Amsterdam to clamp down on sex shops, brothels, dope cafes

[BeatleBoot]

Source: CNN

AMSTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) -- 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.



Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/europe/12/06/amsterdam.cafes.brothels.close.ap/index.html

[balantz]

1. I wonder if they're shutting out some older, smaller "Mom and Pop" businesses? n/t

[navarth]

2. If it's legal, how does it promote 'criminality'??

And FUCK anybody that wants to close those cafes

[louis-t]

4. If you read the article, it implies

that organized crime is getting involved. Probably "protection money" or something similar. Maybe they're closing the ones that are being harassed by crime figures. I'll bet they have a good plan, I bet it works, and I doubt they will close all of these businesses.

[Dorian Gray]

16. Many of those shops

are opened as money laundering. There are still criminal elements in Amsterdam, including importing immigrants against their will to work as prostitutes (sexual slavery) and harder drugs. There are many shops in the Red Light District where you can pick up something stronger than hashish/pot. And it's still illegal.

The mob can work there quite openly, as half their activities aren't illegal. They can skirt around the law. The legalization of pot and prostitution hasn't eradicated organized crime, and with the influx of immigrants, there are many different criminal organizations operating in the city. (Eastern European, Northern African, Asian, Russian, etc.)

[MilesColtrane]

10. It's not legal.

It's merely tolerated and overlooked by the authorities.

[High Plains]

15. As a matter of official policy. The coffee shops are licensed.

There's a Dutch word that describes this policy; it means something like "pragmatism," but I can't remember what it is.

[High Plains]

14. The "criminality" is the result of half-baked Dutch pot policy.

Coffee shops "legally" sell and customers "legally" purchase pot, but there is no provision for the coffee shops to purchase their pot supply. In Holland, they talk about this as the "back door" problem. The coffee shops MUST purchase pot on the black market because there is no legal supply. Thus, they must deal with "criminal" organizations, i.e. black market pot growers.

That's about the only "criminality" associated with the coffee shops.

Some Dutch mayors recently proposed growing pot under municipal control to supply the coffee shops.

Dutch pot policy is in flux; the efforts from the right to restrict it may excite a response that is even more liberal. Stay tuned.

[ohio2007]

3. Which group is pressuring the Dutch to change their "EU Role Model" status ?

6.2% of the population in position to dictate "change" ?

11/11/2004 VIOLENCE IN HOLLAND

Nine days of violence in the Netherlands have put pressure on an immigrant society once seen as a model for Europe. Two societies that once lived quietly amongst each other have shifted into open revolt -- bringing out the worst of both, right-wing reactionaries and Islamic extremists.


http://www.spiegel.de/img/0,1020,405636,00.jpg

An isolated problem?

Holland isn't the only country in Europe that has had difficulties with its immigrant population.

http://www.spiegel.de/international/0,1518,327422,00.html

maybe not.

[louis-t]

5. Gee, I guess every country has their

"right-wing reactionaries".

[High Plains]

13. Oh, c'mon, your chronic Muslim-bashing is especially misplaced here.

It's the fucking Christian conservatives who run the government who want to turn Amsterdam into Smallville.

[HopeHoops]

6. Dang, there goes my reason to vacation in Europe!

[Wizard777]

12. This will only effect 20% of the coffee houses and brothels.

They will remain their tollerant crazy selves. :smoke:

[Liberal Veteran]

7. Gee...I wish that's all America had to worry about right now.

[Politicalboi]

8. I hope this has the opposite

Effect and they lose money.

[nebenaube]

11. based on my observations, it will cost them heavily... n/t

[DCKit]

9. If "organized crime is making a penny off legalized sex and dope, they're not doing it right. n/t

[T_i_B]

18. If that's the yardstick

Then no attempt to legalize drugs and whores will ever be a success!

[carlyhippy]

17. geeze

this may hurt tourism

[lebkuchen]

19. Came to the US via Amsterdam last month

was the first time I ever saw dogs used to sniff luggage at customs.

[pitohui]

20. they sniff the flights coming from paris too

but those are the usda beagles checking for imported french food! (yeah i got sniffed but i wasn't guilty and the dog moved on) :-)

i'll been pulled aside flying to AMS and asked how much $$$ i am carrying, you only have to file if it's 10K or more but when they confront you like that, you feel like you have to tell them -- so awkward

[conscious evolution]

21. I arrived at the same time

as an Amdam flight once.
I could have had my suitcases packed with drugs and they would not have found it because all of the drug dogs were at the Amdam luggage claim carousel.