ALMOST a fifth of Amsterdam`s popular marijuana-selling coffee shops are to be closed because they are too close to schools.
Of the 228 shops in the Dutch capital, 43 must close by the end of 2011 because they are within 250m of a secondary school, the city council said.
In addition to marijuana, deemed a soft drug, some cafes also sell so-called "magic mushrooms" which have psychedelic properties.
The policy on soft drugs in the Netherlands, one of the most liberal in Europe, allows for the sale of marijuana at coffee shops, which the Dutch have allowed to operate since the 1960s, and possession of less than five grams.
But the cultivation or supply of the drug to the shops, the so-called "back door" of the business, is banned.
The policy is not without critics and Dutch mayors will meet on Friday in Almere, east of Amsterdam, to discuss a possible revamp.
The meeting was called after Bergen op Zoom and Roosendaal, located near the Belgian border, said recently they will close all coffee shops in their jurisdiction within two years to combat drug tourism and criminality, Dutch media reported.
In addition to marijuana, deemed a soft drug, some cafes also sell so-called "magic mushrooms" which have psychedelic properties.
The policy on soft drugs in the Netherlands, one of the most liberal in Europe, allows for the sale of marijuana at coffee shops, which the Dutch have allowed to operate since the 1960s, and possession of less than five grams.
But the cultivation or supply of the drug to the shops, the so-called "back door" of the business, is banned.
The policy is not without critics and Dutch mayors will meet on Friday in Almere, east of Amsterdam, to discuss a possible revamp.
The meeting was called after Bergen op Zoom and Roosendaal, located near the Belgian border, said recently they will close all coffee shops in their jurisdiction within two years to combat drug tourism and criminality, Dutch media reported.
