DUTCH DRUG POLICY SHAKEN BY COFFEE SHOP CLOSURES

Two southern Dutch town mayors have taken the dramatic step of shutting down all local businesses currently legally selling cannabis. It's the first time a blanket stop has been introduced in a Dutch town. The two towns, Bergen op Zoom and Roosendaal, claim they are suffering from the nuisance caused by foreign tourists in search of soft drugs banned in their own countries.

In total eight coffeeshops, the name used for the outlets allowed to sell cannabis, will close their doors for good in the municipalities.Neither of the two mayors are opposed to the sale or use of cannabis in principle. As far as they are concerned, it is the public nuisance that goes hand in hand with coffeeshops that they are trying to tackle. "There are 25,000 drug tourists per week who visit these coffeeshops," says Mayor Han Polman of Bergen op Zoom. read more (radionetherlands.nl)

JUSTICE MINISTER BACKS CANNABIS CAFE CLOSURE read more (nrc.nl)DUTCH BORDER TOWNS CLOSE COFFEE-SHOPS read more (expatica.com)
BORDER TOWNS SHUT DOWN CANNABIS CAFES read more (nrc.nl)
MAASTRICHT MAYOR WANTS DRUGS SUMMIT read more (dutchnews.nl)POLICE TO CRACK DOWN ON CANNABIS EXPORT read more (nrc.nl)SELLING SOFT DRUGS IS NOT A RIGHT EVEN IN THE NETHERLANDS
read more (nrc.nl)
THE FUTURE OF THE COFFEE SHOP read more
ZERO TOLERANCE DRUGS POLICY QUESTIONED read more

more features

October 27, 2008