The failure of the Wietpass (law against drug tourism in Holland)
8 replies, posted
Hello everyone!
I'm a Belgian and I smoke pot. And, as a pot smoker, I know I can go to Holland to smoke some good weed in Coffee Shops.
I started to go in Holland to buy weed few weeks after I got 18 years old. I remember those days when I arrived to the trainstation of my town and when I laughed with the tickets seller about that I was going to smoke some good dope in Holland - "A ticked to Maastricht? Hmm... You're going to smoke some good weed sir! 15 euros please ... Have a nice day!"
In the train, I was so impatient to go in this other world, because Dutch is a weird language as a French (I'm Belgian guys, please, I don't eat baguettes and croissants, don't laugh :'( ).
When the train arrived in Maastricht, that town who is the most famous European crossroad to Holland - Germany - Belgium, I started to move quickly out the dutch train station to spend time with some friends in my favourite coffeeshop, the Easy-Going.
I just had to enter and give my Belgian identity card to a man in the entrance who, of course, let me enter :D. I did the queue to the seller and I asked as always 5 grams of Amnesia Haze. Then, we sat in a smoke room, rolled our joints, smoked, drank our drinks and left with a huge smile.
Also, Dutch girls are awesome. You can't miss that.
But when that day arrived (1st May 2012)... Everything falled down, my trip to Holland was over due to this motherfucking wietpass!
The wietpass is a new law voted by the former Holland Government to stop the drug tourism. It was applied in the Southern provinces of Holland: this included Maastricht, the nearest Dutch town to my place. Only Dutch residents were allowed to go in Coffeeshops but those started to close their doors because most of the customers were foreign people from Belgium, Germany and France. Maastricht lost millions €. They believe that law is good because they complained that the streets were crowded, many violences at night and hard drugs dealing.
The Dutch Gov. also planned to apply this law everywhere in Holland, including Amsterdam, the 1st January 2013 but fortunately the new actual Gov. repeal this law because Amsterdam could lost a lot of money and popularity.
Actually, I can't go anymore in Maastricht. And I don't have enough time to move in Amsterdam. Many Belgians, who often went to Holland to smoke, started to turn to the blackmarket who sell about 0,7-0,8 g for 10€, bad quality weed and sometimes some hard drugs... Others started to grow at home but the Belgian Gov. allow only one plant per mature person, and even with that law, cops can arrest them (also, you don't plant only one but more).
But Coffeeshops in Maastricht fighted against that law, they called the court and they told they are sure to win. The Easy-Going owner is the president of the Coffeeshops Association of Maastricht and he did a great work. Maybe the next year, on January, the court will allow their coffeeshops to keep open to everyone and not just Dutch.
Because guys, prohibition is really a big failure. France, who is the most repressive country in Europe against marijuana, is also the first European country of pot smokers! I believe that many politicians make money with the prohibition of marijuana. Do our governments are too stupid to believe that cannabis prohibition could stop us to smoke pot? Or, are they supporting the blackmarket?
I hope I could come back in Maastricht, live again those awesome days with my friends, look at the Dutch girls and of course, smoke some good weed again...
Thanks you guys for paying attention to my thread. High-five to Dutch members, I wish I could meet Bood and Art and smoke together! See you on the Tinychat!
these laws are weird
also i feel like they closed the southern parts because they dont want undesirable people coming in from germany and etc but tourist are fine because they tend to blow more money and leave the next day?
I just got back from Amsterdam (UK). I felt bad because of the amount of drug tourism there, but really how could anyone who likes to smoke weed resist? I did however get offered coke/mdma a fair amount on the streets aswell which is quite worrying. Brilliant place to go anyway, any weed smoker should make that pilgrimage with some mates atleast once in their life.
-snip-
I'm so jealous that Washington and Colorado legalised weed... Damn, why my government is negationnist.
Mmm.. I bet you could get some gooood heroin in Amsterdam.. :wink:
In Holland they had the pedo party
They repealed the Wietpass, I thought?
nationally I think (as the government that was going to introduce it nationally fell apart), so provinces can decide. Amsterdam/nord holland obviously is the world famous center for weed, and a liberal part of the country, I assume, so won't introduce a weedpass. Though I guess the south might be more conservative and keep it locally.
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