31/05/2007 01:00:00
Netherlands: Rotterdam bans cannabis-selling cafes near schools
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Almost half of Rotterdam's coffee shops will be forced to stop selling
cannabis because they are too close to secondary schools, Dutch news
agency ANP reported on Thursday.
The move comes as part of a tougher Dutch line on the drug, which is
legally banned in the country but tolerated for use in small amounts if
it is bought in coffee shops.
The coffee shops are a major attraction to the many young tourists that
visit the Netherlands every year, but they are becoming increasingly
regulated.
Some are now no longer allowed to serve alcohol, and if one shuts down
it cannot be replaced by another.
Due to the growing use of soft drugs among school pupils and problems
caused by their sale and consumption, Rotterdam has decided to ban 27
shops within a 200 metre radius of secondary schools from selling
cannabis, starting in 2009, ANP said.
The new laws will not cover primary schools, as primary school children
hardly ever consume cannabis, it said.
There are about 700 coffee shops in the Netherlands, which, according to
industry estimates, bring in more than 1 billion euros (678 million
pounds) a year.
Source:
http://www.ukcia.org/news/shownewsarticle.php?articleid=12581
Author:
The Scotsman via UKCIA
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