Coffee shops in Limburg turn members only

Starting next year, all coffee shops in the Dutch province of Limburg will become private clubs; only registered members will be able to buy soft drugs.

The new rule is an attempt to curb nuisance from the sale of cannabis and the drugs tourism from neighbouring countries. The private club idea originated with Maastricht mayor Gerd Leers.

Leers had previously suggested concentrating all the coffee shops in the town on three "weed boulevards" close to the borders with Belgium and Germany. But the idea met with so much resistance that he was forced to look for an alternative.

The mayor would have liked to make the membership cards available to Dutch residents only, but European regulations forbid excluding foreign customers. Still, the membership system is expected to discourage drug tourists as it will take several days to process. That might prove unpopular with customers coming from Belgium, France and Germany.

According to Leers' plans customers should apply for membership with the coffee shop owners, who will also process the applications. The local authorities will not be involved. Sales are limited to three grammes per customer per day. Payments have to be made electronically, making anonymous purchases impossible. Once the three-grammes limit is reached, the same customer will not be allowed to buy from another coffee shop anywhere in Limburg within the same 24-hour period.

Mayor Leers says justice minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin and home affairs minister Guusje ter Horst are enthusiastic about the Limburg approach. But another idea from Limburg to allow coffee shops to grow their own weed, is meeting with resistance from The Hague. There is also some doubt as to whether Limburg has enough police to prevent the soft drugs trade from going underground.

The Limburg municipalities plan to publicise the new policy with a marketing campaign directed at drug users in France and elsewhere.