Luuk van Dongen

Every morning, I open the doors of my coffee shop in Maastricht, Netherlands, greeted by the rich aroma of freshly ground beans and the familiar hum of early customers. Seven years I've been running this place, through all the ups and downs. The past few years have been a rollercoaster, especially with the introduction of the stoner ID card that was supposed to keep stoner tourists out of our city. The idea was simple: only locals could buy marijuana, and to enforce this, they introduced a strict ID card system.

The procedure was anything but anonymous. We had to record all the data and take photos of our guests. As you might guess, it didn't sit well with my regulars. Overnight, my shop turned into a ghost town. The customers who once filled my tables found their way to street dealers instead.

The stoner pass has since been abolished, but the restriction remains that only people who live in the Netherlands can buy weed from me. Amsterdam might be more lenient, but here in the border towns, the rules are strict. It's a frustrating situation, made even more absurd by the fact that while I can legally sell marijuana, sourcing it is a different story. It's not legal to grow marijuana everywhere, so obtaining it feels like navigating a labyrinth of hypocrisy.

Tourists still flock to the Netherlands, believing it's a drug paradise where everything is allowed. In reality, it's more of an illegal "drug paradise." The laws are confusing and contradictory, creating a shadowy market that does more harm than good. Running this shop at 35, I see the potential for change and the frustration of stagnation. Europe has a long way to go, but perhaps it's only a matter of time before we follow a more sensible path. Until then, I'll keep my doors open, my beans ground, and hope for a day when common sense prevails.