Amsterdam - On April 20, 2012, cannabis lovers from all over the Netherlands and around the world will come to Amsterdam.

They come to show that they will not be discriminated by the Dutch government.The 'Weed pass' policy discriminates Dutch against same other Dutch by not allowing them in other coffee shops than where the person is officially registered as a member. With this, the policy courses the Dutch Cannabis user into illegality, because they will be designated to street trade outside their own community.The foreigners are discriminated against based on origin without a valid reason, namely that the nuisance surrounding coffee shops is caused by foreigners explicitly. They are denied based on the so-called neighboring country principle.

The tourist is thus no longer allowed into the coffee shop but may still smoke pot and carry around up to 5 grams of marijuana in the Netherlands without thereby coming across legal problems. Logical consequence: the tourist also turns to the street.

The basic and main pillar of the Dutch tolerance policy is to protect public health, aiming to a separation of markets between hard and soft drugs. The coffee shops were the chosen means it was then decided.There, those who like to enjoy the plant could safely smoke a pipe or joint of which they were sure it was clean and of good quality.Without having to go to street traders for their weed, who except a selection of real hard drugs also often sell very unreliable weed.

Before, someone (over 18), who would like to try cannabis once, could come to the coffee shop where they did not come into contact with hard drugs.Now, those people will be VERY dependent on the street trade.Sporadic blowers that only smoke a joint a few times a year will not register for coffee shop clubs.Indeed, some will stop, but many will also return to the illegal street traders.

The 'Weed pass' policy courses both the Dutch cannabis lovers and foreign cannabis tourists to the streets.So this is in complete contrast with the basic principles of the Dutch tolerance policy.

The enforcement of the new ‘weed pass’ policy will only come into effect on May 1, 2012! And so blowers from the Netherlands and from many European and international countries will come to Amsterdam on April 20, 2012. To enjoy the freedom to use cannabis in Dutch coffee shops one more time.And to show that they will not abide by the requirements.

Why April 20, 2012?

420 or 4-20 or 4:20 are numbers, dates and times that are known in the Cannabis Culture as the common 'code word' to smoke a joint.It originally stems from a group of students in the U.S. that agreed to smoke a joint together after school every day at 4:20 PM. Gradually this story distributed among the other blowers of that school and eventually the cannabis media heard it and also started using the term.

4-20 is thus the date April 20 and 4:20 PM has become the time when many cannabis users come together in groups in parks and at universities to peacefully smoke a joint. Occasions like these are called 'Smoke-Out'. Such Smoke-Outs are also held in places where marijuana use is prohibited such as many universities in the USA. The police usually do not act on such occasions unless it is being traded. Everyone therefore brings along with his/her own joint.

This phenomenon slowly moves itself to the Netherlands in recent years. With the upcoming new 'weed pass' policy, many are planning to let themselves be heard and seen once more this year on April 20, thus before the enforcement of these rules, in Amsterdam, so they come here to enjoy the Dutch freedom in terms of cannabis use.

It is likely that several Smoke-Outs will be formed in protest against the discriminatory 'Weed pass’ rules.