Amsterdam Implements Strict Weed Ban: €100 Fine for Smoking in Red Light District
Posted on: May 25, 2023
Breaking: New Amsterdam Law Targets Weed Smoking in Red Light District
From today you can get a fine of 100 euros for smoking weed in the Red Light District.
As of today, weed is no longer allowed on the street in the city center of Amsterdam. The rule is intended to reduce nuisance caused by drug use in public spaces, especially by tourists.
The ban applies to the Red Light District, Dam Square, Damrak and Nieuwmarkt. Anyone who lights a joint there and ignores a first warning can be fined 100 euros. The same applies to residents. Terraces of coffee shops are excluded.
Large signs were put up in the city center this week to point out the ban and the fine to people. The municipality previously warned that if the nuisance caused by a smoking ban does not decrease enough, “we will also look into the possibilities of banning smoking on terraces at coffee shops in the area”.
At the end of last year, the municipality presented the measures to reduce the nuisance caused by tourists in the Red Light District. Other measures mentioned earlier are tightening the alcohol sales ban and closing catering and red light windows earlier.
Forecast Number of Tourists
The Amsterdam city council determined that additional measures must be taken if the expected number of overnight stays in Amsterdam exceeds 18 million in 2023. That number may be reached this year and from 2024 more than 20 million visitors are expected in Amsterdam every year.
Other measures Amsterdam Red Light District
To tackle the nuisance in the Red Light District, the city council wants to tighten the closing times on weekend nights. This is done at the request of the residents.
Catering establishments must then close at 2 am, with no new visitors being admitted from 1 am. Window prostitution should close at 3am. According to alderman Mbarki, residents get rest earlier on weekends.
Alcohol has been banned in the Red Light District for years. Recently, the restrictions on alcohol sales by shops, cafeterias and liquor stores in the Red Light District have also been tightened and the closing times for the catering industry and prostitution have been brought forward. The so-called ‘Stay Away’ campaign was also started to keep nuisance tourists away.
