The European Court of Justice will soon rule on whether a ban on selling soft drugs to non-Dutch nationals breaks EU internal market rules, the NRC reports on Monday.

The case dates back to 2006 when two foreign nationals were found in the Easy Going cannabis cafe in Maastricht, shortly after a city council ban on the sale of cannabis products to non-Dutch nationals came into effect.
The case has progressed through the Dutch legal system and the Council of State – the country’s highest court – has asked the European court for its opinion, the paper says.
The European Union guarantees a free, unified market of goods and services amongst its members. Whether or not this should apply to the semi-legal parts of the Netherlands’ cannabis industry, is the question now up for debate, the paper states.
The government is currently working on tightening up Dutch drugs laws, including the potential introduction of ‘membership cards’ for cannabis cafe visitors. This would allow the exclusion of non-Dutch nationals.
But this is currently on hold pending the outcome of the Council of State ruling, the paper says.