Amsterdam bans marijuana use in public spaces from mid-May

The City Hall of Amsterdam, the capital of Netherlandshas announced a plan aimed at combating the negative effects of mass tourism, which includes the prohibition of marijuana consumption in public spaces from mid-May, as well as the limitation of hours for restaurants and prostitution venues.

The prohibition of smoking in the street seeks to address the ongoing and increasingly abundant criticism from residents. “If the inconvenience does not decrease sufficiently, we will investigate whether we can ban smoking on the terraces of the ‘coffee shop’,” the capital authorities warned in a statement.

Likewise, the City Council has reported that the time limitation to restaurants and prostitution venues It will be applied during the weekends, at the same time that a schedule is set for the prohibition of the sale of alcoholic beverages, as well as consumption on public roads, for which “measures against street vendors” will be taken.

“These measures proposed in the red light district should further counteract the enormous discomfort, especially at night”, pointed out the Amsterdam City Hallwhich has added that the new regulations for the renowned capital neighborhood also include the limitation of traffic in one direction, and the possibility of closing the streets of the Red Light District “during periods of maximum activity”.

“The residents of the old town suffer a lot from mass tourism and alcohol and drug abuse on the streets. Tourists also attract street vendors which in turn cause crime and insecurity,” has argued the Amsterdam City Council, which argues also that “residents cannot sleep well and the neighborhood becomes unsafe and uninhabitable.”

kg