[ad_1]
Amsterdam will quickly ban the smoking of marijuana on the streets of its widespread red-light district, based on guidelines launched on Thursday which are aimed toward cracking down on the noisy vacationers that native residents have lengthy complained about.
“This could scale back the nuisance attributable to drug use in public areas, significantly by vacationers,” Mayor Femke Halsema of Amsterdam stated in an announcement. The principles, which can additional restrict alcohol gross sales within the space, are set to enter impact in mid-Might.
The mayor’s assertion stated that residents of the red-light district, a hub for authorized prostitution in Amsterdam, have been “excessively bothered” by crowds and nuisance attributable to mass tourism and substance abuse on public streets. The ambiance within the previous metropolis has turn out to be particularly grim at night time, when drunken vacationers, loitering within the streets, compromise the protection and the power of residents to dwell there undisturbed, the assertion stated.
Amsterdam, like different European capitals, has struggled with make itself a vibrant hub for worldwide vacationers whereas additionally being protected and quiet for residents. The Dutch capital, recognized for its centuries-old canals, artwork scene, eating places and historic buildings, has additionally attracted vacationers due to its liberal angle towards prostitution and drug use.
In 2019, greater than 21.7 million vacationers visited the Netherlands, a quantity that dropped to greater than seven million the subsequent 12 months, through the pandemic, based on the World Financial institution. Amsterdam has a inhabitants of about 820,000.
Below the package deal of guidelines launched on Thursday, prostitution companies should shut at 3 a.m., three hours sooner than the earlier closing time. Cafes and eating places should additionally shut earlier, at 2 a.m.
If the ban on marijuana smoking doesn’t scale back disruptions, native authorities may also take into account extending the ban to the terraces of companies, referred to as espresso outlets, that are allowed to promote marijuana, the assertion stated. (Retailers in Amsterdam that promote precise espresso are known as cafes.)
The brand new guidelines are the newest in a collection of steps that Amsterdam has taken to discourage sure sorts of vacationers. They embody bans on some companies that cater primarily to vacationers, guided excursions of the red-light district and the sale of alcohol after 4 p.m. from Thursday to Sunday.
[ad_2]
Source link
