DUTCH TOWN TO OPEN DRIVE-BY DRUG CAFES

Buying soft drugs in the Netherlands will become as easy as picking up a
burger from McDonald's, thanks to a town on the German border which is
pushing ahead with plans to licence the world's first drive-through hash bars.

Desperate to rid Venlo of the scourge of German drug tourists and the
unlicenced dealers who have sprung up to profit from them, the town council
voted unanimously to authorise two drive-through "coffee shops."

Thousands of Germans pour across the border every day to take advantage of
the Netherlands' relaxed drug laws, which allow people to buy up to five
grams of soft drugs at any one of an estimated 1,500 designated coffee
shops. Venlo has five of them.

But the demand for more and harder drugs has led to the opening of an
estimated 65 unlicenced coffee shops in Venlo, and put 300 illegal dealers
on its streets.

The council's plan, dubbed "McDope" by the Dutch media, it to have two
drive-through coffee shops on the outskirts of town, allowing tourists to
pick up their drugs quickly.

The government fears the plan will undermine its effort to promote
responsible drug use.