Coffeeshops Maastricht

The Association of Offical Coffeeshops in Maastricht (VOCM) will continue to sell soft drugs to Belgians and Germans, despite the fact that mayor Onno Hoes of Maastricht ordered them to stop selling to foreigners. Marc Josemans, spokesman for the VOCM says that the ridiculous idea of the mayor and the council will bring back the street dealers. “We have tried this for one year and it was very unsuccessful. That is not only our opinion but the opinion of almost everybody in Maastricht.” The mayor and the council are studying on the possibility to move the coffeeshops to the boundaries of the city, where they will be allowed to sell to foreigners. However until that time the coffeeshops must refrain from selling to foreigners. The mayor and the council were for a long time opponents in this discussion. On Tuesday the mayor informed the public that a compromise was reached, between the council and the mayor, which should be the best for the city. The discussion with the VOCM has, however, yet to start. On Thursday, Minister Ivo Opstelten of Security and Justice will visit Maastricht to get a good impression about the situation. Opstelten already promised the mayor extra policemen. Marc Josemans invited the minister to have a look in one or more coffeshops during his visit.