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

Our Advisory Board consists of Jonathan Cole (Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies), Karin Limburg (SUNY-Syracuse), David Pimentel (Cornell University), W. Kenneth Smail (Kenyon College) and Madeline Weld (Population Institute Canada).

FORBES: Six Billion, or Fifteen Billion People? A Discussion With Environmental Scientist Leon Kolankiewicz

The weed pass is expected to be introduced into the southern provinces of Limburg, North Brabant and Zeeland on 1 May, and then to the rest of the country in 2013.

BBC: Dutch pot tourism ban hangs in the balance

It may or may not have been a coincidence that the blast on board the Limburg was followed by the release of an audio tape, purporting to be of Osama bin Laden.

ECONOMIST: In peril on the sea

Whatever the outcome of investigations into the cause of the explosion on the Limburg, the American authorities are unlikely to slacken in their efforts to confront the dangers from terrorists posed to and by international shipping.

ECONOMIST: In peril on the sea | The

Whatever the final outcome of investigations into the cause of the explosion on the Limburg, the American authorities are unlikely to slacken in their efforts to confront the dangers from terrorists posed to and by international shipping.

ECONOMIST: In peril on the sea