So the Weed pass thing? and your thoughts?

[thezool]

i don't think i want to live in this world anymore it is full of bad people who want nothing more than to control you.

[puffthemagicdragon]

FWIW (probably zilch) I am writing to the Minister of Tourism to question why they wish to throw away so much of their annual income, and why they feel it's acceptable to discriminate against tourists - the very people they want in the country. I highly doubt it will do any good as not enough people would write in sadly.

I'm increasing thinking the Wietpas will be introduced in some form or other, but that crime will increase so substantially it will be amended in some way a year or so after.

But hey what do I know!

[Slip & Sal]

Does this mean you will never visit the Netherlands again. Well, that is good news.

No I'll still go? I have good friends there, they are not childish like you and don't hold grudges over the internet like a skirt. They are nice people. Nice fella aren't ya?

[piedpiperofvice]

Where is joosy now? Where are all you fuckers slagging me off for wanting to talk about it now?

I can certainly see that you do not hold a grudge over the internet..when I get 20 minutes I am going to explain where you are missing the majority's point entirely.........again

[piedpiperofvice]

Just a quick point,though...joossy was really the only one who had/has no fear of a tourist ban. The " fucking slaggers" comment was inflammatory and without merit. What you're really pissed about in my opinion is the group ganging up on you for threatening a fellow coffeeshop member for making a snarky comment. Further he has apologized twice and you still are, clearly, harboring some bruised feelings.if you would just drop the fucking hurt attitude this all goes away..for my part I apologize if I have offended you and if you don't keep up the wounded ego persona I will save you the trouble of punching me in the face by never referring to it again.

[piedpiperofvice]

More to the point ..like I said earlier someone should start organizing a fundraising drive to save the footprint of the coffeeshops before the govt does their land grab and turns the truly unique coffeeshops into a bunch of mundane cookie cutter establishments..enlist some rock stars to do some charity concerts etc..hit up soros and explain that Amsterdam's model goes a long way toward proving his drug legalization ideas can work in reality. The coffeeshops would still exist in their present location awaiting a change of heart by the electorate.if they force closure because of some requirement for a minimum of members,they can with funding from mentioned sources continue to hold the real estate and maybe put in museums of types that pay homage to the freedom of the coffeeshops that was squelched by the repressive Christian democrats. A never ending reminder of the stupidity of the new policy

[piedpiperofvice]

Or you can do the 4/20 protest and see where that gets us..almost certainly nowhere...better to band together financially and put ourselves in position to match the power of the adversaries. Who usually wins ? The protesters or the ones being protested? In the case of niche causes it ain't the protesters. However, I guarantee you if you mobilized resources of stoners worldwide you can certainly bring great power to bear against the opposition. It may not change the outcome but the damage that can be wrought will certainly make others who would step on the rights of cannabis lovers to think long and hard about the repercussions

[Slip & Sal]

I must remember to use magenta for sarcasm. I'm not harbouring bad feelings. Slagging off really isn't a major insult in Australia, it's more like ranting or going on. I apologise if I came across upset, I hardly am that. Anyway will tourists still be able to buy seeds and truffles(mushrooms)?

[treetop]

Tourists in the Netherlands will be able to buy clogs, cheese and flowers whilst only being allowed to visit churches as long as they only pray in the right shaped one.

Welcome to the future of Holland under this awful coalition.

[piedpiperofvice]

I must remember to use magenta for sarcasm. I'm not harbouring bad feelings. Slagging off really isn't a major insult in Australia, it's more like ranting or going on. I apologise if I came across upset, I hardly am that. Anyway will tourists still be able to buy seeds and truffles(mushrooms)?

Ok ,sorry if I got the wrong impression. You seem to love the dam as much as any of us ,s and s. You, also, seem very passionate about this issue,as one would expect. What do you think about the ideas I listed throughout this thread..other than Marco and maybe one or 2 others nobody really responded. It seems like maybe the weed community might be too passive. Passive in reference to being non-violent is greater but we need to be more aggressive when it comes to demanding our rights. I am afraid most on this web site are more than willing to have the rules dictated to them. Especially one whose name has a familial slant...we will always be the repressed minority if we never make a stand about anything. Look at the Jewish lobby in us .small minority that organizes to maximize their clout..weed lovers can do it. I think it would be a good idea to begin creating the image of a group akin to the that dude who noone fucks with because he might just gouge out your eyeball. It is kind of shameful the way we are bulldozed worldwide for having the nerve to get intoxicated using a method other than the state approved alcohol route

[Marco]

I must remember to use magenta for sarcasm. I'm not harbouring bad feelings. Slagging off really isn't a major insult in Australia, it's more like ranting or going on. I apologise if I came across upset, I hardly am that. Anyway will tourists still be able to buy seeds and truffles(mushrooms)?

Ok ,sorry if I got the wrong impression. You seem to love the dam as much as any of us ,s and s. You, also, seem very passionate about this issue,as one would expect. What do you think about the ideas I listed throughout this thread..other than Marco and maybe one or 2 others nobody really responded. It seems like maybe the weed community might be too passive. Passive in reference to being non-violent is greater but we need to be more aggressive when it comes to demanding our rights. I am afraid most on this web site are more than willing to have the rules dictated to them. Especially one whose name has a familial slant...we will always be the repressed minority if we never make a stand about anything. Look at the Jewish lobby in us .small minority that organizes to maximize their clout..weed lovers can do it. I think it would be a good idea to begin creating the image of a group akin to the that dude who noone fucks with because he might just gouge out your eyeball. It is kind of shameful the way we are bulldozed worldwide for having the nerve to get intoxicated using a method other than the state approved alcohol route

The problem is that I think the government is well aware how much this will cost them, and they just don't care.

[puffthemagicdragon]

The problem is that I think the government is well aware how much this will cost them, and they just don't care.

And you may well be right.

However, do we just give up without a fight? For some that will be the case, but I am certainly going to make my views known and if hundreds of us were to do the same thing, maybe, just maybe it might give the government food for thought. If it doesn't then at least we know we've done all we can to try and prevent this.

I've today drafted the following letter and will be sending it to the Minister of Tourism at the address below. If any of you want to use this to put your name to and send also, then I won't complain!

Dear Sir

I write with regard to the proposed Wietpas, shortly to be introduced in the Netherlands, and how damaging I anticipate this to be for your country’s tourism, not to mention being discriminating against foreigners wishing to enjoy the Netherlands and who provide a high level of revenue for your country.

I fail to understand why the Justice Minister perceives cannabis and its users to be such a crime problem in the Netherlands. From first hand experience it is completely the opposite.

I’ve yet to see any problem of violence, abuse or such inside or outside ANY coffee shop. In fact my visits have been nothing but enjoyable with a group of like minded people sharing conversation, thoughts and general good wishes.

Contrast this to a visit to the red light district in Amsterdam where you often encounter foul mouthed, vulgar and sometimes violent drunks in that area. It’s very noticeable that this area of Amsterdam is where you’ll find most police on patrol – clearly a necessity to keep the drunken behaviour in check. In dozens of visits I can’t recall ever seeing police near coffee shops in other areas of the city.

For Minister Opstelten to state publicly that there are hard drug dealers outside coffee shops is, apart from being libellous, quite frankly utterly ludicrous and shows a desperate attempt of clutching at straws to get what he wants. How can anybody respect somebody who is so blatantly lying.

I’ve never seen anybody, apart from smokers, hanging around outside coffee shops. However, I’ve been offered cocaine leaving a bar in the Amsterdam red light district, and that’s happened on more than one occasion. Hmm, doesn’t that tell you that alcohol and its environs cause far more problems than the coffee shops?

With countries such as Denmark, Sweden, Slovakia, Portugal and Spain all relaxing their views on cannabis use it’s a great disappointment to see a beautiful country like the Netherlands taking a step back into the dark ages. It’s especially hard to understand when cannabis usage in your country is considerably less than much of the rest of the world – 51st in the world table is far better than countries such as my own (the UK).

Another problem with the Wietpas is that you’re discriminating against the very people the tourist office wants in the country – tourists. And I predict it will only be a matter of time before somebody takes the matter to the courts as discrimination.

I urge you to consult further on this proposition to see just how negative a move it will be, and how detrimental it will be to tourism in the Netherlands. Already the excellent reputation the country has built up of being a friendly and liberal country has been damaged by the xenophobic behaviour of Minister Opstelten.

I’m so happy that your economy is sufficiently strong that it can readily lose billions of euros in revenue each year, not just from the coffee shops but also from hotels and the many thousands of souvenir shops which will undoubtedly have to close as a result of the Wietpas.

Once the country returns to the dark days of street dealing, crime will undoubtedly increase substantially and the Netherlands will no longer be a safe and friendly, liberal place to visit particularly with potentially many homeless people put out of work by closure, not just of the coffee shops, but numerous souvenir shops, restaurants, hostels, bars, etc.

The sense of relaxation and freedom (not just from the cannabis laws but in general) will no longer apply as there will be drug dealers on street corners, homeless unemployed huddled in doorways and a general sense of oppression. That does NOT make for a relaxing holiday.

Suffice to say if the Wietpas comes into effect there will be little or no reason to come back to your country. I’ve already visited the museums and done numerous canal trips – why would I come back to a country which has made it very clear that it doesn’t want me there.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts. Thank you.

Address:
Department of Tourism
Postbus 20101
2500 EC The Hague
Netherlands

I'm still trying to find the name of the Minister though, sorry.

[salty seadog]

Hi all,
Does anyone know how the situation will pan out in May? I will be in Zeeland in the first week of May and would like to know if anyone has any info dirrect from the coffeeshops there or in Noord Brabant, will the wietpass be enforced or not?

I am from the UK,

cheers,

ssd

[Mongoose]

Go there dude and please let us know.

[Balou]

Does anyone know how the situation will pan out in May? I will be in Zeeland in the first week of May and would like to know if anyone has any info dirrect from the coffeeshops there or in Noord Brabant, will the wietpass be enforced or not?

As of right now Limburg, Zeeland and Noord Brabant will implement the Wietpass starting May 1st. So you would have to head to Dordrecht, Rotterdam, or Nijmegen.

Peace