Holland Seeks Pot Ban for Tourists

Court told ban would violate free trade deals
By Rob Quinn,  Newser Staff
Posted May 6, 2010 2:57 AM CDT
Updated May 9, 2010 5:45 PM CDT
Holland Seeks Pot Ban for Tourists
A woman smokes a joint in an Amsterdam cafe. The Dutch government is seeking to tighten the country's famously liberal drug laws.   (Getty Images)

Holland's famous cannabis cafes will only be open to Dutch smokers if government officials win a case at the European Court of Justice. Attorneys for the government—seeking to clamp down on cross-border drug tourism—say the nation has the right to ban foreigners from coffee shops that serve pot. Lawyers for a coffee shop owner argue that discriminating between Dutch and non-Dutch customers, even when contraband is involved, violates European Union free trade agreements, Der Speigel reports.
(More marijuana stories.)

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