Associated Press
MANCHESTER, England — A campaigner for the legalization of marijuana was arrested Saturday after opening Britain’s first Dutch-style cafe and attempting to openly sell the drug.
Colin Davies, a multiple sclerosis sufferer who uses marijuana to ease his symptoms, was involved in a scuffle with police soon after opening the doors of The Dutch Experience in a Manchester suburb 180 miles northwest of London.
As he was put into the back of a police van, one of his supporters shouted, "He’s a healer, not a dealer."
A spokeswoman for Greater Manchester Police said Davies was arrested for possessing marijuana with intent to supply it to others.
Davies, founder of the Medical Marijuana Cooperative, which campaigns for the drug to be prescribed for illnesses including multiple sclerosis, made headlines last year when he was photographed handing Queen Elizabeth II a bouquet containing pot plants during a royal visit to the city.
After Davies’ arrest Saturday, police searched the cafe and arrested several other people for possessing the drug, which is more commonly called cannabis in Britain.
Kate Bradley, a former policewoman who has smoked marijuana since 1991 to ease the pain of multiple sclerosis, said the police raid was an "undignified and horrendous experience."
Bradley, who uses a wheelchair, said for many people marijuana is the only drug that helps with the pain.
"It controls my pain and the spasms I get, and a lot of medical people believe that cannabis should be used to help people like me," she said.
In the Netherlands, marijuana is technically illegal, but authorities tolerate its use and it is openly sold in small amounts.
Copyright ©2001 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
