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Thread: Netherlands to ban tourists from marijuana coffee shops | |
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Smithey
Promising
Supreme Hero
Yes im red, choke on it !!!
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posted May 29, 2011 08:43 PM |
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Netherlands to ban tourists from marijuana coffee shops
Sorry, stoners.
The Dutch government said Friday that it will ban tourists from buying marijuana from the Netherlands' famed "coffee shops."
Under the new rules spearheaded by far-right political leaders, only Dutch citizens will be able to enter the stores, and they too will face tougher restrictions.
Resident patrons will be required to sign up for a one-year membership, and each shop will have a maximum of 1,500 members, according to a justice ministry spokesman.
Critics argue the move, which should be enacted by the end of the year, could pulverize tourism.
The Netherlands – particularly Amsterdam, which is home to 220 coffee shops -- is known for having one of Europe's most lenient soft drug policies. The country's cannabis cafes have become popular attractions.
There are also fears that the move will result in a black market for the drugs.
The coalition government, which came into power last year, announced the initiative to curb drug tourism as part of an effort to fight crime and promote health.
"In order to tackle the nuisance and criminality associated with coffee shops and drug trafficking, the open-door policy of coffee shops will end," Dutch health and justice ministers wrote in a letter to the country's parliament.
There goes Netherlands killing it's tourism, UK's suicide rates will go up after this one without a doubt .....
I don't really get this move considering the fact that this was the only thing they had going for themselves (regarding tourism, no disrespect meant to dutch dudes and girls)
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blizzardboy
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Nerf Herder
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posted May 29, 2011 08:50 PM |
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It's not flat out illegal yet.
The only thing worse than making a drug illegal is to make it legal for awhile and then to go back and make it illegal. Now that is a pristine way to screw yourself, because you normalize it to the society and then forcefully take it away from them. It would almost be as difficult as trying to criminalize alcohol (though even in Holland marijuana can't compete with booze).
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Darkshadow
Legendary Hero
Cerise Princess
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posted May 29, 2011 08:50 PM |
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Quote: In order to tackle the nuisance and criminality associated with coffee shops and drug trafficking, the open-door policy of coffee shops will end
I applaud the stupidity of this statement.
The people who said this should receive a stupidity award of the century, but that would be too much since they are out of touch with reality anyway.
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baklava
Honorable
Legendary Hero
Mostly harmless
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posted May 29, 2011 09:05 PM |
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You guys said it all.
Now that we've all agreed on something, all that remains is to sit and wait for Elodin to show up.
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is. When you ain't got no
money,
you got the blues."
Howlin Wolf
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del_diablo
Legendary Hero
Manifest
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posted May 29, 2011 10:05 PM |
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I doubt this is a touchy issue for Elodin, except that he agree the goverment is doing a silly thing.
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smvuy
Known Hero
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posted May 30, 2011 12:37 AM |
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Quote: It's not flat out illegal yet.
The only thing worse than making a drug illegal is to make it legal for awhile and then to go back and make it illegal. Now that is a pristine way to screw yourself, because you normalize it to the society and then forcefully take it away from them. It would almost be as difficult as trying to criminalize alcohol (though even in Holland marijuana can't compete with booze).
that happened in the united states during the prohibition.... those were bad times. and booze dealers made themselves more powerful than the police.
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blizzardboy
Honorable
Undefeatable Hero
Nerf Herder
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posted May 30, 2011 04:48 AM |
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And it's not even about the argument of "People are going to get it anyway", because that isn't at all true. Alcohol consumption during the 1920s dropped tremendously. The problem is that the minority that do keep trying to get it will invariably lead to organized illegal suppliers. And the people providing that illegal supply will be pursued by law enforcement or competing illegal sources... hence they will want protection. Although I don't think you can blame the crime wave in 20s solely on the prohibition because the US was also rocking it out with a ballin' 25% unemployment rate at the time on par with where Spain is right now, so the two major issues stacked together created the extra bad atmosphere.
If Holland were to fully ban it (which won't happen because they would lose a lot of the support of their moderate right) they might not experience a surge in crime on their own streets, but somewhere there would be, because it has to get there somehow.
Some of the issue can also be reduced depending on how gung-ho the law enforcement is. Weed is illegal in most places, but a lot of places don't give as much of a **** about pursuing somebody smoking pot, which is still inferior to simply decriminalizing it, but I guess you can only expect so much. In the States the herping and derping "War on Drugs" policy from the 80s still hasn't crawled into a bush and died yet, and you have people spending jailtime over marijuana possession. I think that's bound to change eventually and the benefits are going to be juicy: less burden on prisons and less burden on the courts (I'm not paying them to prosecute skinny 18-year-old teenagers smoking joints. Sucking on my fluffy white squirrel balls would be a more productive use of their time. )
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"Folks, I don't trust children. They're here to replace us."
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smvuy
Known Hero
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posted May 30, 2011 04:51 AM |
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problem is that in united states, jails are run by privates mostly, and the more inmates the better.
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Shyranis
Promising
Supreme Hero
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posted May 30, 2011 06:25 PM |
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Because we all know they love having more inmates in their privates
I guess Amsterdam can say goodbye to a ton of their tax revenue, hm... .....they're getting rid of that but keeping the tax write-offs you get for business meeting strippers.
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Insanity
Known Hero
Brain cells killa
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posted May 30, 2011 09:38 PM |
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i wanted to go and see, whats there 2 do in holland now, this sucks, me hopes that it bites them in the ass and that they change it bakkk
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bixie
Promising
Legendary Hero
my common sense is tingling!
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posted May 30, 2011 10:17 PM |
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that's my stag do f**ked, then.
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Love, Laugh, Learn, Live.
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moonlith
Bad-mannered
Supreme Hero
If all else fails, use Fiyah!
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posted June 06, 2011 10:18 PM |
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Quote: I applaud the stupidity of this statement.
The people who said this should receive a stupidity award of the century, but that would be too much since they are out of touch with reality anyway.
QFT
Not to mention alcohol causes more problems than marihuana.
OOPS WHAT INCONVENIENT FACTS!
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