Amsterdamn closes many sex shops, brothels, and coffee shops.

[The Arkitekt]

WTF. DAMNITTT!!! What is this bullshit.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/28083380/?gt1=43001



updated 11:24 a.m. ET, Sat., Dec. 6, 2008

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands - Amsterdam unveiled plans Saturday to close brothels, sex shops and marijuana cafes in its ancient city center as part of a major effort to drive organized crime out of the tourist haven.

The city is targeting businesses that "generate criminality," including gambling parlors, and the so-called "coffee shops" where marijuana is sold openly. Also targeted are peep shows, massage parlors and souvenir shops used by drug dealers for money-laundering.

"I think that the new reality will be more in line with our image as a tolerant and crazy place, rather than a free zone for criminals" said Lodewijk Asscher, a city council member and one of the main proponents of the plan.

The news comes just one day after Amsterdam's mayor said he would search for loopholes in new rules laid down by the national government that would close marijuana cafes near schools citywide. The measures announced Saturday would affect about 36 coffee shops in the center itself — a little less than 20 percent of the city total.

Asscher underlined that the city center will remain true to its freewheeling reputation.

"It'll be a place with 200 windows (for prostitutes) and 30 coffee shops, which you can't find anywhere else in the world — very exciting, but also with cultural attractions," he said. "And you won't have to be embarrassed to say you came."

Long-standing tolerance
Under the plan announced Saturday, Amsterdam will spend euro30 million to euro40 million ($38 million to $51 million) to bring hotels, restaurants, art galleries and boutiques to the center. It will also build new underground parking areas.

Amsterdam already had plans to close many brothels and some coffee shops, but plans announced Saturday go further.

Asscher said the city would reshape the area, using zoning rules, buying out businesses and offering assistance to upgrade stores. The city has shut brothels and sex clubs in the past by relying on a law allowing the closure of businesses with bookkeeping irregularities.

Prostitution will be allowed only in two areas in the district — notably De Wallen ("The Walls"), a web of streets and alleys around the city's medieval retaining dam walls. The area has been a center of prostitution since before the city's golden shipping age in the 1600s.

Prostitution was legalized in the Netherlands in 2000, formalizing a long-standing tolerance policy.

Marijuana is technically illegal in the Netherlands, but prosecutors won't press charges for possession of small amounts. Coffee shops are able to sell it openly.

 

[Formant024]

crime rates are bad here since eastern european countries were added to the EU, partly i disagree as they're creating a policestate. Some cities even closed their only shop thus creating the options for organized crime to provide the demand, but its not controlled and cant always be trusted. Clearly very stupid as common "smoking" citizens are tagged as criminals, due the focus on the whole softdrug policy being turned upside down. Amsterdam's own mayer cant disagree as this comes from the government, like mushrooms are also banned after some depressed french tourists started to jump off bridges. They put a whole list of shrooms that may not be sold but the mayers decide whether to put effort in checking this, they say that this is a task for horeca control (hotel, restaurant and cafe quality control) but the government states the police must do this (but we never have enough cops). I guess its fucked up, we're stating here that our famous softdrug policy has proven itself as it really does drop the crimerate and provides social control on the quality for all products in coffeeshops and smartshops. The ban on shrooms also will put a lot of smartshop owners out of business though their checking which unlisted shrooms may provide an alternative but its still fucked. This same government also brought a new anti smoking law, also putting 1000's of cafe's go bankrupt while some places in germany were given an amount of time to adapt as small cafe owners cant finance a smoking area or dont even have the room for it.

De wallen, that shit is only half as funny as you might think, we're not condemning prostitution but face it...half of it is people trafficing comming from eastern european countries via italy and a bit of asia. If you'd choose to be a prostitute then the dutch can provide an equal law as any other profession...the criminal way is hel, fuck i think most cats rather go to hel instead.

Again, these eastern european crime syndicates are quick to find exploits when the government takes actions like these, not evening mentioning the internet and atm skimming and these people dont give a flying f. Last in germany there was an incident, i believe that about 100 people had led poisoning from buying hash from around the dutch border (NOT in the shop). They put led in crappy hash to pull up the weight, they put hairspray in weed to make it appear white and sticky this is all due to the governments and their opinions...thats some serious poisoning there. Im lucky as i know where or from who to buy but i see a lot of tourist incidents coming in the next years which will put A'dam and the likes on a bad rep.

 

[Relic]

Dang.. Well I guess theres no reason to vist there now...

Always wanted to go.

 

[Formant024]

hehe^^^ trust me, its still worth going, there's still enough shops and the red light district still looks cozy funny enough but you should not be tempted to buy shit in the streets but in the shop instead.

I just saw an interview with a school director who's 300m away from a shop, even she stated that smoking is a common thing. Kids do it anyway and some just dont, she states it'll worse if the shop is gone and they start dealing in front of school which is most likely the result of it all.

 

[2GooD Productions]

I dont think it has anything to do with driving crime out of the tourist hotspot
the sex and drugs are the reason it is such a tourist spot. The income from tourism will suffer as a result.
Its more about dictating to us what we can do to enjoy ourselves these days.
I mean if you think Amsterdam is bad for stopping the drugs and prostitution, here they have stopped smoking cigarettes in public enclosed spaces including your own vehical if it is used for buiniess purposes.
Now thats fucking crazy Police state shit right there.
Stopping the controlled sale of something just helps the uncontrolled sale(organized crime) thrive.

 

[Relic]

Ya and crime will skyrocket as well , people antwhere want what they cant have . Having it there just makes it an option that is relaxed. Take it away and watch that orginaized crime jump.

 

[Formant024]

^^ same smoking law here, you're own business vehicle has not been taken into account...yet

you cannot smoke weed in the shop if mixed with tobacco/cigs but it is allowed when smoking pure or bong smoking...and vaporizing is not smoking, so thats allowed too. But its not allowed to smoke where the employers are exposed to the smoke so shops created smoking areas. The place im at now states you may only smoke in the smoking area which is sealed by glass, there you can smoke weed and cigs...i was at the studio this weekend, came into my old shop, they have nada, they placed vaporizers and bongs and a caught some german chicks smoking a philly because thats pure too. I wennt to another shop which had a smoking area, star trek kinda door in a glass house but in this shop you may smoke weed around the bar, the whole shop actually, the glass house was just for smoking cigs and weed is you want. They also didnt make any issue if the joint was pure or not.

The aim at the redlight district is a countermeasure for peopletrafficing, they want that controlled which is good. I think this is also due the closing of one of A'dam finest ad exclusive bordello called yab yum, this joint was frauded as the real owners were the hell angels of A'dam...sort of gun point pressure to the original owner hehe

http://www.yabyum.nl/html/eng/welcome.html

 

[2GooD Productions]

^^ same smoking law here, you're own business vehicle has not been taken into account...yet

you cannot smoke weed in the shop if mixed with tobacco/cigs but it is allowed when smoking pure or bong smoking...and vaporizing is not smoking, so thats allowed too. But its not allowed to smoke where the employers are exposed to the smoke so shops created smoking areas. The place im at now states you may only smoke in the smoking area which is sealed by glass, there you can smoke weed and cigs...i was at the studio this weekend, came into my old shop, they have nada, they placed vaporizers and bongs and a caught some german chicks smoking a philly because thats pure too. I wennt to another shop which had a smoking area, star trek kinda door in a glass house but in this shop you may smoke weed around the bar, the whole shop actually, the glass house was just for smoking cigs and weed is you want. They also didnt make any issue if the joint was pure or not.

The aim at the redlight district is a countermeasure for peopletrafficing, they want that controlled which is good. I think this is also due the closing of one of A'dam finest ad exclusive bordello called yab yum, this joint was frauded as the real owners were the hell angels of A'dam...sort of gun point pressure to the original owner hehe

http://www.yabyum.nl/html/eng/welcome.html

Just the way the laws are all mixed up, regarding pure/unpure and in some cases it matters and some it dont, lead me more to think that the eu power mongers are just passing whatever laws they can get away with in different countries. Gradually we will all catch up with each other.
As for the people trafficking in from eastern europe, that is our modern day slave trade which is thriving, but doesnt get mentioned very often. I fully agree with trying to get that problem sorted out, but will this solve the crime. I think not, they are criminals anyway, will creating another law for them to ignore solve the issue?

 

[Formant024]

yup, we're feeding them with demand...we actually had some cities who wanted to try and grow their own to sell in the shop as a joint venture with the coffeeshops. And you're right on the EU, but fact is, other countries are really talking out of their asses. Like belgium and france blaim the netherlands for drug supply to their countries while most coke comes in through marseille and they have more hashies then anything else, weed is scarse there, good weed i mean..theyll drive all the way to maastricht to get the best weed and the real junks would drive from france to rotterdam for heroin and the lot..

 

[mono]

the zero tolerance agenda has become popular in europe. politicians think clean cities will attract even more tourists to come, but fact is, what makes places like amsterdam amsterdam is its liberality. they are doing the same thing in hamburg/germany, a few years from now the famous kiez will be only a poor copy of itself. its a shame

 

[TheMost]

No more cocaine and hookers.

 

[Formant024]

hehe, coke is a high society drug, it comes with expensive booze and people who cant drink...hookers and capitalism...one has never been without the other. Fact i know there's a pub down my street that sells coke...for years. And they put all the pressure on the coffee in my street...

 

[Relic]

the zero tolerance agenda has become popular in europe. politicians think clean cities will attract even more tourists to come, but fact is, what makes places like amsterdam amsterdam is its liberality. they are doing the same thing in hamburg/germany, a few years from now the famous kiez will be only a poor copy of itself. its a shame

Exactly, there is no point to go to amersterdam without the liberal smoking laws...
It like tearing down the effiel tower because it messes up the skyline for the tourists!!

 

[P.Noccio]

It's gonna take a while before that's really gonna happen, cos the government wants the police to make sure no-one is selling weed, but the police wants the government to check that.. so maybe it's not gonna happen at all, and even if many shops r gonna close, there will allway sbe a way to get it. just like the mushrooms that got illegal 1 december.