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UK: Scots users still long way from sparking up legal joint in public Morag Lindsay Press & Journal, Aberdeen Friday 23 Jan 2004 The downgrading of cannabis from a class B to a class C drug will put it on a par with tranquilisers and anabolic steroids and some see it as a first step to decriminalisation. But cannabis users in Scotland are still a long way from being able to spark up a joint in public. Supporters of decriminalisation say Scotland should have Amsterdam-style coffee shops, where cannabis users can go to buy small quantities of the drug and smoke it in peace. But in the eyes of the police, both proprietors and users would still be breaking the law. The owner of an Edinburgh internet cafe yesterday vowed that he was prepared to go to court over his plan to open Scotland's first cannabis cafe next Thursday. Paul Stewart will continue to run his Purple Haze cafe, in the Leith district of the city, normally during the day. But from 4pm the venue will switch to a members-only club, where people will be welcome to bring their own cannabis to consume on the premises. A smoking ban, on cigarettes as well as joints, will be in force at all times. Instead, users will be able to eat chocolates, brownies and other foods laced with cannabis. They will also be able to use vaporisers to inhale the drug without smoking. Mr Stewart, who already sells magic mushrooms from his cafe, won't be dealing cannabis. However, he will still be committing an offence by allowing people to consume the drug on his premises. Police will also be able to arrest people who are found in possession of the drug. Despite this threat, Mr Stewart says he has a waiting list of would-be members. He believes it is wrong that the Home Office is downgrading cannabis to a class C drug across Britain, and spending around 1million pounds on an advertising campaign advising people of the changes, when the estimated half a million cannabis smokers in Scotland will still face much stiffer penalties than those south of the border. Officers in England will be able to let people off with a caution, but Scottish cannabis users face the stigma of being arrested and reported to the procurator fiscal, who will then decide whether they should be charged. Mr Stewart is banking on the fact that Lothian and Borders Police, like the other Scottish forces, will be too busy following up serious crime to clamp down on a group of like-minded friends getting stoned together behind darkened windows. If police do decide to take action against him, he says he has been approached by a number of lawyers who are prepared to fight his case in court. Trainspotting author Irvine Welsh and pro-cannabis campaigner Kevin Williamson are also backing his bid. Williamson, who set up the Rebel Inc magazine turned publishing house, has been speaking about setting up a cannabis cafe in the capital for several years. In November, 2001, the Medical Marijuana Co-operative announced it was to open a cannabis cafe in Dundee "before Christmas". Yesterday, a spokeswoman for Tayside Police said nothing had come of the proposal.
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