Smoking weed on the streets of Amsterdam‘s inner city will soon be banned, the city’s council has announced.
The destination has long been known for cannabis but local residents have complained that overtourism is making the centre of the city unlivable. More than 18 million travellers visited Amsterdam last year.
“Residents of the old town suffer a lot from mass tourism and alcohol and drug abuse in the streets,” the council said in a statement.
“Tourists also attract street dealers who in turn cause crime and insecurity.”
They added that the atmosphere can “get grim, especially at night” when people who are under the influence hang around for a long time.
Now smoking joints in public in the inner city is set to be outlawed from mid-May. If the situation doesn’t improve, the council is considering extending the ban to include the terraces of cannabis coffee shops.