A policy barring foreign tourists from buying marijuana in the Netherlands went into effect in parts of the country today, with attention focused on the southern city of Maastricht, where a cafe was warned over violating the ban and around 200 smokers marched in protest.

THE Netherlands can ban over-the-counter sales of marijuana in Dutch “coffee shops” to non-residents to end drugs tourism from Ireland, Belgium, France, Germany and other countries, a senior adviser to the European Union high court said yesterday.

BUYING cannabis in the Dutch city of Maastricht will soon mean having your fingerprints taken, your face scanned and your biometric data recorded.