Cannabis Shut Down - Eurad

If the Dutch government sticks to its pledge to close coffee shops within 350 metres walking distance from all types of school, 6 out of 10 coffee shops will shut down according to a new survey.

6 out of 10 shut down

The survey was carried out by the Dutch newspaper NRC Handelsblad,Dutch News report.

The newspaper conducted its survey in the 14 Dutch municipalities which have ten or more coffee shops. Together, these 14 towns have 442 of the more than 660 coffee shops that exist in the Netherlands.

On the basis of the new cabinet's soft drug policy, 57.9 percent of these cannabis-selling coffee shops would have to be closed.In other words, 6 out of 10 shops will have to shut down.

In Amsterdam alone,187 of the current 223 coffee shops would have to close their doors.Amsterdam city council is strongly opposed to the government's plans, arguing they will encourage street dealers.

In its survey, NRC Handelsblad used a walking distance of 350 metres as the basis for its calculations. However, if the cabinet were to use a distance of 350 metres in a straight line as the basis for its calculations, the number of coffee shops facing closure would be even higher.

Protecting children

The purpose of the shut down of coffe houses in shool areas is protecting children and young adults from exposure to cannabis. Research has shown that exposure to drugs increase the risk of using.

EURAD President Renee Besseling is pleased with the governments proposal, but believes more government measures are needed to ensure that every child has a drug free environment:

- Parent organizations in Europe have protested during the last 25 years against coffee shops. To move the coffee shops 350 meter from schools is positive, but it does not solve the problem. Some extra meters make a change in distance to the drug physically, but not on how children view the drug. The message to children and community is still mixed, and the coffee shops are still close to children’s homes. People can and will pass the coffee shops anyway or know where to find them. Buyers and sellers are still creating a drug market which promotes nuisance, crime and drug addiction.

Government measures

The government is due to publish a green paper on drugs.This will include plans to introduce passes for so-called coffee shops where locals can buy small quantities of soft drugs.

The EU court paved the way for the introduction of passes in 2010 when it stated that the southern Dutch city of Maastricht was within its rights when it introduced a "weed passport" in 2005 to prevent foreigners from entering cafes that sell marijuana.

The passports were aimed at curbing problems by so-called drug tourists who drove to the city from nearby Belgium and Germany to buy marijuana.The ruling came in an important test case for the country's crackdown on cannabis coffee shops.

Read more here: Cannabis Tourism Ban