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Cannabis Campaigners' Guide News Database result:
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UK: Scotland's first 'hash cafe' opens
Brendan O'Brien The Scotsman Online
Thursday 29 Jan 2004 The opening of Scotland's first 'hash cafe', the Purple Haze on Portland Place in Leith, went off today with a bang, but without a bong earlier this evening. Quite a crowd, perhaps fifty people, had gathered outside the cafe for the big event. At least a dozen of them must have been genuine customers rather than part of the the massed ranks of media observers not quite managing to blend into the background. The official opening time was 4pm, but some wiser heads had anticipated the inevitable media scuffle and had arrived earlier so they could find a seat. Inside the cafe, the space was packed to the brim, so much so that the proprietors were operating a one-in, one-out policy if you could fight your way through the throng. Police presence was low-key. Two officers guarded the door, handing out Lothian and Borders police flyers stating that cannabis was still illegal and anyone smoking it would be arrested, all the time scanning the crowd in the hope no-one was going to make a point. A van full of their comrades was parked discreetly behind a nearby hotel just in case the cannabis crowd became, er, lively and caused trouble. The wait to get in looked set to be a long one so I nervously rolled myself a cigarette under the wary nose of an awkward policeman, my nerves not helped when one wag in the crowd shouted out "pass it around." The cafe operates a strict no smoking policy so there was no chance of a puff inside, nor does it sell anything illegal on the premises. Instead, its aim is to encourage a healthier habit by promoting pipes. I stood beside a young man - who claimed to be from the Royal Military Police - who declared he would "roll a joint in front of the police just to make a point." Brushing aside my comments that this would probably lead to trouble, he said was sticking to his principles because, although he said he doesn't actually smoke it himself, his father suffers from MS and smokes cannabis to relieve the pain. After about a quarter of an hour, Scottish Socialist leader Tommy Sheridan came out to make a short speech to the cheers of the crowd and the camera lenses of the media. Tommy - not a smoker himself - declared his solidarity with cannabis smokers saying that "drug use should not be encouraged but [in the case of cannabis users] they're harming no-one." The wait dragged on for half an hour, then two officers braved the jeers to enter the cafe only to come out again shortly, disappointing everyone by not having made an arrest. I finally managed to squeeze inside for some refreshments. As one local shop worker put it, it's amazing "what people'll do tae sell a cup 'o tea." Business was, needless to say, booming. Except for the police, of course. Purple Haze 8 Portland Place Leith 0131 555 4222 www.purplehazecafe.com
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