164 cannabis cafes are too close to schools and may shut

In total, 164 of the Netherlands 650 cannabis cafes may have to close their doors in January 2014 because they are too close to schools, according to justice ministry research.


The outgoing government plans to close all licensed cafes where small amounts of cannabis can be bought for personal news if they are within 350 metres of a secondary school or vocational education college.
Many councils already use a 250-metre limit.
However, the tougher restrictions may well be dropped by the next government, news agency ANP points out.
New government
Labour and the Liberals are currently in talks on forming a new alliance. The Labour party does not favour tougher drugs laws and also wants to abandon the current policy of turning cannabis cafes into private members’ clubs so that tourists can be kept out.
The ministry report says the Netherlands had 651 cannabis cafes, known as coffee shops, at the end of last year. Some 214 are in Amsterdam.

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