Dutch cafes, restaurants and coffee shops are bracing themselves for a feared exodus of patrons when a public smoking ban for the hospitality industry enters into force on Tuesday. "It is clear that enterprises are awaiting the ban with dread: polls show that 60 percent are thinking of selling their businesses," said a recent statement from horecasite.nl -- claiming to be the Netherlands' biggest online retail agency for the hotel, restaurant and cafe (horeca) industry. It said there had been an increase by nearly a quarter in the number of enterprises up for sale -- from 1,350 in January to 1,600 in June.
The notorious Dutch "coffee shop" faces a unique conundrum under the ban: its patrons can still light up their cannabis joints but no longer if blended with tobacco. As The Netherlands follows the example of other European Union members in curbing smoking for public health reasons, it finds itself in a singular position as the only one to allow, since 1976, marijuana use in licensed cafes.
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