Dutch authorities have rejected the idea that the nationwide smoking ban in restuarants and bars will affect the notorious coffeeshops, saying that marijuana would still be allowed.

In fact, the Dutch may follow their European counterparts in imposing a smoking ban in restaurants, pubs and nightclubs but soft drugs such as cannabis would still be allowed.

"It is ridiculous to think that a smoking ban would be the end of coffee shops," local conservative politician and coffee shop owner Michael Veling said.

It is ridiculous to think that a smoking ban would be the end of coffee shops."

Veling says the clientele who have been coming to coffee shops to buy and inhale marijuana are flexible enough to find a way around any ban on smoking the tobacco products they routinely mix with marijuana resin or leaf in rolled paper "joints."

"You can bring parsley or old socks if you want, cut them here and smoke them, nobody will say anything," Veling said.

"Plus there are plants that have a every similar structure to tobacco and can maybe substitute for it." 

The Tobacco smoking ban which comes into affect in 2008 is expected to shift smokers from the traditional cigarettes to other similar soft drugs which are not classified as cigarettes in order to escape the ban.