Dutch smoking ban leaves toking option

0 Comments | AFP, June, 2008

THE HAGUE (AFP) — A tobacco smoking ban came into force Tuesday in cafes, bars and restaurants throughout the Netherlands, with a uniquely Dutch exemption for marijuana smokers.

While patrons are no longer allowed to light up cigarettes, they can still smoke marijuana in the country's specially licensed "coffee" shops as long as their joints contain no tobacco.

Many regular marijuana users prefer their weed rolled with tobacco and, as joint content is hardly the easiest regulation to police, some coffee shops have opted to switch their business to over-the-counter sales only, or to erect specially designated smoking areas.

At the Florence coffee shop in The Hague, a brand-new sticker took pride of place Tuesday on the counter over which marijuana and hashish...