Amsterdam Seeks Outdoor Weed Ban in Red-Light District

  • Mayor has called guests who ‘lose their morals’ a problem
  • Alcohol sales to be limited under municipality’s proposal
Pedestrians gather near a coffeeshop in the Red Light District of Amsterdam on Dec. 10, 2022.Photographer: Stefano Guidi/Getty Images

The city of Amsterdam is seeking to ban outdoor marijuana smoking and limit the sale of alcohol in its famed red-light district.

The proposals seek to limit the nuisance caused by mass tourism, alcohol consumption and drug use, according to a statement on the city’s website. They align with Mayor Femke Halsema’s campaign to discourage visitors from coming to Amsterdam to take a “vacation from morals.”