Forwarded from :  http://www.cannabisculture.com/articles/2088.html


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First UK marijuana coffeeshop announced
by Pete Brady (26 Aug, 2001) Activists Davies and Van Schaik bring pot to Manchester


Colin Davies and Nol Van Schaik
Cannabis Culture is proud to be the first news organization to report that United Kingdom marijuana activist Colin Davies and Dutch coffee shop guru Nol Van Schaik will be opening the first marijuana coffee shop in England in September.

Davies and Van Schaik were already allies in the European medical marijuana movement. When major British politicians and officials began openly calling for cannabis decriminalization earlier this year, the pair decided that the UK was ready for a cannabis retail system modeled on the Dutch approach to cannabis sales.

Davies is already famous for giving marijuana to the Queen Mother [correction: the Queen herself] and Prince Charles, and for twice being acquitted of marijuana cultivation charges. He founded and manages the British Medical Marijuana Cooperative, which provides medpot to a growing number of patients.


Van Schaik and Davies play `The Coffee Shop Game`
Now, Davies is poised to make history.

"Nol and I feel that the time is right to be open and honest about the need for cannabis in England," the soft-spoken Davies said. "We'll be opening the country's first public marijuana shop in mid-September, near Manchester. We're calling it 'The Dutch Experience.' We're going to provide low-cost marijuana to medical users, subsidized by sales to recreational users."

Van Schaik owns and manages three renowned coffee shops in Haarlem, Holland, 20 minutes from Amsterdam.

"I'm helping Colin make this an authentic Dutch experience," Van Schaik explained. "He's got so much heart, and so much good sense, and we're setting up his shop so customers can enjoy the place and get the best marijuana possible for the best prices."

Local authorities where Davies intends to open his shop have given mixed signals concerning cannabis cultivation and sales, but Davies says he isn't worried about government interference.

"We're going to have a grand opening ceremony attended by Wernard Bruining, who created the first Dutch coffee shop, Mellow Yellow. We'll have cannabis activists and patients from across Europe. The police know that juries don't want to find me guilty for cannabis offenses, and that public opinion is solidly against the war on marijuana. Europe is fast moving toward a rational marijuana policy. I'm grateful for Nol's help in bringing the Dutch experience here to England. We're going to have a great time helping a lot of people get the healing herb," he said.


Information:

The UK Medicinal Cannabis Buyers' Club www.mmco.org.uk and The Willie Wortel Workshop www.wwwshop.nl