AMSTERDAM FIGHTS FOR POT

MDC informed about the changing Amsterdam Drug Laws. (click here for past article)

Local coffee shop owners went to court in the Netherlands Wednesday, trying to block a government plan that would prevent foreign visitors from buying marijuana in the famously tolerant country.

According to the Associated Press, the coffee shop owners oppose a move – slated to take effect in the southern border region May 1 and nationwide on Jan. 1, 2013 – that would turn marijuana cafes into “members only” clubs open solely to Dutch residents over age 18. Members would have to register for a “weed pass,” and shops would be allowed a maximum of 2,000 members.

A ruling on the challenge to the ban is expected April 27 – but whether it will ever be enforced in Amsterdam, whose coffee shops are a major tourist draw, is open to debate.