Amsterdam is a destination for hundreds of thousands of tourists each year who want to experience what it is like to smoke a joint in a coffee shop. It is therefore not surprising that of the 166 coffee shops in the capital, more than 60% are dependent on tourism. Yet, last week Mayor Halsema wrote a letter to the City Council of Amsterdam. In this letter, a ban on cannabis sales to foreign tourists in coffeeshops is proposed, also known as the i-criterion. What?!

What exactly does this i-criterion entail? And why is this regulation proposed? You can read it here!

Current regulation coffeeshops

Currently, both tourists and Dutch citizens can visit the Amsterdam coffeeshops. As you know, you can only buy cannabis here. Hard drugs are not sold here since they are illegal. 

Nevertheless, many people – including many tourists – in the capital city are able to obtain hard drugs via street dealers. This shows that there is also illegal street trading present, which is mainly focused on hard drugs. Various initiatives are being implemented to combat this as much as possible.

What is the i-criterion?

The idea of an i-criterion first surfaced last year. Its purpose is to regulate the cannabis market. Last year this proposal was reviewed by several studies, after which the mayor of Amsterdam recently decided to go ahead with the proposal.

Halsema officially proposed the i-criterion last week in a letter to the city council. This letter was signed by the Amsterdam triangle: the police, the mayor, and the public prosecutor. The so-called resident-only criterion would be the solution to the disruption caused by the sale of cannabis to tourists.

The proposal, described by Mayor Halsema as a “necessary intervention”, means that tourists would no longer be allowed to enter a coffee shop to buy cannabis. This would then only be possible for people residing in the Netherlands.

Hallmark

Not only a sales ban on tourists was proposed. Halsema also writes about a quality hallmark for coffee shops. This hallmark is offered if the coffeeshop follows certain rules regarding the transparency of cannabis sales. In exchange, coffeeshops with the hallmark are allowed to keep a higher trade stock.

Why these changes?

You may be wondering what all this is for. Is there really so much disruption caused by drug tourism?

Halsema indicates, based on several studies, that there are negative effects caused by cannabis sales to tourists. The effects range from excessive noise to serious crime and criminality.

The goal of regulating the cannabis market is therefore to reduce crime and disorder in the inner city of Amsterdam.

What do opponents of the proposal say?

In response to Halsema’s proposed measures, many residents of the capital seem to disagree with the i-criterion. Although there is consensus on reducing drug nuisance, many doubt whether this is the right approach.

Opponents say that banning tourists from coffee shops will only expand the illegal street trade, as is already the case with hard drugs. This will cause more trouble as the police and enforcement currently do not have the capacity to control this.

Will the i-criterion become a reality?

Whether this regulation will actually be introduced is still unclear. Halsema first wants to discuss this measure to reduce drug nuisance with the new city council. It is possible that in the future tourists will no longer have access to coffeeshops in the Netherlands.

Want to continue the discussion?

Visit our coffeeshop in Amsterdam. You will find the coffee shop The Border on the border of Amsterdam and Amstelveen. We are open every day of the week. Check our current opening hours here. See you soon!

Thailand is the first country in Asia to legalize marijuana for medical use. Thailand previously maintained strict laws regarding drug use. This now appears to be changing. In doing so, Thailand is following the example of countries where medical marijuana has already been legalized, including Australia, Israel, Germany, Canada, and 30 states within the U.S. Wondering what exactly has changed in Thailand? And whether you can now find a coffee shop like The Border – the best coffeeshop in Amsterdam – in Thailand? Read it here.

Previous drug policy in Thailand

Legalizing marijuana is a big step in a country that usually takes a strict stance against drug use. All contact with drugs used to be illegal and therefore a criminal offense, especially drug dealing. If you were accused of this in Thailand, you could spend your life in a Thai prison, or even face the death penalty. 

Recently, however, there have been a number of developments that legalize the use of marijuana in certain cases.

Recent developments

Recently, adjustments have been made regarding the law for growing, selling and consuming cannabis in Thailand. The new adjustment to the law that was initiated on February 8, 2022, means that cannabis and hemp are no longer recognized as narcotics. This means that they will be seen as regular plants that you may grow at home. The cannabis produced from the plants may also be sold.

One exception is cannabis with a THC value of more than 0.2%. This remains illegal as was the case in the past. This is also the reason why legal cannabis will mainly be used for medicinal purposes. The high you experience from marijuana with a THC value of less than 0.2% is almost unnoticeable compared to the marijuana you buy in the coffeeshop in Amsterdam. At regular coffeeshops THC values average around 10-20%.

Although the law for the use of marijuana in Thailand has already been accepted, another 4 months will pass until this law is implemented. After 4 months, marijuana may be used and sold legally, provided it meets the mentioned conditions and the appropriate licenses have been applied for and granted.

Why medicinal use?

Cannabis has been used for medicinal purposes for many years. It can have many positive benefits for people who are struggling with a serious illness. For example, it is often seen that someone with a disease such as cancer can sleep better by taking cannabis products.

It is important to note that cannabis and its derivatives cannot cure someone of a disease. However, cannabis can help relieve symptoms. Medicinal cannabis is always cannabis with a low THC value. Getting ‘high’ is therefore not the desired effect of medicinal cannabis. However, the other effects of cannabis are desirable and can help with pain relief, reduces anxiety, and increases appetite.

Cannabis and the Thai economy

The legalization of marijuana and cannabis in Thailand does not only have positive effects on the physical and mental well-being of the population. It will also have a positive impact on the Thai economy.

The cannabis market worldwide is large. It is estimated that this market will be worth as much as 55 trillion by 2025. Thailand does not want to miss the opportunity to benefit from this growing market.

Nevertheless, the Thai government wants to take into account the disadvantages of legalizing the drug. In a country with minimal resources and fierce corruption, the distinction between medicinal and recreational use is not easy to distinguish.

Want to continue the discussion of cannabis legalization?

You are welcome in our coffeeshop in Amsterdam. You will find us on the border between Amsterdam and Amstelveen. We are open daily. You can find the current opening hours of coffeeshop The Border here. See you soon!

Did you believe that the Netherlands would be the first country in the EU to legalize the recreational use of cannabis? Well, you are wrong. The Netherlands has indeed been a forerunner in the decriminalization of cannabis for a long time. With the introduction of the tolerance policy, you can smoke a joint here since 1976. You don’t have to worry then that this will have criminal consequences. In the meantime, however, other EU countries have surpassed the Netherlands in implementing this endeavor. Malta legalizes cannabis. The country voted in December to be the first EU country to fully legalize Cannabis. And Malta is not the only European country to overtake us. Luxembourg, Germany and Italy are also in the process of legalizing cannabis.

Malta legalizes cannabis: what will change

In Malta, the use, cultivation and purchase of limited quantities of cannabis has been legalized. However, this is subject to a number of conditions. For example, you may possess up to 7 grams of cannabis. Also adults may grow up to four cannabis plants at home.

Weed is then sold in small quantities at special designated associations. These associations are not allowed to make a profit from the sale of cannabis. In addition, these associations are also not allowed to advertise their sales. Have you been previously convicted of a criminal offense related to the cultivation, transportation or sale of cannabis? Than you are not allowed to join these associations.

Smoking weed in public also remains prohibited in Malta as does lighting up a joint in the presence of minors. If you are caught doing so, you will be fined a staggering €500.

Malta legalizes cannabis for these reasons

When Owen Bonnici was asked why Malta legalized cannabis, he said that his government did not want to encourage the use of drugs. But it believed that the harsh treatment of cannabis users was “disproportionate and unjust”. Also it believed that this treatment “caused a lot of suffering. He pointed out that cannabis users were condemned to the black market, and that this entailed many dangers and nuisances

Despite the “war on drugs”, several countries are planning to legalize the recreational use of cannabis. This in addition to its medicinal use. There seem to be a number of reasons for this. Owen Bonnici briefly mentions them.

The fact that countries are now in the process of legalizing cannabis is due to a decision by the United Nations . The United Nations decided to remove cannabis from the list of dangerous drugs. Cannabis appears to be much less addictive and toxic than tobacco or alcohol and tobacco, for example. In addition, the social damage also appears to be less than initially feared. In fact, no direct correlation can be seen between national policies and the actual number of users. For example, countries like France and Sweden have a stricter policy than the Netherlands, but more cannabis users respectively.

In addition, by legalizing cannabis you can reduce the illegal trade and therefore crime. Users are no longer dependent on the black market. And coffee shop owners do not have to get their products through the back door. Ultimately, this will also benefit the quality of the products.

When will the Netherlands legalize?

Weed is still officially illegal in the Netherlands. But under strict conditions its sale and use is still allowed. We call this the tolerance policy. Anyone over the age of 18 may have 5 grams of marijuana with them. You will not be prosecuted for this. Would you like to grow your own marijuana plants? This is possible! You may grow up to 5 plants yourself.

In addition, there are rules for coffeeshops about how large the supply of marijuana may be. And alsounder what conditions it may be sold. Of course, it is important that the coffee shop does not cause any inconvenience.

But how does the future look for the Netherlands? Is the Netherlands finally ready to move from tolerance to legalisation? From the plans of the new Rutte government, the focus for now is on the experiments that started last year. Ten growers will legally supply cannabis to coffeeshops. With this, the cabinet hopes to find out the advantages and disadvantages of legal cultivation are. And of course how much they should produce end what the quality of the cannabis should be. Last they are still figuring out how long cannabis can be stored and what the final price should be.

For the time being, no government weed in our coffeeshop in Amsterdam

The government will wait for the results of the experiments. Therefore legalization of cannabis will not take place in the four next years. In our coffeeshop we will not sell governmental cannabis for the time being. Of course we are in favor of further regulation of cannabis and normalization of our business. Therefore we are looking forward to the results of the experiments. Of course, you can still visit our coffeeshop in Amsterdam for the other quality products you are used to. We are currently open from 08.00 to 00.00 (but please note that this can change). We look forward to seeing you soon in the best coffee shop in Amsterdam

A Dutch coffeeshop is a special kind of business. That special nature lies mainly in the fact that a coffeeshop sells a product (cannabis) that is illegal yet allowed to be sold in a coffeeshop under strict rules. Because the product is illegal, it is not possible for the coffeeshop to purchase this product from a legal grower. It is therefore dependent on the illegal circuit and must pay its suppliers in cash.

Unfortunately, the banking institutions in the Netherlands no longer want to cooperate with this so-called “tolerance policy” of the Dutch government and have announced that will stop supplying cash to the coffeeshops. Because people mainly pay with debit cards, the coffeeshops are now faced with a shortage of cash. Therefore we request you to pay in cash at coffeeshop The Border Amsterdam.

Thanks for understanding,

The Border Crew