THE HAGUE, 03/04/07 - The combined sale of cannabis and alcohol is no longer permitted in the Netherlands. Yesterday, the so-called hash cafes became illegal.

In 2003, cabinet and parliament decided that selling both alcohol and 'soft drugs' from one location would be prohibited from 1 April 2007. During the past months, a transitional regime was in place in Amsterdam, the only municipality that still had any hash cafes.

A month ago, Amsterdam Mayor Job Cohen, supported by a majority of the city council, had requested the sitting cabinet to continue permitting the combination anyhow. Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin rejected the protest however.

Of the 44 hash cafes in the capital, 4 will continue operating as cafes. The other 40 have decided to turn into 'coffee shops', where cannabis may be sold but not alcohol.