The municipality of Hoogeveen has plans to allow the arrival of a coffee shop. The local factions of the CDA, the Christian Union and the SGP are not happy with this. They have therefore started a petition.
“The CDA believes that our children must be able to grow up in a safe environment. Coffee shops are not part of that,” says CDA councilor Haaije Feenstra-Paas. “Coffee shops normalize the use of soft drugs, while selling and using soft drugs encourages addiction and crime.”
At the moment, regulations in Hoogeveen do not allow the arrival of a coffee shop. Last year, the VVD submitted a motion with the request to investigate the possibilities for a cannabis tent in the municipality. A majority agreed with that proposal at the time. The plans are well advanced and Hoogeveen is busy drawing up policy.
The intention is that there will initially be room for one coffee shop around the city center or shopping centers. People who want to start a cannabis tent can register with the municipality, but there is a strict selection procedure. The entrepreneur who is ultimately chosen will then receive a declaration of tolerance, which is valid for ten years to sell cannabis.
The Christian parties find this a worrying development and want to put a stop to it. That is why they hope that the petition will be signed many times. “To prevent the arrival of coffee shops in our municipality and to ensure that our children can grow up safely.”