43 Amsterdam coffee shops to close doors

[FruityBud]

Amsterdam Council plans to shut 43 out of the capital's 228 popular marijuana-selling coffee shops in support of a Dutch Government bid to protect schoolchildren from drugs.

The cafés are a big tourist draw and resemble ordinary coffee bars but include a cannabis menu detailing several varieties of the drug.

The city's Labour Lord Mayor Job Cohen said the businesses due to close were all within an "unacceptable" 200 metres of schools.

Peter Veling, a spokesman for the Cannabis Union in the Netherlands, said the closures were unnecessary as coffee shop owners carefully monitored customer's ages, banning schoolchildren.

"They know a school aged customer found on the premises would mean instant closure of the coffee shop."

One of cafés due to close is The Bulldog, a popular tourist attraction that is housed in a former police headquarters, that is considered too close to a high school called the Barlaeus Gymnasium.

Margriet Bosman, the School Principal, is opposed to the ban because coffee shops are not allowed to sell cannabis to under 18 year olds.

”We don't think it's very useful. We actually think it's just for show,”

”Children will get their drugs if they want to anyway, and closing the shops which are quite regulated, like The Bulldog, is not a very good solution to this problem.”

But one of Mrs Bosman's pupils painted a different picture: “We go to a school where lots of people smoke joints and that kind of stuff, so I think they won't like it very much that The Bulldog is closing.”

Mr Cohen is in favour of legalising soft drugs but not before a proposed government inquiry into possible criminal connections between soft drugs and the outlawed hard drug industry.

He chaired a conference in Almere on Friday which brought 40 lord mayors from around Holland together to discuss the future of soft drug sales in Holland. Mr Cohen believes banning soft drugs will criminalise the trade, resulting in an increase in drug related crime.

For the same reason, he is also against a recent Government decision to ban the sale of Magic Mushrooms, another famous Amsterdam tourist attraction. The ban is due to come into force on Dec 1.

hxxp://tinyurl.com/6ybexr

 

[That crazy vancouver guy]

That sounds totally reasonable... a 200 meter buffer zone around schools... I mean, come on... it might as well be IN the school if it's within 200m....

 

[Lastritez]

I have to disagree somewhat TCVG, it just means that the kids will have to walk 201m now, or just pop into one closer to home or en route to school. If kids are able to purchase MJ illegaly through coffee shops, a blanket rule like this will most likely get those shops that regulary sell to kids, but will also close responsible businesses who don't, but it won't stop shops that are just outside of this area who also sell to kids. I wonder if the shop owners who are forced to shut up shop are given the chance to relocate outside of the area, and offered some kind of compensation. Don't get me wrong, I think supplying kids with drugs isn't a good thing, but in reality they will still get hold of their MJ from another shop a bit further away, or go through 'illegal' channels to do it. Instead of forcing shops who DO act responsibly to close, maybe stricter monitoring or make it compulsory that within that 200m area, everyone must supply ID. I have no doubt that some of the shops within this area will supply knowingly to underage customers, and yes those shops should be dealt with. I don't like blanket rules that punish the innocent in an attempt to catch the guilty, but the news story doesn't say what options are being made available to the shops who are forced to close (relocation, compensation, etc).

Having said that I do like the Mayors overall attitude, wish we had someone like him here. I do agree that 200m is a bit close to schools, but I am viewing this from the point of view of someone who lives in a country which still has a government with a closed mind when it comes to MJ, which I believe will 'affect' peoples judgement, even mine. People in the dam have grown up with this culture, so coffee shops and their wares are as normal to them as having a local shop is to us.

I can understand where they are coming from though, just not a fan of blanket rules to catch out the guilty few, but again, there is no mention on what, if anything, is being offered to the 'responsible' shop owners.

I was looking forward to returning to the bulldog when I have the finances for a trip to the dam again.

 

[Puffin Afatty]

OK, so are you saying that a health class in bong hits, a section of the home economics class dedicated to bong cleaning, the making of a bong in shop class, in biology class cloning 101, or a senior class trip to Dampring is also a bit much :confused2:

:rofl:

 

[nikimadritista]

I hate the Mushroom Ban!
Just ordered my last legally purchased Magic mail from NL... :guitar:
The news of Coffee Shops near schools ban is scary.. I think this dutch government is soon to propose banning MJ all over Holland.. A friend that lives in Belgium told me Coffee Shops near the Dutch border will also be closed to make it harder for smugglers to buy the herb... This stinks.. Instead of other countries waking up and also legalizing the stuff they put more pressure on the NL to criminalize it again...
Why is this world ruled by those mindless selfish *******s????
How did we let this happen???