A new law will go into effect on July 1 banning smoking tobacco indoors throughout the Netherlands. What this means for Amsterdam's historic coffee shops, where smoking tobacco laced with marijuana is more of the main draw, remains up for debate.

According to reports, coffee shop owners say the new ban should not effect them because 'coffee shops' are a place where people go to smoke. They say it is preposterous for the ban to extend to their shops, just as it would be for food to be banned from restaurants, or alcohol from a bar.

The smoking of marijuana will not be affected by the ban, except for the way it is smoked. Commonly, smokers mix tobacco with marijuana in rolled cigarettes. Now, that will be illegal as smoking marijuana is only legal inside coffee shops.

Options coffee shop owners are looking into are replacing tobacco with an herb called Coltsfoot, buying vaporizers for their stores that burn the plants smokelessly, or putting up partitions that separate tobacco smokers from the staff. Protecting employees from harmful second-hand smoke is the primary reason for the new ban.

There are about 150 coffee shops in Amsterdam, with more through out Holland. Coffee shops are licensed to sell marijuana and hashish, where as cafes sell coffee.