If you're thinking of going to Amsterdam...
[size=1.35em]Amsterdam Will Ban Tourists from Pot Coffee Shops[/size]
The Dutch government today announced that by the end of the year, the country's famed marijuana-dispensing coffee shops would start to close to tourists and be open only to Dutch citizens. By next year, no tourists would be able to legally buy marijuana. Under the new regulations passed today,
each coffee shop would operate like a private club with some 1,000 to 1,500 members. In order to qualify for a membership card, applicants must be adult Dutch citizens.
Of course, the new law's threat to tourism in the country hasn't sat well with everyone. The English-language Dutch Daily News quoted the head of Dutch tour operator TUI,who said, "The coffee shops belong to our culture.... That will really hit the city bad. Also many young foreigners after their first visit will not return at an older age when they have more money." It's an awkward translation, but you get the drift. http://www.theatlanticwire.com/global/2011/05/amsterdam-ban-pot-sales-tourists/38248/I'm sure these rules must contravene EU discrimination laws somewhere. I'd rather they banned all the greasy sex shops!
