When Belgium splits and Wallonia becomes part of France, will France then be part of the club?

By AW | August 4, 2011 3:27 PM

"the ban will reduce the number of marijuana tourists coming to the border town" as I know border towns are belgian and german and thus not affected by the ban!!!

By bird | August 4, 2011 3:34 PM

A far better plan would be to legalize adult cannabis sales in all European countries. That would get rid of street drug dealers and the tourist "nuisance" at the same time. Is that too logical?

By Jillian Galloway | August 4, 2011 3:42 PM

So who is a Dutch National? Someone with a Dutch passport? Or someone with a Dutch resident card?

By Neil | August 4, 2011 3:57 PM

How smart! Now the visitors who come from further away countries than Germany and Belgium will have to travel to the distant city of Eindhoven if they want their cannabis! That long journey will surely stop them!

By puskul | August 4, 2011 4:07 PM

The ease with which the main stream media, the AD in this case, police, the Public Prosecutor's office and politicians use incorrect figures and assumptions not based on the real situation to argue that 'coffeeshops' - outlets are a threat to society. Even this article demonstrates this "the nuisance caused by marijuana smokers" without ever researching the true facts or stating what that nuisance is or who is complaining. I suppose if they say something long enough people start to believe its true.

By Paul | August 4, 2011 4:22 PM

who cares really? I never found it hard to get some weed wherever I was in the world back then ;) I don't think anything has changed.

By Bill | August 4, 2011 4:49 PM

SO HOW ARE THEY PLANNING TO ENFORCE THIS ??? ask every single person who walks in for their passports ? Not sure if this will work or not????

By LINCOLN LOGGGS | August 4, 2011 5:25 PM

what sort of nuisance do marijuana customers create . No one ever discusses it..are they like football hooligans..or pub customers?
i have been using marijuana for over 40 years and i have yet to witness one disturbance..

By allan lieberman | August 4, 2011 5:26 PM

This is getting really silly, at first the big problem was German and Belgians coming across only to score cannabis which lead to this talk of banning tourist from all Dutch coffeeshops now they will be the only one's aloud now this is discrimination. I have been to Amsterdam many time and never seen anything that could be seen as public nuisance from the coffeeshops I hope the ban doesn't come to the Netherlands it will fix nothing only make new problems.

By Allan | August 4, 2011 6:39 PM

What kind of a nuisance are they? Are they really worse than the local pub? I would think not. Any one who has been in a coffee shop know they are relaxed. unlike the pubs. Its strange to me that the dutch have become so illogical lately.

By Al | August 4, 2011 6:56 PM

saddened that the dutch goverment who for the last 20 years has been at the forefront of sensability with cannabis that it now not only tries to bite the hand that earns it so much money but also is discriminating against me as a non dutch national ..suppose we banned you from our pubs on the same basis in the uk .as a european i think i have as much right to use coffee shops as anyone else!!

By kevin | August 4, 2011 7:02 PM

great,I went to amdam this year.spent 280 airfare, 330euro for 3 nights on accomadation.About 500euro on food and beer but the only reason I went was to smoke.6 of us went and all spent the same.mind you some spent hundreds extra but could have spent that extra in anyother country.we never caused a problem ,just smoked and chilled

By liam malone | August 4, 2011 11:03 PM

I Love to travel to Holland. Years ago your society came up with the most brilliant way to handle the issue of marijuana. You have half the normal rate of smokers. Where there is demand, there will be a supply. Always. When your open cannibis policy moves to the criminal world, wait until you see how this will effect all dutch residents. Preserve your society and open culture. Do not let this market fall into the criminal underground, it will stress your country severely.

By NederTraveler | August 4, 2011 11:25 PM

This will only increase illegal trafficking of Cannabis. The fact that the great weed can be purchased by locals means that tourists will buy from them, creating...local drug dealers

By Jeandre Gerber | August 4, 2011 11:38 PM

What is the problem with pot-smoking tourists? My last trip to the Netherlands was just over $5000 for a week. Two museums a day, three different restaurants a day, and I tip at 30%, plus all the tourism nic-nacs I had to bring home. i dont see a problem.

By sean | August 5, 2011 12:11 AM

is that really the solution ? anyone wanting to obtain cannabis will very easily get a german dutch or belgian friend to buy it for them, or get them through street dealers. Banning people from obtaining it has never helped in any of the countries anywhere in the world and banning people from buying it will never stop people from using it whether they were nationals or tourists.

By danny | August 5, 2011 12:37 AM

Generally speaking, a great deal of NL's income is generated by tourism. Why on earth would any NL town want to discourage that? If you have people causing a "nuisance", then deal with THEM, don't punish EVERYONE else who does know how to behave decently. To me, it would be much smarter to deal with the people who are the problem, than alienate all current and future tourists who do know how to behave themselves. Keep that tourism money in NL.

By The Cat Lady | August 5, 2011 2:27 AM

Surely this will just increase street dealing as people buy from the coffee shops and sell it on for a profit to non German, Belgian and Dutch people?

By Ben | August 5, 2011 12:08 PM

Here in the UK we spend millions attracting tourist's to the UK, they provide valuable income not only to our tourist industry, but also to associated leisure and retail industries.
I fail to see what problems pothead tourism can brng.. esp in comparison to alcohol or the dreaded 'stag do' tourists. Give me a stoned bunch of tourist over drunk ones anyday.
As above really, it is about time governments woke up to the fact that prohibition does not work. If people are going to take drugs, then its is the duty of government to reduce the harm as much as possible through proper regulation and quality control.

By Peter Channon | August 5, 2011 1:00 PM

I travel to Maastricht from US each year and I am willing to bet that on my next visit I will be able to walk into any coffee shop in Maastricht and purchase smoke. This has been reported over and over and in the end nothing changes.

By Bobke | August 5, 2011 2:38 PM

Good to know at the next Maastrict EU event where treaties are signed that only those 3 countries will be relaxed.

By Thomas | August 6, 2011 6:17 AM

The national government already has plans to stop everyone who is not an official resident of the Netherlands from buying marijuana in coffee shops. Maastricht is a Dutch city. A Belgium and German resident is not a Dutch resident. Further more the drug cannabis is according the law forbidden because cannabis use is dangerous even for Dutch residents.

By Renée Besseling | August 6, 2011 12:19 PM

Absurd. Such a law will create 1000's of new street dealers over night. Of course locals will stand outside coffee shops and offer to buy weed for tourists. For a mark up, naturally.

By jose wainer | August 6, 2011 1:26 PM

@ Neil

That would be a person with a Dutch passport.

By BrianVanR | August 6, 2011 6:38 PM

So, the next time that I travel to the Netherlands from the US to spend time and money, I won't be allowed to purchase cannabis in Maastricht? Then, why would I spend my time and money in Maastricht? You lose.

By Miguelito | August 6, 2011 8:04 PM

@Neil - I think the regulations will actually say Dutch resident. I have seen the term resident used elsewhere on occasion. This is a classic mistake in the media - people who live here but who are not citizens simply do not exist.

By Robert | August 7, 2011 8:19 AM

To puskul: there are a lot of Dutch villages and coffeeshops all around Maastricht and up north.
I suppose that French, Italian and English tourists will happily give their money to these towns instead.

By Frenchman | August 7, 2011 6:02 PM

The situation in Maastricht, and all other border towns, is completely different from Amsterdam. Drug tourists arrive by car, buy weed, maybe drink a few and then leave. Those cities hardly gain anything in tourist revenues.
And I doubt that it will increase street dealing. Why would the French drive all that way to buy something on the street, while they can do that at home also.

By pepe | August 8, 2011 1:30 PM

I don't use the stuff, but it just seems weird solving a problem that doesn't seem to exist, at least, not until this very uptight conservative government decided it was a problem. It seems as if it is trying to change the image of this country to be more business friendly in the eyes of the US or Asia by cleaning up what is perceived as it's hippy, left-wing image.

And again government types seem to be focusing on issues that don't concern most people at the expense of trying to find answers to the problems that DO (ie the economy)...

By CW | August 8, 2011 1:44 PM

In Maastricht of all places (where important EU treaties have been signed) they are making a rule to marginalize people from other EU countries! A few lawsuits and it will be back to normal.

By Roger Waits | August 8, 2011 3:50 PM

The Dutch don't understand cross border shopping. Danes flock to Germany for cheaper everything. Germany's solution? Build huge stores within several kilometres of the border: locals are not disturbed by traffic; Germans make more money; everyone is happy.

By Rollo T | August 16, 2011 9:43 PM

I bet we see marijuana legalized in 5 years or less.

By Marijuana News | August 18, 2011 3:53 AM