Silvio Berlusconi. A coffeeshop in Maastricht In the Netherlands, coffeeshops are establishments where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities. Under the drug policy of the Netherlands, the sale of cannabis products in small quantities is allowed by licensed coffeeshops. The majority of these also serve drinks and food. Coffeeshops are not allowed to serve alcohol or other drugs, and risk closure if they are found to be selling soft drugs to minors, hard drugs or selling alcohol. The idea of licensing the sale of cannabis was introduced in the 1970s for the explicit purpose of keeping hard and soft drugs separated. In the Netherlands, 105 of the 443 municipalities have at least one coffeeshop.[citation needed] A Dutch judge has ruled that tourists can legally be banned from entering cannabis cafes, as part of restrictions that were implemented in 2012.[1] This ban is implemented by the municipalities and does not apply to the city of Amsterdam and other large cities in the Netherlands.[2] Dutch coffeehouses not serving cannabis are called café, however this word can also refer to a bar. Contents [hide] 1 Coffeeshop law 2 Backdoor policy 2.1 Wiettop 2.2 Survey 3 Required distance from schools 4 Drug tourism 4.1 Smoking on the premises 5 Notable coffeeshops 6 See also 7 References 8 External links Coffeeshop law[edit] See also: Drug policy of the Netherlands In the Netherlands, the selling of marijuana is illegal, but not punishable, so the law is not enforced in establishments following these nationwide rules: No advertising No hard drug sales on the premises No sales to anyone under the age of 18 No sale of quantities greater than five grams No public disturbances For some offenses, a business may be forced to close for three to six months; for others, the business may be closed permanently. All these rules are detailed in official policies. Coffeeshops are no lon
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