Thanet cannabis cafe meeting date set

A DATE has been set for discussions about setting up a cannabis café in Thanet.

Green councillor Ian Driver has organised the meeting for Saturday, March 15 March at the Red Hall, 11 Grosvenor Road, Broadstairs between 1pm-3.30pm.

Mr Driver has invited Kent Police and Crime Commissioner Ann Barnes, a Kent Police representative, Professor Alex Stevens of the University of Kent, an international authority on drugs policy, and members of the Thanet Clinical Commissioning Group to attend.

The owner of Bournemouth's former Dutch Experience café, which was open for six months in 2002, is also expected to come to the meeting.

Mr Driver, who admitted he had smoked cannabis in the past, said: "The café would not sell or supply cannabis, but customers would be allowed to bring and consume their own cannabis on the premises whilst enjoying a drink and something to eat.

"The café would probably be run as a members club and would be a meeting point for people who use cannabis for recreational and medicinal purposes and their friends. Dealing in cannabis at the café would not be allowed.

"Drugs policy is rapidly changing. The traditional prohibitive approach is being replaced by more tolerant policies. In the USA for example Colorado and Washington State have now legalised the production, sale and consumption of cannabis. Uruguay will shortly be following suit. These enlightened approaches will generate considerable additional tax revenue to fund the police and other public services and will also create jobs and help to eliminate organised crime."

Here are some of your views posted on our Facebook page:

James Brady: Not only is cannabis illegal but smoking indoors is also illegal. Why the hell in this economic state is money being wasted on even thinking about this. It should be made clear from the start this is should not be allowed. Thanet has a huge amount of unemployed youngsters who spend most of their day now smoking drugs, what message would it give them to say here is a place you can smoke and get high and when you run out just pop out commit a crime to get more money and drugs and pop back.

Lisa Richards: It's astonishing that with all the problems we face (food poverty, jobless issues, social care, young people not in jobs in training, the possible decommissioning of one of our most beautiful beaches, lacks of support for small businesses by government, the selling off of our NHS, etc, etc, etc) that this is what our local politicians are focussing on. *slow hand claps*

James Seed: How about we legalise it first?

But to all the idiots talking about how it will just provide a place for mislead youth to "smoke drugs" then perhaps you should consider closing all the local pubs too? Faced with choice of a thug smashed on alcohol or stoned I know which one I would choose.

Granted, there are more important things for local government to focus on, but for all of you who drink or have ever ate foot in the pub, please stop your hypocritical "weed is bad, full stop" ignorance.

Kaya La Roche: People are so worried about cannabis, it's alcohol that's the drug you should be worried about. Cannabis could save our economy and I don't even smoke the stuff! Stop believing propaganda.

Chaz Young: I think it would be a great idea to open a cannabis cafe I use cannabis to alleviate chronic pain that I've suffered with since bad bike accident in 2001. I've been on morphine in all its forms since the accident and it no longer works due to the body's tolerance to it I'm on 120 mills a day of morphine and use cannabis as a substitute because of it medicinal properties. It helps tremendously. I've been arrested and charged for possession at least three times and even the police where sympathetic as to my reasons why I use it but because of the current status of cannabis in this country they had to charge me. It's time for change, the USA are allowing medicinal use, so should the UK.

Sam South: Smoke is smoke, and for people with bad lungs it's still bad for them too. Thanet was where people went for fresh air, there's a boarding school there that used to be for asthmatics. I am against banning anything, stupidly believing people can be educated to realise something is dangerous. This is wrong. Mid to long term marijuana (ab)use does make people paranoid, so if you think I am persecuting you for smoking it, then you're proving my point

http://www.thanetgazette.co.uk 12/02/2014