"Maastricht coffee shops selling drugs to foreigners"

Belgian mayors from the area bordering the Netherlands are up in arms now that coffee shops in the Dutch city of Maastricht are once again selling cannabis to foreigners. Reports say that trade was particularly brisk on Sunday when foreigners were once again welcomed.

Recently the Dutch introduced a new system that obliged shoppers to produce a kind of passport if they wanted to purchase soft drugs. Following complaints about all the hassle caused by foreigners travelling to the Netherlands especially to purchase drugs, these were banned from making purchases.

Dutch coffee shops where cannabis is sold legally are no longer supposed to sell soft drugs to foreigners, but in the southern Dutch city of Maastricht, near the border with Belgium, this rule is now being flouted.

Reports say that trade was particularly brisk on Sunday when foreigners were once again welcomed.

Marino Keulen, the mayor of the Belgian border town of Lanaken, is unhappy with the changes: "The Dutch authorities chose a strict system involving the 'wietpas' or 'weed pass'. This is now yielding results. They should be brave and have the police draw up reports and make prosecutions."

Huub Broers, mayor of neighbouring Voeren: "I'm convinced that we will once again get a lot of hassle. The illegal dealers have left Maastricht. Where are they? They are in Belgium!"

Mark Vos, the mayor of the town of Riemst: "We were experiencing much less hassle. The ban (on foreigners frequenting coffee shops) should stay. We will maintain checks on the border. The illegal circuit is still very active. We are co-operating with the clamp-down."

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