Image courtesy of Flickr user eggrole
The marijuana pass (or the 'weed pass' as it has come to be called) is being introduced all over the Netherlands. The idea behind the pass is that only pass holders will be permitted in  coffee shops.* Only people living in the Netherlands qualify for the pass.
It is the hope that these stricter regulations will deter drug tourism - foreigners crossing over the border into the Netherlands to benefit from the country's drug tolerance practice.
People from the UK, Ireland, and the neighboring countries of Germany and Belgium are the most frequent drug tourists.
There are been reports of public disturbance and criminal activity as a result of drug tourism in the Netherlands, and the Dutch government is hoping to combat this by putting the pass system in place.
The system was first introduced on May 1st of this year in the southern provinces of Limburg, Brabandt, and Zeeland.
In January 2013, it will make its way to Amsterdam.
Members of the city council, including mayor Eberhard van der Laan, are opposed to the new law as they fear the damage it will do to Amsterdam's tourism industry.
A city with an income largely dependent on tourism in general, Amsterdam can't really afford to lose any more punters, particularly with significant budget cuts on the table.
In a survey conducted by the Amsterdam Tourism and Convention Board from January to December 2011, of the 6,691 Dutch and foreign tourists who took the survey, more than sixteen percent cite coffeeshops and soft drugs as being their main reason for visiting the city.
Whether or not that was a main reason for coming to Amsterdam, the report also showed that thirty-five percent of tourists will indulge in soft drug usage at some point during their stay.
There's also the Hash Marihuana & Hemp Museum which just reopened in April of this year, which stands to see a decrease in visitors once the law is passed.
And whatever shall we do about the Cannabis Cup, an event that takes place in Amsterdam each November where judges from all over the world can sample a variety of marijuana and vote for their favorite?
So, if you were planning on smokin' the ganja during your next visit, you may want to head on over to Amsterdam sooner rather than later and get your fill. Once 2013 rolls around, no pass means no grass.
*"Wait a minute," I can hear you thinking. "Don't you go to coffee shops to get coffee?" Not in the Netherlands you don't. I like Wikipedia's definition best: "Coffeeshops are establishments in the Netherlands where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities."
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