«Roots Coffeeshop: a new coffeeshop opens in Amsterdam

A brand-new coffeeshop has just opened in the south-east of Amsterdam, at 14 Hoekenrode. After a process lasting seventeen years, Roots Coffeeshop has finally opened its doors.

It had been several years since a dispensary had been opened in the Netherlands, where we were seeing a drop in the number of coffeeshops, as the closure of the «Mellow Yellow, the dean of coffeeshops in the Dutch capital.

First coffeeshop in the south-east of the city

The «Roots Coffeeshop» opened on July 18 near the Amsterdam ArenA, the first coffeeshop in this part of Amsterdam. The opening was a big hit in a neighborhood where cannabis is usually bought on the streets, and is part of the city's policy to spread more coffeeshops to the rest of the city.

What's more, the municipality made sure that Roots Coffeeshop was set up far enough away from a school - a strict criterion that means that in the Netherlands, a coffeeshop can't be located within 250 meters of a school.

The new owner of the dispensary must also take care not to cause a noise nuisance, a measure that all coffeeshops in the country must respect. The city will monitor the Roots Coffeeshop and decide within two years whether or not it will remain permanent.

Special security measures have been adopted. A security guard will be present at the entrance to the dispensary to control the arrival of customers and limit noise pollution.

Residents of Amsterdam's south-east will no longer have to go all the way to the city center, and can now buy cannabis right in their own neighbourhood. The opening of Roots Coffeeshops near the Amsterdam ArenA is also a strategic position for the owners, who hope to attract a new clientele, including soccer fans and music lovers.

The opening of a second coffeeshop in this area of Amsterdam's south-east is under consideration. according to a local newspaper.

Mehdi Bautier