“Go giggle somewhere else”: Amsterdam bans marijuana in red light district
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In Amsterdam, the ban on smoking narcotic substances, including marijuana and cannabis, in public places in the red light district of De Wallen has come into force. Failure to comply with the rules will result in a fine of 100 euros, The Guardian reports. The campaign called “Stay Away” was introduced within the largest and most famous district of De Wallen at the request of local residents who want to “reduce crowding in the area”. “Local residents are fed up with loud parties, piles of garbage, and the use of their doorsteps as toilets,” the report says. Photo: Hollandse Hoogte/Shutterstock The ban on smoking cannabis is part of measures to “clean up” the De Wallen area of tourists. Earlier, as part of the campaign, the sale of alcohol in shops was banned on weekends, and an earlier closing time was introduced for brothels and pubs. Tourists and residents of the city face a fine of 100 euros for violating the rules. Local resident Els Ipping, who lives in the De Wallen quarter, has organized “Wallen Watch” patrols in recent months together with his neighbors and the local group “Stop de Gekte”. They went out together at night on weekends and urged tourists to behave decently. “We don’t want the city to be associated with sex and drugs any more. Tourists never cursed at us: they just apologized because they also found it a bit strange,” Els said, adding that patrols had to be suspended due to intimidation. from local entrepreneurs. Amsterdam’s mayor, Femke Halsema, said the crowds of tourists had put the city’s livability at risk, and emergency vehicles had difficulty getting through long traffic jams at peak times. It is noted that she is currently negotiating with developers regarding the construction of a large-scale erotic center, which was planned to be located in the quarter. Halsema also calls for the removal of 100 brothel windows from Wallen Street. Entrepreneurs whose establishments are located in the “red light district” reacted differently to the innovation. Photo: Urbanmyth/Alamy In particular, the owner of one of the coffee shops, Jim Zelinski, expressed his indignation and noted that “the soul of the district, which makes it so unusual, is slowly being ripped out.” “Finally smoking cannabis in public is illegal. This will send an important signal to the characterless and helpless tourists who think they can come here to hide from morality. News to all weed lovers: go giggle somewhere else! Let’s hope the people of Amsterdam win back its old, beautiful city center in glassy-eyed zombies,” said Diederik Boomsma, an adviser to the Christian Democratic Appeal, which has long called for a ban on tourists buying cannabis. Earlier, we talked about the effects of marijuana, whether the herb is addictive and why medical cannabis should be legalized in Ukraine. Read also: 6 organs that you kill by smoking cigarettes
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