A Dutch court has upheld the so-called 'weed pass' law which would prevent foreigners from buying marijuana in some Dutch cities:
A Dutch court on Friday upheld a new law that will prevent foreigners from buying marijuana in coffee shops across the Netherlands, potentially ending decades of “pot tourism” for which this city and others became universally known.
A group of coffee shops had challenged the government plan, launched after southern cities in the Netherlands complained of increased levels of drug-related crime. The decision means that coffee shops in the south must stop selling marijuana to foreigners by May 1. They would be allowed to introduce a so-called “weed pass” for Dutch citizens, who would be legally permitted to keep buying cannabis. The plan would roll out to other Dutch cities, including the popular tourist center of Amsterdam, by next year.
Amsterdam coffee-shop owners are pledging to resist the laws with civil disobedience, if necessary. Lots of people think it's already illegal for foreigners to buy marijuana in Amsterdam, but that's not the case, as I can personally confirm.
The background to this is simple: Southern Dutch cities on the border with Germany, most notoriously Venlo, do have a problem with pot tourists. Since Germany has decided to waste scarce resources on the futile enterprise of marijuana prohibition (g)*, many Germans cross the border to buy dope. It also helps that Dutch marijuana is generally pretty good, or at least better than what you can get in Germany. Most of these pot tourists are lower-class punters who clog the cheapest trains with their pit bulls and bargain beer and tattooed bodies. They often do hang out and 'party' near the towns where they buy their weed, causing problems. So I have sympathy with the Dutch border towns about this problem.
Amsterdam, however, is a different story. The desire to legally smoke delicious, high-quality marijuana is a prime motivation for a not-inconsiderable number of tourists visits, and the business is highly profitable and doesn't cause too many problems. Many Amsterdam residents know this and are keen to preserve coffeeshops, even if they don't partake themselves. I'd be very surprised indeed to see the ban reach Amsterdam.
* It's true that enforcement of marijuana laws in Germany is quite relaxed. Each state has a limit under which marijuana is considered for personal use and not prosecuted, and police generally put a very low priority on busting dope smokers. Nevertheless, selling marijuana is still illegal, and there are still almost 150,000 marijuana-related prosecutions brought every year.