topics
tools
Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2280.22 -0.26
DAX 6748.76 -0.08
IBEX 30 8849.3 0.03
CAC 40 3410 -0.05
FTSE 100 5875.93 -0.24
AEX 325.33 -0.20
DJIA 12883.95 0.04
Nasdaq 2915.86 0.41
FTSE MIB 16669.22 1.08
TSX Composite 12521.02 0.07
ASX 4363.7 0.43
Hang seng 21018.46 1.54
Straits Times 2982.2 0.83
ISEQ 20 502.05 -0.58
You are here: Home News Dutch News Dutch coffeeshops to challenge cannabis ban again

Dutch News

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


25/09/2009Dutch coffeeshops to challenge cannabis ban again

Coffeeshops in Roosendaal and Bergen-op-Zoom will once again present their case against the cannabis ban in court on Friday.

The Hague – Coffeeshops in two Dutch towns near the Belgian border banned from selling cannabis – in order to prevent drug tourism – are to bring another court challenge against a ban, a court official said on Friday.
Two hearings are to be held before the district court in the southern Dutch city of Breda on 2 October – one before an administrative judge and another before a civil one, said the spokesman.

The mayors of Roosendaal and Bergen-op-Zoom, some 15 kilometres apart, announced in 2008 that all eight coffeeshops within their borders would be barred from selling cannabis from 16 September.

The move was aimed at staving off some 25,000 marijuana-smoking tourists, mainly French and Belgian, who flood their communities every week.

Six of the coffeeshops had lost an application before the same court against the mayors' decision the day before the ban entered into force.

Only one of the eight affected coffeeshops opened its doors on 16 September, insisting it was selling "only coffee".

The coffeeshops can continue operating as ordinary bars or cafes, but violation of the drugs ban would be punishable by a five-year closure.

The consumption and possession of small amounts of cannabis have been decriminalised since 1976 in the Netherlands, where it is sold in about 700 licensed coffeeshops.

The national Dutch government announced plans this month to limit drug tourism by reserving hundreds of cannabis-vending coffeeshops for locals.

AFP / Expatica 


1 reaction to this article

lightning posted: 2009-09-25 17:52:53

I would have thought banning other Europeans from entering the coffee shops on the basis they are not Dutch would have been in breach of the European human rights accords..If somebodyis in the country legallysurely they are free to shopin the stores but then I am just some Aussie stoner so what would I know.

Add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating


1 reaction to this article

lightning posted: 2009-09-25 17:52:53

I would have thought banning other Europeans from entering the coffee shops on the basis they are not Dutch would have been in breach of the European human rights accords..If somebodyis in the country legallysurely they are free to shopin the stores but then I am just some Aussie stoner so what would I know.

Add a comment
Discussion Forums

Dutch News

Get rid of the word allochtoon

Healthcare in the Netherlands

Insurance making you pay for the past!

Indians in the Netherlands

Attestation of documents from Indian embassy

Dutch News

“Party for Freedom” launches website to report on foreigners

Legal Problems in the Netherlands

Problem with Internet Provider

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Setting up home in the Netherlands

Setting up home in the Netherlands

A guide to telephone, internet and television along with utility services water, electricity and gas in the Netherlands.

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Dutch immigration and residency regulations

Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2012.

A brief introduction to the Netherlands

A brief introduction to the Netherlands

Expatica offers a whistle-stop tour of life in the modern Netherlands.

Giving birth in the Netherlands

Giving birth in the Netherlands

The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.