But in border cities in the provinces of Limburg and North Brabant, there are local officials and residents who support the introduction of a weed pass.

BBC: Dutch pot tourism ban hangs in the balance

In Uden (in the province of Brabant) vandals set fire to an Islamic school, and in Venray (Limburg) there were violent clashes between Christian and Muslim youngsters.

ECONOMIST: Provincial attitudes

The visit was slightly surreal for Van Poppel, whose hometown in the Dutch Province of Noord-Brabant is best known for its university and a gel capsule manufacturing plant.

FORBES: Media

The latest poll predicts a tight race between the governing left-leaning Inuit Ataqatigiit party (IA) and the opposition Siumut party, reports the BBC's Malcolm Brabant from the Danish capital, Copenhagen.

BBC: Mining question dominates Greenland poll