Should the pass be scrapped? -hell no, now we germans are getting all the better weed. prices and availability have improved drastically since netherlands' intruduction of their pass.

other than in nl though, due to no regulation at all (in germany), the weed still gets sprayed with all kinds of chemicals.
so no matter which way you look at it, everybody loses.

well done, europa!

Another ridiculous idea that flies in the face of common sense. I do not smoke but I still think it's a stupid idea .

Of course it should be scrapped. I have personally experienced problems with it. There are street dealers asking me if I want weed. On the other hand, I've also had tourists asking me if I could buy weed for them. Both ways, its annoying.

After many years of experience it's unbelieveble to introduce a pass to join coffeshops. First of all, why people should let know thirds parts that they use cannabis. So why don't we register even the people drinking alchol!
Second. In big cities like Rotterdam, criminals will make great business! police will start to arrest a lot of people. those peple will go in front of the Court and several trials will start for a kind of crime which was almost forgotten from Dutch Judges!

Get rid of the pass. Amsterdam will be teaming with right-wing fundamentalists if they close the coffeeshops and continue to clean up the RLD.

Of course it should be scrapped! They're going backwards here.

I never thought I'd hear Ahmed Aboutaleb say something sensible - but at last he has.

I would think that the weed pass would not stand up to EU law. It would be like saying that only Dutch people could buy beer in Dutch pubs.

I've got to believe that some EU citizen will make an objection to the EU courts, and then there you go, more wasted tax payer money wasted on discriminatory legislation.

The cops seem to be enjoying it, patrolling international trains with German Shepherds, humiliating passengers with public strip searches in the vestibules.

I think they should solve the problem of fear of registering as a marijuana user in a sensible manner: allow anyone that proves Dutch citizenship or residence in NL to patronize whatever coffee shop they want, without registering people. That way "drug tourism" is still curbed, but locals can get their junk fix.

Even as a non-user - its a stupid idea - get rid of the pass.

However, I would say also remove the very strong weed from sale... that is a slippery slope to harder addiction

This "pass" creates problems where the wasn't any. They'd better take care of the problems alcohol is causing (addiction, violence, etc...). Hypocrits...

It's no surprise that people are resistant to registering for the pass. Why would you? Who knows how the information might be used, now or in the future, and who might have access to it. Another poorly thought out scheme by this government.

I don't smoke but I think it's a bad idea to have the passes as it just invites streetdeals and folks going underground to get what they want.

The street dealers in Maastricht have hit on a gold mine. Just imagine what will happen in Amsterdam if this goes into effect.

So many people said from day one the Weedpass was doomed to failure; I'm pleased they have been proved right.

Bring it on. Import all of the problems of the prohibition countries - uncontrolled dealers, no quality control, selling to kids, no tax take - hand the business back to the criminals. Idiots.

The pass is a stupid idea. It is the pot shops that have boosted tourism and put the Netherlands on the map as a major destination. U will end up with a dangerous black market situation for tourists.

Why are they moving backwards, The Netherlands are supposed Free from the stupidities of a dictatorial state, not become one and fall in line with what the yanks want. Holland is supposed to be a Liberal progressive state. Why become a bland grey conformist clone like other countries around the world, all the same closed minds.

You are correct Expat in Holland and as science has shown that the real gateway drug is alcohol, we can stop selling hard liquor. Perhaps we could limit the alcohol content to between 1.5-2%? You get a drink, don't get drunk and no future addictions :) Right?

It's never hurt anyone other than the smoker. It's taxes provide funds for other services provided to the citizens and a peaceful activity for tourist before they enjoy the museums. I would imagine bicycle rentals to tourists cause more problems than cannabis.

RIDICULOUS!! I lived in Amsterdam for 4 yrs, the WEED was and IS NOT the problem, the street dealers selling heroin and crack openly IS the BIG Prob..NOW you'll push weed smokers to them, and when they want to try GOOD Heroin they WILL be supplied

I think the weed pass is a terrible idea!
It invites street dealing and is discriminatory. With other countries of the world relaxing their laws on cannabis, The Netherlands is tightening their laws. What sense does that make? The efforts put into enacting tougher laws against cannabis could be better spent educating the public about the true benefits (and for some, harms) of cannabis use. Weed also has many medicinal benefits, whether it is used for medical purposes or not. In a truly free society, cannabis would be legalized.

If sensible minds had prevailed when all this wietpas talk started, they would have dismissed such a failure of a proposal. Maastricht's current situation has proven what negative ramifications come with such ridiculous litigation. Allowing the Christian political parties to interfere with something that works fine just as it is (coffeeshop system) gives them inspiration to force all their beliefs onto the majority of citizens. Those politicians are merely attempting to dissolve the coffeeshops' existence with this foot-in-the-door called a wietpas program. It failed, they failed, the whole concept is a failure.

I have a duty to protect my private information. I hope that the sensi-ble people can see the darker undertones of such legislation.

Amnesia cadabra!! In the 60's Holland had a heroin epidemic with lots of new junkies. By 1967 house-dealers in youth centers were started but only with zero-tolerance of drugs like heroin. By 1972 the first coffeeshop started and lifetime prevalence of heroin in Holland fell to zero and stayed there for decades. It Works!! The Wietpas stops people from going to coffeeshops so it forces them to buy wiet from dealers who constantly offer (push) heroin, etcetera. 40 years of no new junkies will come to an end with the Wietpas. Coffeeshops protect wiet users better than any other policy.

Didn't the Dutch prove to the world with no stigma attached & availability in a retail settings lessens the appeal of soft drugs to the locals & the youth? Isn't that real reason locals are not registering? They are not the market. Didn't the Dutch prove to the world that soft drugs can be managed & regulated like alcohol, that it can be profitable, creating jobs & tax revenue? Why trade a thriving Tourism income for incarceration income? Tourist pay for their accommodations, prisoners don't. Why would they want to hurt their local business' this way? Trips to the Coffee shop inevitably lead to other stops along the way.

been coming to dam for many years,used to be really intimidated by pushers on edge of red light district and on damrak please dont stop people using the coffeeshops really dont want to go back to being constantly hassled and have never met anyone in a coffeeshop who is offensive or aggressive unlike the alcohol fuelled idiots so how about closing the bars to tourists instead

Isn't the so-called weed pass simply a way of getting the names and addresses of people that buy from the Coffeeshop - don't the authorities know that it will increase the number of street dealers and probably the street-availability of drugs?

They MUST surely realise that!

So why are they doing it?

Never thought I'd see it happen. What are they thinking? If they propose that people will come to AMS for the museums, they are nuts. Your gov't will use your registration to your disadvantage. The future ramifications include guns and violence. I am so sorry. I'm in my late 50s and have always marveled at what an advanced civilization you have compared to ours in the US. Someone's going to make money off of this and I doubt any of it t will trickle down to you, the taxpayer. I only stay at 5 star hotels.

every single city government in the Netherlands is against the weed pass, and yet the central government will proceed with the plans to implement it. make sense to anyone?

What are the advantages of the Wiet Pass? No one has made the argument. It simply is a result of the govt implementing controls of something that tends to be unregulated. But what root cause does it solve? Nothing.

If the govt was smart, they'd be working to resolve the supply chain issue - make the growers who sell to coffee shops buy the permit, not the consumers. Who grows the weed is still the real mystery, and that is still a source of untaxed revenue.

This govt should go down to a coffee shop, sample some product, start talking to people, and develop a real platform to get re-elected.

"However, I would say also remove the very strong weed from sale... that is a slippery slope to harder addiction"

Absolutely ridiculous. I've been smoking for around 10 years now and have been to amsterdam to smoke "the very strong weed" and i am in no way inclined to move onto harder stuff. you are showing yourself to be a non smoker and listening to mumbo jumbo and hype about why weed is bad. Its ridiculous to assume everyone will move onto harder stuff.