Europe: Dutch Banks Must Deal With Cannabis Cafes, Minister Says
Dutch banks must accept cannabis coffee shops as clients, Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos said last Friday. Although Bos cannot force the banks to accept coffee shop accounts, he has asked the Dutch anti-trust authority to investigate, saying it appears the banks are colluding.
The finance minister's action comes as ever more Dutch banks are following the example of ABN Amro bank, which started refusing coffee shop accounts a dozen years ago. Rabobank followed suit, and just weeks ago the Dutch Postbank joined the trend.
The coffee houses are licensed, legitimate businesses in Holland. They are allowed to sell small amounts of marijuana. But the banks are turning down new accounts and terminating new accounts from coffee houses.
Bos said he acted out of fears that if the coffee houses are refused bank accounts, they could turn to criminal sectors for financial services.
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redditFools
Comment posted by Anonymous on Fri, 02/13/2009 - 11:27amThey are fools as are any other country who doesn't realize unless that tax and regulate cannabis then it's going to be the criminals who make $150 billion worldwide each year of the plant
Warlock
Holland Coffe Houses
Comment posted by Anonymous on Fri, 02/13/2009 - 3:05pmI have an idea. How about the Coffee Houses saying the hell with the bank strong arming and start a bank of their own. At least this way they will be assured that the "other" banks won't be able to pilfur funds because they were forced to give them accounts. By the way... are these banks getting funds from pharmaceutical companys to black ball the coffee houses?
Sam Sharp
Comment posted by Anonymous on Sat, 02/14/2009 - 2:39pmSometimes you just have to ask "what the hell is this all about"? It seems that "reefer madness " just will not go away. I submit that the belief in religion enjoys the same sort of mechanism to be perpetuated and that is a brain-washed non-scientific mind. In other words, people are really stupid.
Prohibition of cannabis proves it. How the hell did humanity ever get this far?
What
Comment posted by Anonymous on Fri, 02/13/2009 - 4:47amWhen did banks become to good for a little drug money?