Cannabis Coffee Shop
Coffeeshops are establishments in the Netherlands 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 coffee shops. 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 coffee shops 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 coffee shop.
The Dutch government released a proposal in October 2011 that banned coffee shops from selling "strong" Cannabis, in which the active ingredient THC is higher than 15%. This proposal was never enacted, and the strongest strains of cannabis continue to be sold openly in the Dutch coffee shops.
A Dutch judge has ruled that tourists can legally be banned from entering cannabis cafes, as part of restrictions that were implemented in 2012.This ban does not apply to the city of Amsterdam.
Dutch coffee houses not serving Cannabis are called koffiehuis (literally "coffee house"), while a café is the equivalent of a bar.
