27 "coffeeshops" selling cannabis in Rotterdam, all within 200 metres from schools, were ordered to close down by 2009. This was nearly half of the "coffeeshops" that operated within its municipality. This was due to the new policy of city mayor Ivo Opstelten and the town council. The higher levels of the active ingredient in cannabis in Netherlands create a growing opposition to the traditional Dutch view of cannabis as a relatively innocent soft drug. Supporters of "coffeeshops" state that such claims are often exaggerated and ignore the fact that higher content means a user needs to use less of the plant to get the desired effects, making it in effect safer. Dutch research has however shown that an increase of THC content also increase the occurrence of impaired psychomotor skills, particularly among younger or inexperienced cannabis smokers, who do not adapt their smoking-style to the higher THC content. Closing of "coffeeshops" is not unique to Rotterdam. Many other towns have done the same in the last 10 years.