Dutch coffee shop owners relaxed over smoking ban

By Foo Yun Chee

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - When a smoking ban comes into force in the Netherlands next Tuesday, it may kill the buzz for people who like to smoke their cannabis with tobacco. But some owners of the famous Dutch coffee shops are staying mellow.

Fittingly, in a land renowned for its relaxed attitude to drug laws, the new rules contain a few loopholes.

People will still be able to smoke pure cannabis joints in around 700 coffee shops, something some tourists -- notably from the United States -- already often do.

Also, restaurants, cafes and coffee shops will be allowed to set up a separate room or glass partition behind which people can smoke. But customers will not be served in these areas to protect staff.

This dispensation makes the Dutch law more relaxed than smoking restrictions in some other European countries where smoking is banned completely in bars, restaurants and other public spaces.

Arjam Roskam, who owns the Green House coffee shop in Amsterdam, is not worried.

His marijuana strains have won 31 Cannabis Cup prizes over the years and he counts Hollywood celebrities, members of Europe's royal families, lawyers, judges and police officers among his clients.

"The English, Americans and Japanese are our biggest customers. Already for a very, very long time they don't smoke tobacco because tobacco is the number one killer on this planet," he said. "We don't mind the smoking ban."