Amsterdam’s Red Light District will enforce a new ban and other rules starting mid-May. Visitors to the district will no longer be allowed to smoke cannabis.
Under the new rules, Sex workers will have to close shop at 3 a.m.
It’s been a long-awaited move pushed by residents who have long complained of disruption caused by tourists and want to improve their liveability.
Local media reported that almost all councilors supported taking action to reduce nuisance to residents, the BBC reported.
The city council also agreed that restaurants and bars would close by 2 am on Fridays and Saturdays, and no new visitors would be allowed to enter the old city district after 1 am.
Although it’s illegal to sell alcohol from shops, liquor stores, and cafes in the red light district from Thursday to Sunday after 4 pm, the council will ask these vendors to remove alcohol from their shopfronts during that time or place them out of view.
Amsterdam is widely known for its large amount of cannabis cafes that bring in millions of tourists a year. However, locals have complained that the cafes attract street dealers and that drug and alcohol abuse is increasing crime.
In addition to the new laws, the Amsterdam council will launch its “stay away” campaign starting in the spring to target tourists traveling to the capital for drugs, alcohol, and sex purposes.
