Amsterdam's coffeeshops will continue to welcome tourists

Last week, the Amsterdam City Council's General Affairs Committee voted against the introduction of Criterion I, the residency criterion, and with it, the ban on coffeeshops for tourists, imagined by the current mayor of Amsterdam, Femka Halsema.

Most political groups, including the left-wing coalition PvdA, GroenLinks and D66, opposed the introduction of the Residency Criterion and thus the ban on coffeeshops for tourists.

«We anticipate a massive transfer to the street trade. We think it's unwise to opt for millions of illegal drug transactions,» said Rob Hofland (D66), who spoke out against the plan.

A trip to Amsterdam: our selection of coffeeshops

But it also proposed a strict control framework:

«We could ask to inspect the books. Coffee shops that refuse, we can monitor more strictly. The cafés that participate, we can give them benefits, like having a larger stock.»

Other proposals were also discussed. Such as banning consumption on the streets and intervening in places where there is an over-concentration of coffeeshops. But also against stores selling cannabis-related products.

The Council therefore asked that these proposals, as well as those of the coffeeshop industry itself, be examined.

Mayor Halsema responds

In response to the proposals and the rejected plan, Femke Halsema explained to the board that she wants to reduce demand for cannabis in the city.

«None of your proposals reduce this demand,» said the mayor. «The solutions you propose do not relate to the problem we identify. We shouldn't have inflated expectations about banning street drinking.»

She continued, «There's so much money in this market that it's attractive for big crime to invest in it.»

Ms. Halsema also criticized the opponents of her plan. «You're relying solely on your intuition. Our studies show that the number of tourists, who come to the city to consume, will decrease and that they will also come less often.»

The mayor warned against closing cafés. «We don't do it just like that. If you reduce the number of cafés, without doing anything about the number of people who buy there, the sales of a small number of cafés increase. It's easier to do something about favoritism.»

The return of the «i-criterion»?

Now that there is definitely no majority, Criterion I should be abandoned. However, Mayor Halsema is keen to keep it in mind.

«No hard feelings, but it's simmering. We'll let Criterion I simmer in your heads,» she declared.

Reacting to the’AT5 article, Simone van Breda, president of the coffeeshop union, wrote on LinkedIn I think the article is slightly premature. But we're cautiously positive. It still has to go to the board, but there's no majority on the board for Criterion I so far.«

The municipality, accompanied by the police and the Amsterdam public prosecutor, will now draft a letter in response to the proposals of the city council and the coffeeshop industry.