

[Bluespunk]

29 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

I certainly don't see the Dutch police even making this something out of nothing/ past history. Closing down the central area at 1am won't last or be enforced either. Not very liberal of them. 

Irrelevant. 
 

The residents have concerns and they are being dealt with. 

[Bluespunk]

32 minutes ago, puchooay said:

So, someone finds a property they'd like to buy. They have a survey and local searches are completed.

 

The purchaser ignores everything in those documents, buys the property and moves in.

 

Then, and only then, they start to complain about what goes on around them. How stupid can you get.

 

If you don't like it, don't move there.

The residents have legitimate concerns and they are being dealt with. 
 

As I said earlier, fair enough. 
 

Nowhere in the article does it state those complaining are new residents. Could well be those living there have had enough. 
 

Again fair enough. 

[puchooay]

9 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

The residents have legitimate concerns and they are being dealt with. 
 

As I said earlier, fair enough. 
 

Nowhere in the article does it state those complaining are new residents. Could well be those living there have had enough. 
 

Again fair enough. 

There has been a red light district in Amsterdam since 14th Century. I doubt there are many residents who have lived there for 700 years.

 

 

[Bluespunk]

1 hour ago, puchooay said:

There has been a red light district in Amsterdam since 14th Century. I doubt there are many residents who have lived there for 700 years.

 

 

True enough but doesn’t change a thing. 

 

It’s fair enough if residents, whether new or long term, have legitimate concerns and thankfully for them these have been addressed. 

[bamnutsak]

On 2/10/2023 at 3:20 PM, Purdey said:

Pity a reason wasn't given for the ban.

Citizens living in the central city are sick of the misbehaving tourists.

 

I think they get some 18 m tourists annually, and a lot come to party, drink all night pee and barf everywhere, and cause a fair amount  of property damage.

 

Alcohol seems to be the bigger complaint.

 

 

 

 

[puchooay]

2 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

True enough but doesn’t change a thing. 

 

It’s fair enough if residents, whether new or long term, have legitimate concerns and thankfully for them these have been addressed. 

Have they been addressed?

 

There's not much changing. Strangely, the restrictions are aimed at Marijuana. The guys that smoke that are the least likely to cause any problems.

[Bluespunk]

5 minutes ago, puchooay said:

Have they been addressed?

 

There's not much changing. Strangely, the restrictions are aimed at Marijuana. The guys that smoke that are the least likely to cause any problems.

According to the OP new regulations have been put in place to address the residents concerns.
 

The restrictions are aimed at people entering the red light district, alcohol and drugs. 

[jvs]

26 minutes ago, bamnutsak said:

Citizens living in the central city are sick of the misbehaving tourists.

 

I think they get some 18 m tourists annually, and a lot come to party, drink all night pee and barf everywhere, and cause a fair amount  of property damage.

 

Alcohol seems to be the bigger complaint.

 

 

 

 

Yes Holland gets well over 20 million tourists per year,a lot

more then they have citizens.

A lot of tourists behave like pigs just because they can.

They enjoy having a beer in the hand  and smoke a joint while looking at the working girls.

I mean a lot of them,noise and disrespect.

The Red light area of Amsterdam was always a pretty safe place to be

when i was there but that has been a few years.Anything bad was promptly dealt with.

Now there are just too many tourists around and the old ways are gone.

Something needs to be done all right.

 

[Mac Mickmanus]

5 minutes ago, jvs said:

Yes Holland gets well over 20 million tourists per year,a lot

more then they have citizens.

A lot of tourists behave like pigs just because they can.

They enjoy having a beer in the hand  and smoke a joint while looking at the working girls.

I mean a lot of them,noise and disrespect.

The Red light area of Amsterdam was always a pretty safe place to be

when i was there but that has been a few years.Anything bad was promptly dealt with.

Now there are just too many tourists around and the old ways are gone.

Something needs to be done all right.

 

We get lots of Scottish people coming to London for a short holiday as well and we have the same problems 

[Bluespunk]

38 minutes ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

We get lots of Scottish people coming to London for a short holiday as well and we have the same problems 

Nonsense. 

[puchooay]

2 hours ago, Mac Mickmanus said:

We get lots of Scottish people coming to London for a short holiday as well and we have the same problems 

They can never visit Wembley without stealing the goalposts. ????????????

[alex8912]

9 hours ago, Bluespunk said:

Irrelevant. 
 

The residents have concerns and they are being dealt with. 

If that's irrelevant then who exactly will be helping these residents achieve what they want? How is it enforced then? 

[Bluespunk]

9 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

If that's irrelevant then who exactly will be helping these residents achieve what they want? How is it enforced then? 

It is irrelevant what you “think” the Dutch police will do.
 

New regulations have been passed and those responsible for enforcing them should do so. 

[alex8912]

8 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

It is irrelevant what you “think” the Dutch police will do.
 

New regulations have been passed and those responsible for enforcing them should do so. 

No they won't. That's what is relevant. There is no special committee of residents policing this (and that would be ridiculous) so it's up to the Dutch police who I now know  won't enforce this. 

[Bluespunk]

16 minutes ago, alex8912 said:

No they won't. That's what is relevant. There is no special committee of residents policing this (and that would be ridiculous) so it's up to the Dutch police who I now know  won't enforce this. 

You know the police won’t enforce regulations?

 

Links to back that up please.