Get thee to the Netherlands if you want coffee and cannabis

September 14, 7:02 AMLA Coffee ExaminerKim Winklhofer

Previous

2 comments Print Email RSS Subscribe

Subscribe

Get alerts when there is a new article from the LA Coffee Examiner. Read Examiner.com's terms of use.

Email Address   Include other special offers from Examiner.com Terms of Use

Seems like only three days remain for tourists to buy marijuana at coffee shops in Roosendaal and Bergen-op-Zoom, two Dutch towns near the Belgian border. Although the Netherlands decriminalized the possession and use of small amounts of cannabis in 1976, the mayors of those towns ordered coffee shops there to cease selling “soft drugs.” Week after week, a noxious number of tourists arrive intending to score a few grams of weed or hash. Many expect the Dutch government to require pot purchases be made with Dutch bank cards, which would discourage foreigners, yet still be within the letter of the European Union law, which prohibits discrimination based on nationality.

Here in California, according to Los Angeles Cannabis Clubs.com , Prop 215 “allows medical marijuana patients the use, cultivation, and transportation of medical marijuana with a doctor’s recommendation,” and there are only about forty medical marijuana dispensaries in LA County.

Imagine if the recent Coffee War between McDonalds and Starbucks somehow evolved to the point where one of them offered cannabis with their cappuccinos. We might begin to see combo menus for java and joints. But would sales skyrocket? Or would Angelenos be appalled and take their business elsewhere?

: :

If you liked this article, you might also enjoy these: 
Free McDonald’s mocha: the latest salvo in the coffee war
Starbucks beats McDonald’s

Before you go, click on the subscribe button above so you don't miss out on any scintillating coffee news and info! No spam. Just announcements when new articles appear. Scout's honor.

CC creative traffic light photo/Aforero

Sources: StoptheDrugWar.org, MSNNews.com, NRC Handelsblad

This article is protected by copyright law.  If you would like to use or post any portion of this material, proper attribution (title, byline, a short excerpt optional, and a "Read more" link to this page) is required.