The Mayor of Amsterdam establishes an ordinance that will prohibit students from smoking pot in schools in light of his repeal of the ban on tourists using the drug. REUTERS
The Mayor of Amsterdam plans to formally ban students from smoking marijuana at school.
Eberhard van der Laan is introducing a public nuisance ordinance that will go into effect on Jan. 1 and will prohibit weed-smoking in certain "no toking zones" such as schools and playgrounds, the Associated Press reports. Under the ordinance, police will be able to issue fines against students or anyone caught smoking in such areas.
The law will be the first of its kind established in a city in the Netherlands.
The country is known for the "tolerance" principle of its laws, under which many do not realize smoking marijuana is in fact illegal. However, marijuana possession is permissible in small amounts, for which police cannot prosecute people.
The leeway has allowed Amsterdam to establish its infamous "coffee shops," where marijuana can be openly sold and used; however, it has also caused children in the city to be frequently exposed to the drug in public areas, the AP notes.
City spokeswoman Iris Reshef states that pot is not permitted in schools, but this rule is not easily regulated as students often smoke weed near or even on campus without any repercussions.
"It's not really what you have in mind as an educator, that children would be turning up for class stoned, or drunk, either, for that matter," she said. "But it has been a problem for some schools."
The new ordinance aims to nip the such behavior in the bud.
The law follows Mayor van der Laan's repeal of a pot ban for tourists that was set to go into affect next year.
