"That's when the idea came to us to just sell them"

The City of Amsterdam had a problem and came up with a solution.

An experimental ban on smoking marijuana on the street in De Baarsjes meet with approval, of a sort.

"On Wednesday we placed the first sign, and it was gone the next morning," said Wim de Graaf. "We put up a new one Thursday, and it was taken the same night as well. That's when the idea came to us to just sell them."

From a desire to reduce loitering and petty crime came a small windfall.

"We're selling them at not much more than they cost, so we expect profits will be modest," De Graaf said. But he added that the city has already had many requests for the signs, some from outside the city. The signs can be ordered via De Baarsje's Web site. "Now everyone can have his own 'no toking' sign simply by ordering them through the city."

Note that marijuana is technically illegal in the Netherlands. People who smoke marijuana outside in De Baarsjes risk a euro50 (US$60) fine. But most travelers know that small amounts can be bought and smoked in "coffee shops."