Tue, 9 February 2010
Text size
The Hague -- Coffee shops may soon be off limits to tourists, reports the ANP news agency Tuesday.
In the government's revised drug policy, tolerance for soft-drug use would continue to apply to coffee shops serving a limited local market, but the rules will change for foreigners, inside sources told the ANP.
Ministers will officially discuss changes to the drug policy Friday.
Since 1976, the purchase of small amounts of cannabis through coffee shops has been permitted in the Netherlands, while cultivation and mass retail remained forbidden.
The nearly 700 coffee shops country-wide are allowed to keep no more than 500 grammes (about 17 ounces) on site, according to the French news agency AFP.
A commission was formed in early 2009 to examine the current policy and develop recommendations that will form the basis of Friday's discussion.
Soft-drug use in the Netherlands has been hotly debated since the government decided to re-evaluate its policies.
On one hand, some government officials believe the current lax policy has let the crime situation in the Netherlands “get out of hand” over the past 15 years, according to a report on nu.nl.
Several border cities, including Roosendaal and Bergen-op-Zoom, announced in March the closure from September of all eight of their coffee shops in a bid to curb the "nuisance" of 25,000 drug tourists per week, the AFP reported in July.
However, there is much disagreement on the subject.
"Prohibiting cannabis has undesirable effects: it promotes trafficking, criminality, a black market economy and a poor quality product," Jacqueline Woerlee, a spokeswoman for the Association for the Abolition of Cannabis Prohibition, told AFP during the 10th annual Global Marijuana March in May 2009.
The commission has said it supported neither the banning nor the full legalisation of cannabis.
An official government policy paper is expected autumn 2009.
Jennifer Evans / Expatica
another incredibly backward step in hollands drug policy..........holland once was the most forward thinking/acting countries in the world now it is run by religious right wing party that doesnt even notice that the rest of the world has woken up to the fact that cannabis has never killed a single person in the history of the world and has recently adopted a "dutch approach to curb the violence associated with real drugs such as heroin and cocaine
I've spent thousands of dollars in the Netherlands because of their respect for marijuana smokers. No I know the Dutch gov't is just as full of it as my gov't. I'll take my dollars elsewhere and watch as their economy dies and miserable death especially the hotel industry. Smart move morons.
Jesus! POT should be legal EVERYWHERE!
This is stupid!
Wow, I can't say "Only in America" anymore!!
HEY OBAMA!!! LEGALIZE IT!! WE PROMISE NOT TO BE TO LAZY TO HELP YOU CATCH THE REAL CRIMINALS!! ( You just gotta provide the snacks!! ; )
NOW IS THE TIME PRESIDENT OBAMA!! If the Dutch are going to DO THAT then let's legalize it and TAKE THEIR TOURIST DOLLARS!! OUR COUNTRY NEEDS IT!!
We can still leave the prostitutes in Vegas though. Imagine the MONEY!!
Hey Melanie, you read my mind! NOW IS THE TIME!
I thoroughly agree.. now s the tme to legalize in the USA. We may as well get the tourist dollars if they don\'t want it. North America is, indeed, in need of this CASH CROP.
We are scouting for editorial and marketing interns to work from our Haarlem head office.
This person will work closely with the sales team and the sales director. He or she will be based at Expatica's Haarlem headquarters but will also work at least 2 days per week in our Brussels office.
Are you interested in joining Expatica for an internship within our finance / administration department?
A guide to telephone, internet and television along with utility services water, electricity and gas in the Netherlands.
Lost in the Dutch immigration system? Look no further than this guide compiled for our Survival Guide 2009.
Some basic facts and figures about living and working in the Netherlands.
The challenges and benefits of the maternity system in the Netherlands and how it differs to other countries.
Twitter
LinkedIn
Facebook
Flickr
General rating: Not rated yet
Rate article:
Add my rating