DWARS Overijssel in the news!
03 February 2025In January, DWARS Overijssel was in the newspaper! Together with the Young People of VVD (JOVD) and the Young People of D66 (JD), we went to war for fair, accessible and safe drug policies in Zwolle.
Read there here all about it, and read a small excerpt from the article (where our name is traditionally misspelled) below:
Until 2019, Zwolle used a waiting list for coffee shop owners, but this was abolished. Since then, the municipal executive can independently grant a so-called ‘tolerance decision’. The city council decided that the starting point is that one coffee shop may be opened per 25,000 inhabitants and that all interested parties are given an equal chance in a public application.
With over 133,000 residents, the city is entitled to five coffee shops, but there are currently four after coffee shop The New Balance on Third Bredehoek closed its doors in 2021. Only the coffee shops Sky High, De Pijp, De Tulp and De Rode Leeuw (started earlier in 2021) are there now.
It is a thorn in the side of the chairmen of political youth organisations. ”The subject is not easy, but that does not mean it should be taboo," says Marijn de Boer, chairman of Dwars Overijssel. Currently, the executive council consists of councillors from GroenLinks, D66, CDA and ChristenUnie.