Amsterdam’s pot shops saved after new Dutch government scraps ‘weed pass’

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The Dutch city of Amsterdam, a famous hotspot for marijuana tourism, won’t be forced to stop selling weed to tourists any time soon thanks to a pact between the country’s liberal and labor parties, which came together this week to form a new coalition government.

Under the new arrangement, the so-called “weed pass” implemented by the last government will be scrapped, although the drug will still be considered off limits to tourists. However, the incoming government said that individual cities will have the leeway to decide whether to enforce the law or not.

Both center-left parties said they opposed the weed pass, which was approved by lawmakers in 2011 and given legal clearance by a judge in April, set to take effect in Amsterdam next year.

Amsterdam voters are largely against the weed pass, meaning the city is not likely to enforce the law.

Marijuana is technically illegal in Holland, but individuals cannot be prosecuted for possessing small amounts.
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Photo: Sergei Bachlakov / Shutterstock.com.