In keeping with the rest of the world, Holland is banning smoking in public places. Holland, more specifically Amsterdam, is known for a particular type of smoking which creates an interesting dilemma for Dutch lawmakers. If you ban smoking in restaurants and "coffee shops" it'd have to apply to the smoking of joints as well as cigarettes... right? Well, the Dutch economy would go belly up if that ever happened because the world's pot tourists would spend their holidays elsewhere. So what is a wooden shoe wearing, wind mill residing, pot crazed politician to do? Simple, you ban cigarette smoking while keeping pot smoking legal... You might be confused, allow me to explain [1].
Here's the deal, tobacco causes cancer while pot causes munchies. As far as the Dutch are concerned, the smoking of "pure cannabis or hashish" isn't harmful to the general public. The sound you are hearing is the elation of a million wistful hippies rejoicing.
The purpose of the ban is to protect the people who work in bars, coffee houses, etc from harmful smoke. Because in Holland only asthmatic straightedge kids get hired as pot waiters. Bars are still allowed to have a smoking room so long as it's separated from the rest of the establishment by a glass divider. I think most "coffee houses" already have these, they are called Hot Boxes [2].
The conclusion of Der Spiegel [3]'s article is that this is all a bunch of hot air. ZOMG PUN INTENDED! And like most things in the Netherlands, the law will state one thing and people will just ignore it.
Weed isn't tobacco. If you smoke your joint pure (no tobacco) its legal to smoke in coffee shops. Of course, the whole smoking ban is retarded and most people don't give a fuck and smoke anyway...
Given that pot smoke is neither addictive nor quite as unhealthy as cigarette smoke, why should it be banned?
it's not so much about the economy, as it is about jeopardizing 25 years of effective drugs policy. banning pot smoking would effectively reward the jesus people in the coalition government with something they otherwise never managed to accomplish. it's not economic, it's ideology. the freedom to smoke pot.