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UK: Search is on to find new cannabis cafe Julie Magee Bournemouth Echo Saturday 01 Nov 2008 Former Boscombe Forum chairman Gary Sherborne said: “We need somewhere where people who need cannabis for medical reasons can obtain it; otherwise they risk being prosecuted. “I know one Southbourne grandmother who suffers from a bone wasting condition and needs cannabis to ease her pain. “She puts it into cakes to help her sleep. Her son purchases the drug; her main concern is that he will get caught going to meet the supplier. “There are many people who need cannabis to relieve the symptoms of various illnesses like multiple sclerosis. Why should they be treated like criminals?” Gary, who is project leader at the Tenants’ Union office in Boscombe, added: “Cannabis should be decriminalised; then it wouldn’t be controlled by criminals. “I prefer cannabis to alcohol and have never considered experimenting with other drugs. Surveys have shown that cannabis is less harmful than alcohol and nicotine.” Having lived in Boscombe for a decade after moving from Shropshire, Gary has lost friends to heroin addiction. He said: “Despite what people say, the drug problem here is massive. If you wander around you will see people huddled up, buying drugs from suppliers who come from as far as London to tout for trade. “Boscombe is not unique; prescription drugs are also a problem with people selling their methadone and painkillers on the street. What we need is an honest debate; we have to face the fact that prohibition is not working.” Gary was a founder member of the Dutch Experience cannabis café which caused controversy after opening at Station Approach in Boscombe in 2001. “The cafe closed down after six months because the owners of the property evicted us and we couldn’t find a landlord who was prepared to give us a lease. “Now we are searching for new premises which would double up as a medical centre. They could be licensed by the local authority and regulated.” Gary is also in favour of “shooting galleries” being pioneered in Portugal, Spain and the Netherlands. He said: “People go there for the drug of their choice; it’s somewhere they can inject safely with clean needles, away from the dangers of the streets.” A Dorset police spokesman said: “We will take the appropriate action to ensure that any facility connected with the illegal supply or taking of drugs will be dealt with fully and correctly.” Cannabis is currently classified as a Class C drug but the world’s most often used illegal drug is due to be reclassified to a Class B drug next year. The change is expected to come into law on January 26. Currently, the maximum penalty for supplying, dealing, production and trafficking is 14 years imprisonment. The maximum penalty for possession is two years but this could rise to five years. The proposed change in the law would mean more robust enforcement against cannabis supply, new measures to tackle cannabis factories and tougher penalties for those caught supplying cannabis near schools and colleges, mental health institutions and prisons. * Last month a cannabis café near Brighton was raided for the seventh time. Five people are due to appear before Worthing magistrates on November 5. http://www.bournemouthecho.co.uk
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