The owners of three marijuana-selling "coffee shops" in the Netherlands were put on trial Wednesday for selling cannabis to foreigners.
Their case is embroiled in an argument about the distribution of marijuana in the border city of Maastricht-a new law was passed in April, 2012, that prohibited any foreigners from purchasing weed, after droves of tourists poured into The Netherlands to buy huge amounts of marijuana, then ferreted the goods back to their home countries. Some say that this limits the economic advantage that legal marijuana holds, and any restrictions might compromise businesses.
On Tuesday, The Houston Chronicle met with Maastricht Mayor Onno Hoes, who defended the crackdown on "coffee shops,"-cafes that not only serve drinks and food, but also offer a menu of different kinds of cannabis. He said that tourists from countries like Belgium and Germany come into the country just to buy weed, causing issues for the city.
"Thos people cause a lot of problems in the city," he said. "They park badly, they drive too fast and that sort of things. They leave garbage on the streets and they attract illegal dealers."
In the capital city of Amsterdam, authorities still allow tourists to sit and smoke joints in coffee shops because of the clear economic leg-up they contribute, unlike Maastricht, where laws against foreigners buying pot are strictly enforced.
Maastricht resident and owner of coffee shop Easy Going said that the law has directly affected his business, as he rejected countless foreign customers who came to his store looking to buy up. As a result, he has closed his doors in protest of the ban. A sign in the window written in Dutch, English, French and German explained that the owner, "refuses to discriminate" against tourists, the Associated Press reported.
"I think it is about time that our whole toleration policy in Holland got renewed," he said, "and I think the time is right for that and hopefully the outcome of this court case will give the first push in that direction."
Around two million tourists travel to Maastricht every year to buy marijuana at any of the 14 coffee shops. Most of the establishments have been closed down, either by the owners' free will or by city ordinance.
