Los Países Bajos adoptan un sistema de permisos para entrar en los coffee shops

People in the south of the Netherlands who wish to continue buying soft drugs in their local cannabis café have to request official council papers to prove they officially live in the Netherlands, the Telegraaf reported on Sunday.

Local councils are gearing themselves up to cope with thousands of requests for proof of residency ahead of the May 1 deadline for the introduction of special passes in Maastricht, Eindhoven and the rest of the south.

In Eindhoven, for example, the city’s 15 cannabis cafes or coffee shops expect to cater to 40,000 clients. Breda expects some 8,000 requests for print-outs from the city council official residents' register.

The government is forcing towns and cities in the south to become closed-members clubs in an effort to reduce drugs tourism. Coffee shops will be limited to some 2,000 members, who must officially live in the Netherlands.

The rest of the Netherlands, including Amsterdam, will follow next year.

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