Court orders compo for Dutch weed cafes CANNABIS cafes in the southern Netherlands must be partially compensated for losses after the introduction of a marijuana law last year to register local smokers and ban sales to foreigners, a Dutch court has ruled. The so-called "cannabis card" law was introduced on May 1 last year in three southern provinces and effectively aimed at transforming coffee shops into private clubs, requiring them to only sell cannabis to registered members who are Dutch residents and to stop all sales to foreigners. \nThe law's introduction aimed at addressing the downsides of drug tourism - traffic jams, street dealing and rowdy late-night partying. "Part of the cannabis card law has disproportionately infringed the interests of coffee shop clients, leading to financial losses during several months," The Hague District Court ruled on Wednesday. "Clients have been scared away," the court added, referring to Dutch smokers who would have been put off from visiting coffee shops because they were required to give their names and identities. \nThe court, however, upheld the sales ban to foreigners and said if that part of the law was simply applied it would have had the desired effect in bringing down problems associated with cross-border drug tourism in the southern part of the country. \nTherefore, the "state now have to compensate a number of coffee shops" in the provinces of Limburg, North Brabant and Zeeland, the court ruled, saying exact numbers are to be calculated at a later stage. \nA new, more leftwing government in November shelved the cannabis-card law, but said that individual city authorities could still decide whether to apply the law affecting some 650 establishments across the country, according to their economic or social priorities. \n\nAlthough this article is International news we have been having discussions about the slow ending of prohibition,,you might have to look further than out your kitchen window to see it but the wall is crumbling,,in attitude and reality.