The European Court of Justice rules that non-Dutch residents should get a proper cup of coffee, but no pot!

For non-Dutch nationals visiting the Netherlands, it has been customary in the past 30 years to pay a visit to, or at least observe, the famous Dutch “coffee shops” which are often decorated in flamboyant psychedelic colours and bear memorable names such as “Funky Monkey” or “Mellow Yellow”. The coffee shops are, of course, less famous for their beverages than for selling soft drugs such as cannabis, either on its own or in products such as “cookies” or “rainbow cakes.”

Although the number of these establishments has dropped significantly during the last 15 years, there are still nearly 700 such coffee shops in the Netherlands with over half of these in the main cities of Amsterdam, Rotterdam and The Hague. The “Easy Going” cafe in Maastricht is such an establishment, and one to which the Court of Justice of the European Union recently gave its attention.
To understand the role of the Court in this case, its ruling and consequent implications, this, a further explanation of the relevant Dutch law and administration and is required.