A European court issued a ruling today upholding a law instituted in the Dutch city of Maastricht that bans foreigners from purchasing marijuana in the city. Unlike most other countries in Europe, the Netherlands has a drug policy that tolerates the sale and consumption of marijuana at specially designated cafes known as coffee shops.
The policy has been the subject of controversy for years, particularly in border towns like Maastricht which is located along the south east corner of the country. Officials there claim that nearly 4,000 tourists, mostly from France and Belgium enter the city every day for the sole purpose of purchasing marijuana. In their court claim the city's legal team argued that drug tourism represents a, "genuine and sufficiently serious threat to public order", thus justifying the ban.
The new policy in Maastricht was challenged by the Association of Official Maastricht Coffee Shops. They claimed that sales to foreigners account for nearly 70% of their total business, and that to ban such sales constituted a violation of the European Union's commitment to free movement and free trade.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the Dutch council of state, ruling in conjunction with the European court of justice ruled in favor of Maastricht's legislation. Yve Bot, the EU court's advocate general found that marijuana does not enjoy the same protections accorded other goods because it is illegal and therefore is not protected by free trade regulations. He further stated that the restrictions on its sale, "constitutes a measure necessary to protect the residents of the municipality from trouble."
It is unclear what affect the ruling will have on marijuana sales in other parts of the country, particularly the city of Amsterdam where millions of tourists travel every year from around the world to take advantage the country's lax attitude towards marijuana regulation.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: News By The Second
Author: Simon H. Cohen
Contact: News By The Second
Copyright: 2010 NewsByTheSecond.com
Website: Dutch Town Seeks to Ban Foreigners From Buying Marijuana
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
The policy has been the subject of controversy for years, particularly in border towns like Maastricht which is located along the south east corner of the country. Officials there claim that nearly 4,000 tourists, mostly from France and Belgium enter the city every day for the sole purpose of purchasing marijuana. In their court claim the city's legal team argued that drug tourism represents a, "genuine and sufficiently serious threat to public order", thus justifying the ban.
The new policy in Maastricht was challenged by the Association of Official Maastricht Coffee Shops. They claimed that sales to foreigners account for nearly 70% of their total business, and that to ban such sales constituted a violation of the European Union's commitment to free movement and free trade.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the Dutch council of state, ruling in conjunction with the European court of justice ruled in favor of Maastricht's legislation. Yve Bot, the EU court's advocate general found that marijuana does not enjoy the same protections accorded other goods because it is illegal and therefore is not protected by free trade regulations. He further stated that the restrictions on its sale, "constitutes a measure necessary to protect the residents of the municipality from trouble."
It is unclear what affect the ruling will have on marijuana sales in other parts of the country, particularly the city of Amsterdam where millions of tourists travel every year from around the world to take advantage the country's lax attitude towards marijuana regulation.
NewsHawk: Ganjarden: 420 MAGAZINE
Source: News By The Second
Author: Simon H. Cohen
Contact: News By The Second
Copyright: 2010 NewsByTheSecond.com
Website: Dutch Town Seeks to Ban Foreigners From Buying Marijuana
* Thanks to MedicalNeed for submitting this article
