John Sinclair: Netherlands’ coffee shop confusion

[marmar]

from the Detroit Metro Times:



Netherlands’ coffee shop confusion
Pot tourist ban doesn’t go off as smoothly as planned

By John Sinclair
Published: February 1, 2012


New Year's Eve in Amsterdam was even more festive than usual this season as thousands of European visitors flocked to the city to enjoy what they believed would be the last night they'd be welcome in the coffee shops of the Netherlands.

For several months, the reigning Dutch government had been trumpeting the imminent demise of the old coffee shop regime as of Jan. 1, 2012, and the mainstream media were only too eager to amplify the message.

Under the mandated new rules, all existing Dutch coffee shops would be converted to members-only clubs strictly limited to the patronage of Dutch citizens and registered expatriates, and the dreaded "drug tourists" from all over the world would be barred from entry.

.....(snip).....

My friend and mentor Michael Veling, proprietor of the 420 Café and a life-long cannabis activist in Amsterdam, remains convinced that the year-long moratorium now in effect will no doubt end in a further extension of the truce rather than a victory for the suppressive forces.
"There is no way they are going to be able to demonstrate in the courts that 'drug tourism' constitutes a 'public nuisance' or a 'threat to public order,'" Veling told me, adding that Justice Minister Opstelten, a Liberal Party member, will have to report back to the CDA representatives — who started this shit thinking they could finally win the battle — that he tried everything but it proved impossible to enforce their mandate and things will have to continue as before. ..............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://metrotimes.com/mmj/netherlands-coffee-shop-confusion-1.1265198