Global Ganja Report

New legislation to ban non-Dutch residents from cannabis cafes in the southern Netherlands should be enforced no later than May 1, the Dutch justice ministry said Dec. 16. The law is set to be amended on Jan. 1, but there will be a grace period until May for coffee shops to set up a "new administrative system." The centre-right government of Prime Minister Mark Rutte plans to instate a "cannabis card," reserved for residents only and obligatory when visiting one of the country's 670 licensed coffee shops.

The grace period applies to coffee shops in the southern Zeeland, Limburg and Brabant North provinces, heavily visited by Belgian and German tourists.

Dutch coffee shops will now become closed clubs, allowed to have 2,000 members, who must be over 18. These must be residents, but includes resident foreigners. The government also plans to introduce a policy requiring coffee shops to be at least 350 meters (1,200 feet) away from schools. (AFP, Dec. 16)