Netherlands pot ban

In April, a judge upheld a new law in the Netherlands that effectively ends the selling of marijuana to tourists. Coffee shop owners now will be allowed to sell cannabis only to registered members (2,000 maximum per shop) with valid local addresses and identification.

The ban went into effect on May 1 in three southern provinces and will apply nationwide by the end of 2012. Lawyers for the 700-plus coffee shops affected say that if they lose their next appeal, they’ll take it to the European Court of Human Rights.