The long-awaited day has finally arrived. As of today, 1 July 2008, The Netherlands is officially smoke-free! At last, a night out on the town does not mean coming home saturated in cigarette smoke, coughing from the constant exposure to puffing patrons. A meal at a nice restaurant will no longer be accompanied by wafting smoke, and coffee with a friend won’t merit washing one’s hair just to remove the stink.

What a thrill. After doing some research, I’ve discovered that the smoking ban does affect coffee shops where marijuana is sold. Owners of these shops are rightly concerned about their sales. But it seems that the smoking ban applies only to tobacco and not to marijuana.

What does this mean? Here’s a guess: Tourists (and locals) will continue to visit coffee shops, but will refrain from mixing their joints with tobacco, as pure joints remain within the confines of the law. However, this may lead to an even bigger problem of overly stoned individuals roaming the streets.

Or maybe everyone will just ignore the ban. Time will tell!