Amsterdam to ban cannabis in the Red Light District

Europe1 .fr with AFP 5:44 p.m., February 10, 2023, modified at 5:49 p.m., February 10, 2023

The City of Amsterdam announced this week the ban from mid-May on smoking cannabis in the streets of the Red Light District, known for its many brothels and plagued by crime and nuisance.

The measure, coupled with tighter restrictions against alcohol and an earlier weekend closure of cafes, bars, restaurants and brothels, should help combat "the enormous nuisance", the municipality said in a statement released. THURSDAY.

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Prostitution is legal in the Netherlands, and the brothels of Amsterdam's famous Red Light District, located right in the city center, are one of the capital's major tourist attractions.

Due to the rise in local crime and the crowds of young party tourists, the area was once dubbed the "square mile of misery" by the police.

The inhabitants of the district "are very embarrassed by mass tourism and the abuse of alcohol and drugs in the street", said the municipality in a press release.

“Tourists also attract street dealers, which lead to crime and insecurity,” she continued, adding that the atmosphere in the neighborhood could become “sinister, especially at night.”

A ban that could extend to the terraces of coffee shops

The municipality believes that a ban on smoking cannabis in the street should reduce nuisance, and if the measure does not have the expected results, it plans to extend the ban to the terraces of coffeeshops.

Since the 1970s, the Dutch government has tolerated these establishments selling cannabis to consumers.

Cannabis production and supply, on the other hand, are illegal.