cannabisnews.com: Dutch Drugs Pick Up Speed Dutch Drugs Pick Up Speed Posted by FoM on May 02, 2001 at 09:37:45 PT By Andrew Osborn in Brussels Source: Guardian Dutch officials unveiled radical new plans yesterday to open up drive-through coffee shops selling hashish and marijuana to German drugs tourists. Weary of being hassled by drug dealers and coffee shop touts in the centre of town, officials in Venlo, near the border, have drafted plans to set up two drive-through drugs shops on Venlo's outskirts as early as next year. It has been legal since 1976 to buy and use cannabis, hashish and marijuana in any one of the Netherlands' 1,500 coffee shops but none of them have window hatches dispensing soft drugs to hemp fans in a hurry. If Venlo's town council agrees to the plan, such shops could soon become part of everyday Dutch life. Venlo has five coffee shops which sell soft drugs to the thousands of Germans who pour across the border every week in search of a product they cannot purchase legally at home, but the shops are unable to meet the increasing demand. Officials believe opening drive-through coffee shops would force drug dealers and touts to peddle their trade away from the centre of town. "It's not the drug tourists themselves causing the problems, it's the drugs scene around them," said the town spokeswoman, Tamira Hankman. "They attract dealers and create an environment that makes ordinary people feel unsafe." Some of the dealers are known to sell hard drugs too and locals blame an increase in street crime on the trade. "On my way home they [the dealers] whisper to me 'coffee shop, coffee shop' and for someone who isn't interested in that kind of thing it can be annoying," one official said. "This plan is meant to give the people of Venlo more security and freedom and is designed to prevent foreign drugs tourists coming into the centre of town where there are other shops." Source: Guardian, The (UK)Author: Andrew Osborn in BrusselsPublished: Wednesday, May 2, 2001Copyright: 2001 Guardian Newspapers LimitedContact: letters guardian.co.ukWebsite: http://www.newsunlimited.co.uk/guardian/Related Articles & Web Site:Amsterdam Coffee Shop Directoryhttp://www.coffeeshop.freeuk.com/Dutch Look To Drive-Thru Drug Shopshttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread9566.shtmlAmsterdam's Smokin' Coffee Shops http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread8031.shtml Home Comment Email Register Recent Comments Help Comment #4 posted by criss on May 02, 2001 at 16:49:51 PT the best thing is, what will the germans say?here it is illegal.you are not allowed to take weed from the netherlands togermany.so either the police has to stand there the whole day,or they have to say : alright, we don't care anymore.that would be very nice:-)and as the dutch government says : they are working together with the german goverment.what are their plans?They could film all german customers, but that would make nosense, then everybody would go to the coffeeshops again.So, this will be very interesting. [ Post Comment ] Comment #3 posted by Ethan Russo, MD on May 02, 2001 at 12:14:23 PT: Contrasts In Amerika, if this happened, the reactionaries would be screaming bloody murder, arrest all perpetrators and ruin their lives.In contrast, this problem bothers the Dutch sensibility, and rather than get excited, they calmly and creatively craft a policy that serves all parties. Everyone benefits. So easy. So rational. So un-Amerikan. We have a great deal to learn. [ Post Comment ] Comment #2 posted by kaptinemo on May 02, 2001 at 10:27:48 PT: Who needs the Nazis? They could hire the Peruvian Air Force for one quarter of the cost of hiring Nazis. The value of the peso, don't you know? [ Post Comment ] Comment #1 posted by AllenDulles on May 02, 2001 at 10:10:29 PT N.A.T.O. I hope the C.I.A. does not discover the Dutch plans or they might start blasting V.W.s off the Autobahn using N.A.T.O. planes piloted by Nazi war criminals. [ Post Comment ] Post Comment Name: Optional Password: E-Mail: Subject: Comment: [Please refrain from using profanity in your message] Link URL: Link Title: