Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:


After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back.

UK: Cannabis cafe gets Euro MP's backing

Lancashire Evening Telegraph

Friday 02 Aug 2002

---

A NORTH West Euro MP today gave his backing to Lancashire's first
Amsterdam-style coffee shop which will allow customers to smoke cannabis
on the premises.

David Wilson will today open his Real Jerk cafe and takeaway in Bolton
Road, Ewood, Blackburn, and let people use the drug. No cannabis will be
on sale and customers will have to bring their own.

Police have vowed they will prosecute Mr Wilson, 37, for letting
cannabis be smoked on his premises and ward councillor Maureen Bateson
slammed him as irresponsible. Blackburn MP and Foreign Secretary Jack
Straw urged Mr Wilson to re-think his plans.

Liberal Democrat MEP Chris Davies said he would visit the cafe when he
is next in the town.

Mr Davies, who says he has never smoked cannabis, said: "I am very much
in favour of separating hard drugs from soft drugs. Coffee shops in
Holland are run under licence and have proved very successful. "I
welcome the approach taken by cafes like the one in Blackburn, which
supports the Liberal Democrats message to decriminalise cannabis."

Mr Wilson's neighbours were split on the move.

Michael Mead, who runs the Ewood Corner Shop in Bolton Road, said: "I'm
worried about the young kids, but as long as it doesn't affect them and
bring the area down I have no problems with it."

Lawrence Theaker, of the nearby Aqueduct pub, said: "We don't want it
here. It's still a pretty clean area compared with the town centre."

Pauline Kennedy, of Wolseley Street, said: "I'm worried it will bring
undesirables into Ewood. "

But Patrick Mitchell, of Bolton Road, said: "I'm all in favour. I've had
three heart attacks and I smoke cannabis because it calms me down and
lets me sleep."

Nobody from Blackburn with Darwen Council, which is responsible for
licensing the Real Jerk, would comment.

 

 

 

After you have finished reading this article you can click here to go back. 




This page was created by the Cannabis Campaigners' Guide.

Feel free to link to this page!