Until recently, the Belgians often dropped in for the marijuana in the Dutch city of Bergen op Zoom and Roosendaal. However, since September 16, 2009 Belgians have to find another kind of entertainment. Or at least change the route of travel.
In February, local authorities bordering the two Dutch cities have adopted a new law under which Bergen-op-SOME and Rosendale to the beginning of the fall should be closed all the coffee shops (ie cafe, where you can buy coffee, marijuana and hashish). According to the mayors, it is the best and, indeed, the only way to end the so-called drug tourism in border towns.
According to official information, each week alone Bergen op Zoom comes 25 thousand narkoturistov. All of them are not paying attention to the border town of attractions, go to the nearest train station coffee shop, bought it marijuana and hashish, and then go out and break all possible laws, including the moral. So the local mayor's office attributed the growing crime rate.
25 thousand?
- Local authorities say that these tourists are committing many crimes, but I do not think that's true. The truth is that the City simply does not know how to deal with crime in the city, and now they have decided to blame everything on marihuanovy business. What nonsense - told me one of the owners of local shops. He asked not to mention neither his name nor the name of the institution. - Police authorities ... they are and so on we pressed. They carefully the monitored media, I have no problems then surely consume. Let's anonymous.
Managers coffee shopami with one voice declare that 25 thousand - a mythical figure, and in their city so many narkoturistov never was.
- 25 thousand? They have this figure from the air taken. Yesterday in my shop has gone only three foreign clients, - said one of the managers Grow shop.
His shop sells cannabis seeds, as well as all sorts of "related products": from pipes and boxes for crushing marihuanovyh cones to trinkets, T-shirts and flags with images of Bob Marley and the actual leaves of the plant. For connoisseurs of the European democracies have souvenirs with political connotations: they depicted a dark-blue flag of the EU, where the yellow stars replaced by the leaves of marijuana. Thin metaphor for a society in which abolished border and there is no strict prohibition on soft drugs.
Grow-shops are still allowed in the Bergen-op-SOME, and as soon as the authorities close them, not collected, but the new law is definitely hit and in this business. Manager starts visibly nervous when it comes to the latest initiative of local authorities: "We have nothing to do with that, it is the law, we must observe, but only that we do now with our business? .."
- Not so many foreigners comes to the coffee shop - the manager complains about the nearby cafes. - Almost all of them disappeared after 1 July 2008. Now they are simply nothing to do. Not in the same pool play ...
Since mid-summer last year in the coffee shops Bergen-op-Zom is strictly prohibited as smoking tobacco and marijuana to hashish. So the closure of coffee shops in this city no longer makes sense, says the seller. "I think the real reason is that in this business revolves too much money and our government wants to put their hands on them. You saw what happened in Arnherne? They now sell marijuana in a building of the urban municipality ... "
Today the usual coffee-shop in Bergen-op-SOME looks like a spa cafe in the off season. A lot of free tables and more staff than customers. From time to time the door opens and enter the cafe rare visitors. Hastily confident gait, they go through the main hall in the small room, where sell marijuana and hashish. People quickly get what they want, and just as quickly go away, pretending nothing had happened.
- Our business is strongly affected by all these laws - continues managing coffee shopom.
I ask him what he was going to do after the Sept. 16, and he sadly says:
- I do not know ... I would like to continue their studies, but the attitude of Dutch Muslims makes me think of returning home. I'm probably going back to Morocco. I live in the Netherlands three years, but for them I am still a foreigner.
Belgians
In Rosendale situation with drug tourism is more serious. From the train station to the nearest coffee-shop - walk two minutes. And this place is quite unlike the empty cafe, barely make ends meet, to four o'clock there were about fifteen visitors. They play table football, drink tea, carefully twisted shoals and where they puff.
Smoking inside a coffee shop in Rosendale is still allowed, so the local schools the atmosphere is quite different. In contrast to the coffee shop Bergen-op-Zoma, the cafe does not look like points of sale of drugs, but rather as a meeting place and recreation. In the noisy smoke-filled room is hard to see a man who quickly made his way to the "menu" - window, under which the samples are different varieties of marijuana and hashish. Things here are slow and even a little lazy, visitors are relaxed, carefree and sellers. On life after Sept. 16 they have not thought it answered reluctantly: "Do not know ... Maybe the owner will open here just a bar? Something so be ... "
The bar sits a young man of twenty-five. He looks like an average visitor of the most ordinary cafe, but only in addition to green tea he ordered more and can not with marijuana. Asked:
- How are you doing, man?
- Normally, - is responsible. - Here I sit smoke ...
Half an hour ago he was still in Belgium, ten minutes ago, got off the train and now scribbling match. Such a journey he makes is not the first time. In a sense, this is such a tradition - come on the weekend in the border city of the Netherlands, to drink tea and smoke a jamb.
- Went to the University in the morning, after school got on the train and came here. Today I decided to visit Roosendaal, just for variety, but usually I go to Maastricht.
Kevin heard about a new initiative by city authorities Roosendaal, but its not too worried.
- What will you do after 16 September?
He calmly shrugged his shoulders:
- I will go to Maastricht.
By the bar counter suit has clearly smoked two Belgian and try to order a martini. "We do not sell alcohol" - is responsible seller. Girls look surprised and frustrated - as if they do not sell alcohol for the first time. Nevertheless, visits to the Netherlands at the weekend for their usual thing. They know what amount of drugs "can be" no problem to smuggle across the border, and are ready to give useful advice to anyone who needs them. But the local law they consider stupid and unfounded.
- Frankly, I do not quite understand why they took the law. It is understandable that after Sept. 16 no one will be better. Marijuana will be exactly the same, just all of it will be illegal. They achieve very different results.
One of these results, naturally, will increase drug tourism in other cities. The main blow themselves will Maastricht, located just three kilometers from the border. In 1992 there was established by the European Union, but the Belgians here implies rather smell of marijuana. However, the local authorities to actively seek a solution to the problem of drug tourism: for example, the mayor Gerd Leers proposed to move all the coffee shops outside the city. On the one hand, loyalty to the Dutch liberal traditions, on the other - the Belgians would not violate the city order.
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