Smoking ban in Holland; no way back anymore!
July 01, 2008 - AmsterdamThe Dutch smoking ban has also come into force in Holland (July 1, 2008) for all public places. So smoking inside is history. There's no way back anymore
The smoking ban also applies on coffeeshops. The new law only affects the smoking of tobacco, so it's still possible to smoke your cannabis inside the coffeeshop, as long it is not mixed with any tobacco.
For the owners there's still a possibility to escape from this draconian law. Proprietors will be allowed to set up a separate room or glass partition behind which people can smoke, but customers will not be served there to protect the staff.
Some reactions:
"It's the world upside down: In other countries they look for the marijuana in the cigarette. Here they look for the cigarette in the marijuana," (Jason den Enting, manager of coffee shop Dampkring)
"I expect a small decline in sales as smokers are forced to separate their nicotine addiction from their marijuana habit. But it's absurd to say that coffee shops will go bankrupt in the second week of July. Nonsense, I also instruct my staff to send tobacco smokers outside, but I don't expect all coffee shops to do the same. Some owners will ignore the ban — and will probably get away with it, at least for a while. But if obeying the smoking ban becomes a condition of renewing your business license, just watch how fast it will happen. That's the way things work." (Michael Veling, owner of the 4-20 Cafe and a board member of the Cannabis Retailers' Union)
"We will not be targeting coffee shops in particular" (Chris Krikken, spokesman for the Food and Wares Authority, charged with enforcing the ban)
>>> Update July 02, 2008 - Amsterdam <<<
Coffeeshops in Tilburg are ignoring the ban.
The thirteen coffeeshops of the Dutch town Tilburg (2 hours by train from Amsterdam) have unanimously ignored the smoking ban, that went into effect this Tuesday.
In each coffeeshop there is a letter waiting for the officials with an explanation for the joint protest.
Freek Hoeksema, who owns two shops of The Grass Company in Tilburg, told us: "Smoking is a fundamental part of our business and our source of income. So we do not cooperate with this ban."
So far the authorities have not undertaken any action against the coffeeshops.