News » Copenhagen Votes to Legalize Marijuana

November 21, 2011 by Aaron Turpen

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Photo: Euro Holiday

Even as Amsterdam and other cities in Northern Europe begin to lose marijuana tourism due to a new law restricting “cafes” to residents only, the Danish capital of Copenhagen is taking a different tack. The city council voted Thursday to legalize marijuana in the city.

“We don’t want an Amsterdam model,” says Mikkel Warming, speaking for the council. “We’re thinking of perhaps 30 to 40 public sales houses. Who is it better for youngsters to buy marijuana from? A drug pusher, who wants them to use more, who wants them to buy hard drugs, or a civil servant? We want a way to make it legal to import and grow marijuana.”

The council vote was 39-9 in favor of the plan, but the proposal still has to be approved by the Danish Parliament. Whether or not this happens is up the in air, but the council points out that cannabis is openly sold on Pusher Street in the city’s Christiania district.

So if Amsterdam loses its status as the cannabis tourism capital, perhaps Denmark’s Copenhagen will replace it.

[via Celeb Stoner]

Tags: Amsterdam, christiania, copenhagen, danish, denmark, Dutch, legalization, marijuana, Netherlands