AMSTERDAM - A Dutch court Friday upheld a new law that will prevent foreigners from buying marijuana in coffee shops across the Netherlands, potentially ending decades of “pot tourism’’ for which this city and others became universally known.
A group of coffee shops had challenged the government plan, launched after southern cities in the Netherlands complained of increased levels of drug-related crime. The decision means that coffee shops in the south must stop selling marijuana to foreigners by May 1. They would be allowed to introduce a so-called “weed pass’’ for Dutch citizens, who would be legally permitted to keep buying cannabis. The plan would roll out to other Dutch cities, including the popular tourist center of Amsterdam, by next year.
Look$ like $ome Dutch citizen$ will become dealer$.
The Netherlands is moving toward tighter controls on its renowned liberal policy on the sale of marijuana as other countries, including the United States, are engaging in increasingly heated debates over the legalization of “soft drugs.’’
Related: Obama Administration Goes to Pot
Looks kind of harsh to me.
Lawyers for the Netherlands’ cannabis cafes - which number more than 600 - argued that forbidding foreigners from buying marijuana while allowing Dutch citizens to do so was illegal under national antidiscrimination laws. They vowed on Friday to appeal the case. A Dutch judge in the Hague on Friday ruled that the new law was legal because of increased criminality linked to the Dutch drug trade.
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Lawyers for the Netherlands’ cannabis cafes - which number more than 600 - argued that forbidding foreigners from buying marijuana while allowing Dutch citizens to do so was illegal under national antidiscrimination laws. They vowed on Friday to appeal the case. A Dutch judge in the Hague on Friday ruled that the new law was legal because of increased criminality linked to the Dutch drug trade.
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Injured woman dies day after Netherlands train crash
