Dutch banks must accept cannabis coffee shops as clients, Dutch Finance Minister Wouter Bos said last Friday [13]. 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 [14].
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.