NO SMOKING ... EXCEPT FOR CANNABIS

Cannabis will be exempt from a Dutch smoking ban that comes
into force in two months. Restrictions on smokers in cafes and
restaurants will not apply as long as cannabis is consumed neat,
without tobacco. The exemption follows fears that many of Amsterdam's
lucrative "coffee shops" would be forced to close if soft drug users
had to smoke elsewhere.

Liberal Dutch policies, introduced in 1972, on the sale and use of
cannabis have generated a trade valued at more than $6.1 billion Cdn a
year. The coffee shops, which draw millions of tourists each year,
allow users to buy cannabis over the counter and smoke it without fear
of arrest.