4 ms·

Most problems with 'troublesome' visitors in Amsterdam comes from drug tourism. Few things to understand here: - Drugs are illegal in the Netherlands - Marij

by LeonM 4y ago

Most problems with 'troublesome' visitors in Amsterdam comes from drug tourism. Few things to understand here: - Drugs are illegal in the Netherlands - Marijuana is 'tolerated' by law enforcement, meaning it can be sold by shops, within certain rules. - The use of drugs is not illegal per se. If someone ODs, you can call an ambulance and no questions will be asked. - Dealing drugs (with the exception of Marijuana in regulated shops) is illegal and punishable. As a Dutch resident, I have never understood why so many (mostly American) tourists visit The Netherlands just to use drugs in Amsterdam. It has come to a point where cab drivers are now known to offer you drugs as soon as you arrive at the airport (this is highly illegal). Drug tourists cause many problems and feeds the criminal system. I think it is a good thing Amsterdam is finally cracking down on drug tourism.

nicoburns 4y ago
Interestingly, all of the above except "meaning it can be sold by shops" is also true in the UK (level of tolerance may depend on how you're otherwise perceived by law enforcement including racial profiling, etc, but I've seen people walk up to police officers and smoke a joint in their face and they've not done anything beyond take it off them and give them a verbal warning). I guess being able to walk into a shop and buy it rather than having to find a dealer makes it quite a different experience overall though.
- trasz3 4y ago
  Covid moved much of the trade to internet; its easier to use littlebiggy than to find an actual live vendor on a street.
gravitate 4y ago
> As a Dutch resident, I have never understood why so many (mostly American) tourists visit The Netherlands just to use drugs in Amsterdam If it was legal in their home country we wouldn't have drug tourism. Amsterdam would be just any other European city. It's the allure of being able to consume cannabis in a cafe that is simply irresistible, and a privilege. As a non-Netherlands resident, I think the city takes it for granted that cannabis is legal-but-regulated and we shouldn't be so judgemental of tourists who otherwise have to obtain cannabis from the sometimes murky criminal underworld, and risk getting arrested or being sold low-quality weed, or worse: risk getting contaminated weed laced with synthetic opioids.
- cr1895 4y ago
  >tourists who otherwise have to obtain cannabis from the sometimes murky criminal underworld This 100% exists in Amsterdam, just abstracted one layer by the absurd tolerance policy where coffeeshops are allowed to sell to people but the product just magically appears in the shop. Supply is still a fully a criminal underworld.
poulsbohemian 4y ago
>As a Dutch resident, I have never understood why so many (mostly American) tourists visit The Netherlands just to use drugs in Amsterdam. I think back to interviews Frank Zappa gave in the 1980s where he talked about how the "sexualization" happening in American music, movies, etc was really titillation, IE: in a sense, Americans were so repressed and so juvenile that anything resembling sex, drugs, and rock and roll were too much to handle. Where I live in WA, marijuana has been legal for a number of years now to the point that it's passé. But, if you are a young college student from one of the more repressed states and you go on your study abroad where marijuana is legal and there are barely clothed women in the red windows, it's pretty big stuff. When we took the kids to Amsterdam a few years ago, we walked through the red light district on a late afternoon. Was tamer than I recalled from 25 years ago when I was a college student - I can see where it's more of a burden to Amsterdam than a bonus, but I guess it lures in a few more tourist dollars.
greggarious 4y ago
>As a Dutch resident, I have never understood why so many (mostly American) tourists visit The Netherlands just to use drugs in Amsterdam. because for a long time if you used them in america you'd be hit with a misdemeanor and ruin your life, or risk death. any interaction with the police in USA risks death. I can't tell you why harder things, but we're told in film and media it's a place you can buy cannabis and use it without hassle. It wasn't until I did a walking tour that I learned it's more decriminalized than legal, and I sympathize... they should do it like in Colorado and actually test the THC percent etc not just say "here's a space cake a gram of cannabis went into".

by LeonM 4y ago

nicoburns 4y ago

Interestingly, all of the above except "meaning it can be sold by shops" is also true in the UK (level of tolerance may depend on how you're otherwise perceived by law enforcement including racial profiling, etc, but I've seen people walk up to police officers and smoke a joint in their face and they've not done anything beyond take it off them and give them a verbal warning). I guess being able to walk into a shop and buy it rather than having to find a dealer makes it quite a different experience overall though.

trasz3 4y ago
Covid moved much of the trade to internet; its easier to use littlebiggy than to find an actual live vendor on a street.

gravitate 4y ago

> As a Dutch resident, I have never understood why so many (mostly American) tourists visit The Netherlands just to use drugs in Amsterdam If it was legal in their home country we wouldn't have drug tourism. Amsterdam would be just any other European city. It's the allure of being able to consume cannabis in a cafe that is simply irresistible, and a privilege. As a non-Netherlands resident, I think the city takes it for granted that cannabis is legal-but-regulated and we shouldn't be so judgemental of tourists who otherwise have to obtain cannabis from the sometimes murky criminal underworld, and risk getting arrested or being sold low-quality weed, or worse: risk getting contaminated weed laced with synthetic opioids.

cr1895 4y ago
>tourists who otherwise have to obtain cannabis from the sometimes murky criminal underworld This 100% exists in Amsterdam, just abstracted one layer by the absurd tolerance policy where coffeeshops are allowed to sell to people but the product just magically appears in the shop. Supply is still a fully a criminal underworld.

poulsbohemian 4y ago

>As a Dutch resident, I have never understood why so many (mostly American) tourists visit The Netherlands just to use drugs in Amsterdam. I think back to interviews Frank Zappa gave in the 1980s where he talked about how the "sexualization" happening in American music, movies, etc was really titillation, IE: in a sense, Americans were so repressed and so juvenile that anything resembling sex, drugs, and rock and roll were too much to handle. Where I live in WA, marijuana has been legal for a number of years now to the point that it's passé. But, if you are a young college student from one of the more repressed states and you go on your study abroad where marijuana is legal and there are barely clothed women in the red windows, it's pretty big stuff. When we took the kids to Amsterdam a few years ago, we walked through the red light district on a late afternoon. Was tamer than I recalled from 25 years ago when I was a college student - I can see where it's more of a burden to Amsterdam than a bonus, but I guess it lures in a few more tourist dollars.

greggarious 4y ago

>As a Dutch resident, I have never understood why so many (mostly American) tourists visit The Netherlands just to use drugs in Amsterdam. because for a long time if you used them in america you'd be hit with a misdemeanor and ruin your life, or risk death. any interaction with the police in USA risks death. I can't tell you why harder things, but we're told in film and media it's a place you can buy cannabis and use it without hassle. It wasn't until I did a walking tour that I learned it's more decriminalized than legal, and I sympathize... they should do it like in Colorado and actually test the THC percent etc not just say "here's a space cake a gram of cannabis went into".