Cannabis cafe owners offer to buy out school forcing their closure

A group of cannabis cafe owners in central Amsterdam are offering to buy out the school which is forcing their closure because it is less than 250 metres away, the Parool reports.

Under council rules, cannabis cafes must be further than 250 metres from a school. All those which are closer are losing their licences to sell small amounts of cannabis.

The private Amsterdamsche School is located on the Nieuwezijds Voorburgwal, less than 250 metres from 13 of the city’s cannabis cafes.

Private company

The school’s director Bas Roosen told the Parool he is not opposed to making a deal with the cafe owners. ‘I certainly would not say no by definition,’ he is quoted as saying.

Coffee shop owner Michael Veling says he alerted other owners five years ago to a potential buyout. ‘The school is a private, limited company and every company is prepared to move for the right price,’ he said.

Veling refused to give further details about the plans, saying talks between the 13 owners are continuing.

The Amsterdamsche School was opened in 1985 and has around 100 pupils paying fees of upwards of €20,000 a year.

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