The new Amsterdam Red Light District ordinance that bans cannabis on the street is set to come into effect at the end of this month.
According to Bloomberg the ban was approved last week by Amsterdam city council and “will come into effect on May 25, and be enforced both by local and police officials,”. The new law is also punishable by a EUR100 fine (or $99) for violating it.
In February of this year, the Amsterdam City Council proposed to address the “nuisances” and the “grim” nighttime atmosphere in the district.
Residents of the Old Town suffer from the mass tourism, alcohol abuse and drug use on the street. The tourists also bring in street traders who, in turn, cause insecurity and crime. It can be a gloomy atmosphere, especially late at night. The people who are drunk tend to stay around for quite a while. The residents are unable to sleep and their neighborhood is unsafe.
A smoking ban in the streets should help reduce noise. Also, we are looking into a ban on the picking up of soft drugs at specific times. We will also investigate whether it is possible to ban smoking in coffee shops on the terrace if the noise does not diminish enough.
CNN reported that, if outdoor smoking bans failed to produce the desired result, “municipality would consider prohibiting take-out sales of soft drugs during certain hours, as well as smoking marijuana in outdoor areas at coffee shops.”
CNN reports that “about 10% to 15%” of Amsterdam’s tourism industry comes from the “red light district”. The city officials are hoping to attract visitors to the “De Wallen Neighborhood”, as it is called in Dutch. They want to bring in tourists who will appreciate the unique culture, heritage and architecture, rather than those interested in sex or drugs. In the last few years there have been a number of initiatives to curb mass tourism, nuisance tourists, and revamp the image of the district.
In 2020, guided tours were prohibited from passing sex workers’ windows, and there was talk of moving the window brothels to a neighborhood outside of the city center–conversations that continue to this day.”
Since becoming Mayor of Amsterdam, Femke Hazelma prioritizes cleaning the Red Light District.
Halsema is Amsterdam’s very first woman mayor. She “presented a series of options to protect sexworkers from abusive conditions, reduce crime and the negative impact tourism has on Amsterdam’s red-light district, De Wallen,” CNN at the time.
For many visitors, sex workers are no longer more than just an attractive sight. CNN reported that in some cases, this behavior is also accompanied by a rude attitude towards the sexworkers.
Four scenarios are being discussed, including the closing of the window curtains so that sex workers cannot be seen by the public, the reduction in the number of rooms with windows, the relocation or relocation to other locations within Amsterdam, and even the creation of a “hotel” for sexworkers. Plans are being developed to keep sexworkers safe from tourists with cameras and to fight abuses like human trafficking. In July, the four proposals will first be presented to sexworkers, businesses, and residents before they are taken up by the City Council in September. “The plans will eventually be turned into a policy for sexwork, confirmed the Mayor’s Office.”
The article Amsterdam Red Light District to Ban Outdoor Pot Smoking Beginning This Month first appeared on High Times.
