Amsterdam is set to enact new measures that will ban smoking marijuana on the street and further restrict alcohol sales in the district
One of the biggest attractions for tourists visiting Amsterdam is the city’s red light district, besides an entirely libertarian attitude towards sex, drugs and alcohol. However, now some curbs are being proposed by the city officials on these very experiences. According to recent media reports, in an attempt to cut down on the trouble that tourists cause local residents, Amsterdam is set to enact new measures that will ban smoking marijuana on the street and further restrict alcohol sales in the district.
The reports adds that Amsterdam will also impose restrictions on the working hours of the red light district and will require that sex workers in the neighborhood shut down their trade by 03:00. “Residents of the old city center experience a lot of nuisance from mass tourism and alcohol and drug abuse on the street,” says a statement issued by the Municipality of Amsterdam.
In addition to prohibiting the use of marijuana on the street, the city will also take steps to curb alcohol use in the district. The sale of alcohol at shops in the red light district is already banned after 16:00 from Thursday to Sunday. Amsterdam officials are now reportedly proposing that it also be hidden from view or removed from stores completely during those hours.
In addition, the city said Thursday that bars and restaurants would have to close by 02:00 on Fridays and Saturdays and that no new customers would be allowed into establishments where alcohol is served past 01:00. The new restrictions are likely to be put in place in mid-May, subject to necessary approvals.
Amsterdam’s De Wallen neighbourhood, where the red light district is located, has always been home to many local residents and is also home to beautiful architecture and canals like much of the historic center of the city.
The new proposed restrictions however do not impact marijuana smoking indoors and on terraces of licensed coffee shops. However, the city officials say that they may consider prohibiting to-go purchases of soft drugs at certain times and banning smoking marijuana altogether at coffee shops’ outdoor seating areas if these new regulations don’t get the desired result, however. The proposed restrictions follow recent crackdowns on guided tours of the red light district and also amidst proposals to entirely relocate the district to another part of the city.
