The People's Republic of Amsterdam

[marmar]

AMSTERDAM — Dutch coffee shop owners went to court last week in a last ditch bid to block a government plan to stop foreigners from buying marijuana in the Netherlands.

Lawyers representing the coffee shops oppose what would be the most significant change in decades to the country’s famed soft drug tolerance: turning marijuana cafes into “members only” clubs open solely to Dutch residents.

Members would only be able to get into the coffee shops by registering for a “weed pass,” and the shops would only be allowed a maximum of 2,000 members.

The move comes into force in the south of the country May 1 and is scheduled to roll out nationwide on Jan. 1, 2013. Whether it will be enforced in Amsterdam, whose coffee shops are a major tourist draw card, remains to be seen. ................(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.suntimes.com/lifestyles/12013051-502/amsterdams-pot-shops-fighting-for-right-to-party.html

[DCKit]

1. Frame it in the context of lost tourism and tax dollars...

and this argument is going nowhere.

If they win on this, laws restricting sexual expression, minorities, universal health care, the social safety net and women's rights won't be far behind - everything the wingers hate will be legislated against. Cut the income stream for social services, then say you can't afford social services, chip, chipping away. Who could have seen that coming?

This reeks of RW authoritarianism - control of the populace by making everyone a criminal. How original.

[SwissTony]

2. You're talking about Holland?????????????????????

"...laws restricting sexual expression, minorities, universal health care, the social safety net and women's rights won't be far behind..." Where did you get this from? I take it you're not from here.

In any case, the law is intended to reduce foreigners' access to reduce crime and difficulties faced by locals having thousands of foreigners in their town every week. Whether it works or not is another question.

[Capt. Obvious]

3. Your rolling papers please