Court backs tourist ban for Dutch cannabis coffee shops

The European Court of Justice has ruled that Dutch authorities can bar foreigners from cannabis-selling coffee shops.

The court said the city of Maastricht was within its rights when it passed a 2005 law stopping foreigners entering cafes that sell marijuana.

The law was aimed at curbing so-called drug tourists driving from Belgium and Germany to buy marijuana.

Correspondents say the government wants to extend the restrictions nationwide.

There are some 700 coffee shops in the Netherlands. The cultivation and sale of soft drugs through them is decriminalised but not legal.

The owner of a Maastricht coffee shop had challenged the 2005 law, arguing that the policy breached EU laws on free movement of goods and services.

However, Thursday's ruling said the restrictions still complied with EU law.

According to Azarius.net, under the proposed legislation, only those with a registered 'wietpas' (weed pass) would be allowed to buy cannabis in what has been touted as the most radical attempt to overturn the Dutch cannabis laws in decades.

[Thanks Tomas!]