Smoke It Pure: It's the Law

AMSTERDAM, The Netherlands, July 1, 2008 -- Starting today, it's illegal to smoke cigarettes in any of Amsterdam's coffee shops. But smoking marijuana is still allowed.

The Netherlands is the latest European country to ban tobacco smoking from public places - including restaurants, bars and clubs - to protect the health of employees. But in a country known for its relaxed policies toward "soft" drugs like marijuana, many are scratching their heads.

"It's totally illogical," said Charly Moinet, one of the managers at the Greenhouse, a popular coffee shop for tourists. "It doesn't make sense to allow marijuana but not tobacco, especially because most people mix the two in the same joint."

Technically, it's illegal to possess drugs in the Netherlands, but authorities have long turned a blind eye to possessing marijuana for personal use.

There are some rules, however: Cannabis products can only be bought in specially licensed "coffee shops," minors are never allowed to purchase, and you can't buy more than five grams at a time.

Coffee shops are popular with tourists, especially with Americans and Europeans eager to take advantage of the lenient drug policies.

"Amsterdam is one of the most liberal cities in the world," said Jay Palacio, a college student from Florida, "and as long as it's legal to smoke marijuana, Americans will never stop coming here."

The 4.2 million tourists who visit Amsterdam each year add millions to the city's economy. And close to 26 percent of tourists visit the city's 236 coffee shops, according to the Amsterdam Tourism Board.

The question on the minds of many coffee shop owners is what the tobacco ban will mean for business.

"It won't affect the Americans," said Betra Karamoy, a manager at the Kadinsky Coffee Shop. "Americans smoke it pure anyway. They don't roll it with tobacco. The people who will have a hard time are Europeans."

John Rousso, 25, took time off from work in London to visit Amsterdam with his friends. He says he's not sure where he'll smoke because he prefers joints rolled with both marijuana and tobacco.

"I'll just smoke in private rooms, in hotels, wherever I can," Rousso said. "I'd rather smoke it somewhere else, than just straight."

The new rules are making many people, especially those who have long taken pride in the country's tolerant attitude, a little nervous.

"I think there will now be more corruption," said Ras Gazi, the manager of the Paradise Coffee Shop. "More people will end up breaking the law."

Although Karamoy worries the ban might hurt her business, she still thinks the new regulations are a positive step for the country.

"The rest of Europe is banning tobacco, so I think it's a good thing," Karamoy added.

Chris Krikken, the spokesperson for the country's Food and Wares Authority (the government agency responsible for enforcing the ban), says 200 officers have been trained to make inspections across the country.

Establishments face penalties starting at approximately $466 and a warning for the first offense, up to $3,778 for repeated violations.

When asked how the inspectors will be able to tell if a joint is pure marijuana or just mixed with tobacco, Krikken told ABC News that they have been trained to smell and see what's in the joints.

"They had a day training where they went over these things," Krikken said, "and it is just one part of their duties as inspectors."

Still, coffee shop owners don't want to take any chances. Many are constructing glass walls to separate a smoking area from a nonsmoking area. As long as the employees do not have to work in the smoking areas, smoking in these separated rooms is legal.

The New Sheeba coffee house, right off the main square of the city, put in a glass partition just last week in preparation for the ban. At 2 p.m., there were more than 15 people sitting shoulder-to-shoulder smoking behind the glass, but the front nonsmoking section of the coffee shop was empty.

Moinet, who has worked in coffee shops for more than five years, says he's worried about people passing out.

"That's what happens when the marijuana is smoked pure, especially in the summer," he said.

"You can't tell tourists to smoke it pure, they'll be passing out all over the day long. It's 10 times stronger and that's what I have to deal with."

At the end of the first day of the ban, Moinet had yet to pick anyone up.