9 percent of cannabis coffee shops in the vicinity of schools

The coalition agreement stipulates that cannabis coffee shops must be located at a distance of at least 350 metres from the nearest school. Last year, 58 coffee shops in the Netherlands were located within a distance of 350 metres from a secondary school, i.e. 9 percent of all coffee shops. One third are found in Amsterdam.

Most cannabis coffee shops in North and South Holland

There were more than 650 cannabis coffee shops in the Netherlands last year; 267 were located in the province of North Holland and 214 in the municipality of Amsterdam. The province of South Holland occupies second place with 22 percent. Flevoland, Zeeland and Drenthe have the lowest amount of coffee shops. Together, these three provinces account for just under 3 percent of all coffee shops. The number of coffee shops per 100 thousand residents is also the lowest in these provinces.

Coffee shops by province and per 100,000 residents, 2010

Amsterdam has highest number of cannabis coffee shops near schools

Dutch coffee shops are spread over 100 municipalities. In 14 municipalities, one or more cannabis coffee shops are situated within a distance of 350 metres from a secondary school, measured along the road. Altogether, 58 coffee shops were within a distance of 350 metres from a secondary school. More than one third were in Amsterdam, 21 percent in Rotterdam and 10 percent in Haarlem.

There are nearly 1,300 secondary schools in the Netherlands; 39 are located within 350 metres from a coffee shop. Together, these schools are attended by more than 23 thousand pupils, i.e. 2.5 percent of the total number of secondary school pupils in the school year 2009/’10.

Cannabis coffee shops by municipality, 2010

Ninety percent of coffee shops at least 350 metres from schools

Most cannabis coffee shops are not too close to a secondary school. Nine in ten are at a distance of at least 350 metres from a secondary school; 3.5 percent are at a distance ranging from 300 to 350 metres from the nearest secondary school and 5.3 percent are at a distance of less than 300 metres.

Distance between cannabis coffee shops and secondary schools, 2010

Osman Baydar, Rob Kapel and Niek van Leeuwen