Localised bans on the smoking of marijuana break the opium laws and parents cannot ask for an exclusion zone round a playground, the council of state has ruled.

Parents had asked for a ban on smoking marijuana around a playground in the Amsterdam Pijp neighbourhood. However, the council of state, which acts as the Dutch supreme court, ruled that as marijuana is already illegal, it cannot be made illegal a second time by the local authorities.
This means local councils cannot impose their own restrictions on the use of marijuana in public, the court said.
Marijuana bans have been imposed in several parts of Amsterdam in an effort to stop the nuisance caused by loitering youths.

Last month, in another case, the council of state ruled there is scope for local councils to ban tourists from cannabis cafes in order to reduce public nuisance.
Police in Heerlen, where a ban on smoking cannabis in public should have come into effect today, say they will not fine smokers pending further instructions.