cannabisnews.com: Cannabis Cafe Chains To Open in Britain





Cannabis Cafe Chains To Open in Britain
Posted by CN Staff on July 20, 2002 at 18:14:08 PT
By David Bamber & Rajeev Syal
Source: Sunday Telegraph 
Two Dutch cannabis cafe chains plan to open up to 50 ventures in Britain in a full-frontal assault on the police's ability to enforce drug laws.Following the announcement by David Blunkett, the Home Secretary, that cannabis will be downgraded from a class B to a class C drug next year, the firms - The Bulldog and Dutch Experience - are planning to open cafes in an attempt to force acceptance of the drug.
The cafes would be illegal even under the new classification. The owners point out, however, that their businesses are also technically illegal in Amsterdam, but their success has forced a change in policy which allows them to operate freely.The backers believe that in Britain, too, the police will be so overwhelmed by the number of ventures - and their popularity - that they would be forced to allow them to remain open. The two chains, which between them run 20 cafes in Holland, are both planning to launch in Britain. In addition, a string of independent cafes is also likely to open within the next year.While police are adamant that they will not allow cannabis to be sold over the counter, websites for the two businesses already boast of their UK expansion plans.One British man who is interested in running a Dutch-style coffee shop under franchise, said: "As long as these shops do not provoke the police, I think they will eventually accept them."He said: "Even in Holland they are technically illegal, but they are allowed to operate unhindered."Many Dutch cannabis cafes started by allowing cannabis to be smoked and gradually progressed to selling the drug. It is likely the British cafes will at first also limit themselves to providing premises for cannabis to be smoked and will not sell the substance.Under Mr Blunkett's proposals, personal possession of cannabis will be made a non-arrestable offence, although dealing would attract a prison sentence of up to 14 years.Among the sites being looked at by the Dutch chains and independent businessmen are premises in Bournemouth, Manchester, Edinburgh, Glasgow, Cumbria, Liverpool, Chester, Bath, Rhyl, Milton Keynes, Braintree, Brighton, Taunton, and Lambeth in London.The movement to open a chain of shops in Britain has taken its inspiration from the independent Dutch Experience in Stockport, Britain's first cannabis cafe, which opened in September. It has been raided by police three times but is still open and attracts around 200 people a day.Willie Wortel's Sinsemilla, a cannabis cafe in the Dutch town of Haarlem, has already begun to offer British would-be cafe entrepreneurs a course in running such a venture.Twenty people paid £575 each for a five-day course in May. Jeff Ditchfield, who attended the course, has sold his transport business in Rhyl, north Wales, and bought a cafe in the town which he hopes to open soon.David Crane, the director of an internet company for seven years, is in the process of raising £250,000 for an "upmarket" cafe in Hoxton, east London.As well as Stockport, there have been several other abortive attempts to open cannabis cafes. In Dorset, police arrested four men in April after they allegedly opened a cannabis cafe, called The Dutch Experience 2, in a warehouse in Bournemouth. The cafe remains open and sells teas, coffees and cannabis paraphernalia.Source: Sunday Telegraph (UK)Author: David Bamber, Home Affairs Correspondent & Rajeev SyalPublished: July 21, 2002Copyright: Telegraph Group Limited 2002Contact: stnews telegraph.co.ukWebsite: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/Related Articles & Web Site:Dutch Experiencehttp://www.dutchexperience.org/No Smoke Without Ire http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13483.shtmlHigh on Wink Wink 'Coffeehouses' http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13482.shtmlGoing Dutchhttp://cannabisnews.com/news/thread13176.shtmlCannabis Entrepreneurs Go Dutch http://cannabisnews.com/news/thread12482.shtml 
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Comment #3 posted by Toad on July 20, 2002 at 23:06:04 PT
 Hip Hip Hooray
This would be fantastic. The U.S. views Holland as some kind of bizarre open society, but if Britain did this the media would go nuts, and pot prohibition would really start comming apart. Canada, Australia, New Zealand would take a huge example. God save the Queen.
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Comment #2 posted by ekim on July 20, 2002 at 19:15:42 PT
I hope Woody and Todd have a chain too
You can bet the big boys are allready carven up the booty. I can see it now Vegas Lights cafe and casino. Where one can see the best growing methods and supplys on display. Where one wonders about seeing the latest in all sorts of food and products made from this once demonized seed. I remember trien to get Geo. Zimmer to make a line of hemp suits. Well now look at the people who will want to bring back something of hemp from there vacation in Vegas. The ads should start at the airport like Norml did in NYC. that way thousands apon thousands will see what is happening and can grab a info packet to read on the flight home. There must be some big act in Vegas that will want to join the fun. You know the big boys are just waten for us to make them richer. Is anyone thinken about a jingle for the ballot petition == like Vegas high on a mission or Nevada home of the free pee. Well Iam sure those here will be creative. A logo will be a must so those comming and going will be able to take a little something with them. Spread it all over the states. Something that will tell it all like when someone sees the symbol for the atom when someone sees the symbol of the ballot petition there will be nomistaking it. It will be on hats on jackets on keyrings on teeshirts on golfballs on decks of cards on pocker chips on everything-~~~~~~~~~~~~~~comon people lets get together right now, right now
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Comment #1 posted by BGreen on July 20, 2002 at 18:56:05 PT
Think of how we could do this in the US
They would be so overwhelmed, their heads would explode. It's going to get pretty bad before it gets better, but the evil Asa and the two John's are soon to be history. If they escape with their lives, I'd be surprised, only because there are a few hundred thousand pissed off inmates soon to be released who won't be able to get a job, and they're going to be looking for people to blame.This is the time they need a few million cannabis users on their side, but they're losers 'til the end, so they'll never understand.
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