Dutch drug tourism on trial

Cannabis-infused vacations are on trial in the Netherlands, where the European Court of Justice is set to rule on whether banning the sale of marijuana to foreigners contravenes European Union free trade laws. The case, which has reached the European Court of Justice (ECJ) concerns an incident in 2006, in which two foreign nationals were found in a cannabis coffee shop in the the border town of Maastricht, which had recently passed legislation outlawing such activity. Coffee shop owners maintain that the legislation discriminates against non-Dutch citizens, thus going against EU free trade laws. The EJC decision, which is expected to be rendered swiftly, will have ramifications for new Dutch drug policy.

Der Spiegel