An identification card for coffee shop customers

Published on 3 July 2009

Dutch "cannabis supermarkets" have made Belgian and French people very happy. But it won't last much longer. According to the daily Trouw, Interior minister Guusje ter Horst (labor) wants " the sale of cannabis to be reserved to people who have a membership card, everywhere in the Netherlands". Starting in 2010, eight cities in the province of Limbourg will introduce a membership card to dissuade tourists from shopping in the Netherlands. The minister wants to extend this initiative to the entire country. Her comments follow the publication of a report by the National council on drugs, which notably recommends to reduce the number of customers in coffee shops. In order to obtain a card, it will be necessary to get identified first. The purchase of soft drugs will only be possible with a credit card and will be limited to 3 gramms per day (currently it's 5 gramms). This administrative procedure is designed to dissuade tourists from coming in the country to buy drugs.

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