Amid Brexit Fallout, Amsterdam’s Coffeeshops to Ban Brits

[dropcap class=”kp-dropcap”]B[/dropcap]ritain’s messy divorce from the European Union (EU) has been called “a disaster.” In retaliation, Amsterdam’s city council announced its plan to issue a rule banning British nationals from entering koffieshops, or cannabis coffeeshops, once Brexit is finalized.

In 2016, British citizens hastily voted to leave the EU, and the withdrawal date was scheduled for March 29. A series of delays and setbacks slowed the process down. Critics have pointed out the list of devastating consequences of leaving the EU, such as the inevitable impact on Britain’s economy, and retaliatory measures have been taken across multiple industries.

Dutch News reports that even though British tourists make up at least 60 percent of the clientele of coffeeshops, that trend will soon end. Before Brexit, Article 2 of Protocol no. 4 of the European Convention on Human Rights would have allowed Brits to protect their right to visit any business in the Netherlands without discrimination. But those protections, including the “freedom of movement,” will soon expire with the implementation of Brexit.

“When British nationals are no longer European, they will not be able to use coffee shops,” Bas‘t Aard, spokesman for Amsterdam’s 45-member city council told Dutch News. “We will roll up a massive cross-media campaign to make them aware of the fact as soon as Brexit happens.”

It’s not the only way the Dutch government plans on punishing cannabis-smoking Brits for leaving the European Union. “Ring-fencing citizens’ rights won’t include smoking weed in Amsterdam,” Mary Jaine, a senior researcher on drugs policy in the EU said. “And the EU is considering placing portable urinals alongside passport queues so that Brits can be drug tested on entry and exit.”

Sadly Amsterdam’s coffeeshops will undoubtedly suffer as well, given the fact that over half of their business comes from British tourism. The latest extension request for the fulfillment of Brexit was set for June 30, but that date could likely change again. Some citizens of Britain and the European Union hope for another referendum to change the course of action, and an abundance of conflicting signals abound.